Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the M1 Motorway (Junctions 28 to 35a) (Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2015 and come into force on 20th October 2015.

Interpretation

2. In these Regulations—

“the 1982 Regulations” means the Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations 1982 ( 2 );

“the 2002 Regulations” means the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002( 3 ); and

“carriageway”, “hard shoulder”, “motorway” and “verge” have the same meaning as in the 1982 Regulations.

Variable speed limits

3. —(1) No person shall drive a vehicle on a section of a road which is subject to a variable speed limit at a speed exceeding that indicated by a speed limit sign.

(2) A section of a road is subject to a variable speed limit in relation to a vehicle being driven along it if—

(a) the road is specified in the Schedule;

(b) the vehicle has passed a speed limit sign; and

(c) the vehicle has not subsequently passed—

(i) another speed limit sign indicating a different speed limit; or

(ii) a traffic sign which indicates that the national speed limit is in force.

(3) In relation to a vehicle, the speed limit indicated by a speed limit sign is the speed shown at the time the vehicle passes the sign, or, if higher, the speed limit shown by the sign ten seconds before the vehicle passed the sign.

(4) For the purposes of this regulation a speed limit sign is to be taken as not indicating any speed limit if, ten seconds before the vehicle passed it, the sign had indicated no speed limit or that the national speed limit was in force.

(5) In this regulation—

“national speed limit” has the meaning given by regulation 5(2) of the 2002 Regulations and a traffic sign which indicates that the national speed limit is in force means a traffic sign of the type shown in diagram 671 in Schedule 2 to the 2002 Regulations which is—

“road” includes the adjacent hard shoulder and verge;

“speed limit sign”, in relation to a vehicle, means a traffic sign of the type shown in diagram 670 in Schedule 2 to the 2002 Regulations which is—

Regulation 3(2)(a)

SCHEDULE SPECIFIED ROADS

1. The specified roads are—

(a) that length of the northbound carriageway of the M1 beginning at junction 28 at a point which is 28 metres after marker post 217/5 and ending at junction 35a at the southern edge of the bridge carrying the A616 Stocksbridge bypass;

(b) the carriageways of the northbound on-slip roads and off-slip roads at junctions 28, 29, 29a, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35 and 35a and the carriageways of the on-slip roads and off-slip roads of the motorway service areas along the length specified in sub-paragraph (a);

(c) that length of the southbound carriageway of the M1 beginning at junction 35a at a point which is 100 metres north of the northern edge of the bridge carrying the A616 Stocksbridge bypass and ending at junction 28 at a point which is 64 metres after marker post 217/6;

(d) the carriageways of the southbound on-slip roads and off-slip roads at junctions 28, 29, 29a, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35 and 35a and the carriageways of the on-slip roads and off-slip roads of the motorway service areas along the length specified in sub-paragraph (c);

(e) the northbound and southbound linking carriageways between the M18 and the M1 at junction 32.

2. Any reference in this Schedule to—

(a) the letter “M” followed by a number is a reference to the motorway known by that name;

(b) the letter “A” followed by a number is a reference to the road known by that name; and

(c) a junction followed by a number is a reference to the junction of the M1 of that number.

3. In this Schedule—

“on-slip road” means a slip road intended for the use of traffic entering the M1; and

“off-slip road” means a slip road intended for the use of traffic exiting the M1.