Page:UK Traffic Signs Manual - Chapter 8 - Part 1 (Traffic Safety Measures and Signs for Road). Designs 2009.pdf/44



A risk assessment of the impact of off-carriageway operations should be carried out where works vehicles cannot fully pull off the carriageway. Where the risk assessment identifies that advance signing should be provided, the working space should be extended into the carriageway to include adequate space for works vehicles, and signing and coning should be provided as indicated in Sections D5 and D6.

Generally, there will be no need for signs to warn vehicular traffic on a single carriageway where works are carried out off the carriageway on minor roads in the following situations, see paragraph D3.2.19 and Section D5.3:


 * wholly within a verge not used by pedestrians and where a clearance of at least 0.5m exists between the working space and the edge of the carriageway, see Section D3.2,
 * on a footway or verge used by pedestrians where an unobstructed width of at least 1.0m can be maintained for pedestrians on the side of the works remote from the carriageway and a safety zone of 0.5 m can be maintained between the works and the carriageway, or
 * on roads with a permanent speed limit of 30mph or less, on a footway or verge used by pedestrians where an unobstructed width of at least 1.0m can be maintained for pedestrians on the carriageway side of the works. The 1.0m width for pedestrians would constitute the necessary safety zone for road workers.

No signing or guarding will be required in the carriageway for vehicular traffic when work is being carried out off the carriageway on all-purpose carriageway roads in daylight on or above a footway, verge, central reservation or traffic island in the following circumstances:


 * on all-purpose single carriageway roads, on dual carriageway roads where the speed limit is 40mph or less and on dual carriageway roads subject to the national speed limit, providing they are no longer than 5km in length and lie between successive lengths of single carriageway road,
 * when the work comprises inspections, minor repairs, lamp changing or the cleaning of signal heads, and can be done within the limits of the existing refuges;
 * when working on fixed apparatus which is closer to the edge of the carriageway than specified below, provided the person carrying out the work, the tools and equipment being used and any ladder are not closer to the edge of the carriageway than the apparatus being worked upon, and
 * in any other situation, provided the horizontal clearance distances from the edge of the carriageway to the person carrying out the work, the tools and equipment being used and any ladder, are not less than 0.5m on roads with speed limits up to and including 40 mph and 1.2 m minimum where the speed limit exceeds 40 mph.

Where possible, access to and exit from the works area should be considered at the design stage and the following should be considered:


 * conflict with other movements,
 * location; 43