Page:UK Traffic Signs Manual - Chapter 3 Regulatory Signs. 2008 (Second Impression 2008).pdf/70

ON STREET PARKING AND LOADING disabled badge holders sign. The above principles apply also to other combinations of parking bays. However, the shared use of bays in this manner is likely to result in more complicated signs and may lead to enforcement difficulties, particularly as the bay marking cannot have legend describing its use (such as LOADING ONLY or DISABLED).

The detailed design of signs for on—street parking and loading is set out on the appropriate working drawings (see para 1.9), with additional guidance in section 12 of Chapter 7. Note that panel dividers are always the same width as the sign border. A restriction always applies at all times unless qualified by an indication that it applies only at specific dates or times. It will lead to confusion, and undermine understanding of restrictions signed according to this convention, if expressions like ”Mon—Sun” are used. Similarly, restrictions apply on public holidays unless signs specifically indicate that they do not.

Where new traffic regulation orders are to be introduced, parking controls should be kept as simple as possible to avoid over—complicated traffic signs that might be difficult for drivers to understand. Where a shared—use bay includes different provisions on different days, it might be possible to simplify the sign by using the legend ”At other times”, although this will require authorisation. An example is shown in figure 7-8. Where public holidays are excluded from the order, this should be indicated on the signs, otherwise drivers will not know that the parking controls do not apply on these days.

Most of the signs for parking and loading bays are prescribed with an x—height in the range 20 mm minimum to 40 mm maximum. The appropriate x—height for such signs is determined by the need to ensure conspicuity rather than by the speed of traffic. Therefore the smaller x—heights are more appropriate for signs displaying larger amounts of information. For this reason, the potentially large signs to diagrams 639.1B, 660.6 and 660.7 (but not diagram 660.5) are prescribed with a minimum x—height of 15 mm. Selection of x—height will depend on prevailing conditions and the design of the sign. In a quiet, narrow residential street the smallest prescribed size is likely to be adequate for any sign. However, in a 68