Part I: Preliminary

IT is hereby notified that the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development has, in terms of section 39 as read with section 81 of the Road Traffic Act [Chapter 13:11], made the following regulations:

1. Title and date of commencement

(1) These regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs and Signals) Regulations, 2016.

(2) These regulations shall come into operation on the date of its publication in the Gazette.

2. Application

(1) These regulations shall apply to every traffic sign placed or marked on or near any road in terms of the Act.

(2) The construction, design and specifications of every traffic sign, and the meaning, prohibition, restriction or requirement conveyed by every sign, shall be as prescribed in these regulations.

(3) Despite any other provision of these regulations, the National Railways of Zimbabwe may erect within the railway reserve at any rail/road level crossing, such traffic signs as are appropriate to such rail/road level crossing:

Provided that such traffic signs shall comply with the requirements of these regulations or be approved by the Minister.

3. Interpretation

(1) In these regulations:

"abnormal vehicle" means any vehicle which is operated under a written exemption by a road authority;

"agricultural vehicle" means a vehicle designed or adapted solely for agricultural activities and includes a tractor but does not include a goods vehicle;

"ambulance" means a motor vehicle specially constructed or adapted for the conveyance of sick or injured persons to or from a place for medical treatment and which is registered as an ambulance;

"authorised vehicle" means any motor vehicle identified by means of:

(a) a registration or number plate;

(b) an authorised symbol or name on the vehicle; or

(c) an authorised disc affixed to the inside of the windscreen of the vehicle;

and whose identification is thereby compatible with that displayed on the appropriate road sign;

"authority" means a local authority or any other person authorized by the Minister in terms of section 227 of the Act to erect a traffic sign;

"blue" means a shade of blue which as nearly as possible conforms with the colour No. 166 French Blue in the BSIS, (a copy of the BSIS shall be kept at every provincial office of the Ministry responsible for transport for inspection without charge by members of the public during normal working hours);

"breakdown vehicle" means a motor vehicle designated or adapted sole for the purpose of recovering or salvaging motor vehicles and which is registered as a breakdown vehicle;

"BSIS" means the British Standards Institution Schedule of colours for ready-mixed paints, reference number 381C: 1948, as revised;

"bus" means a motor vehicle designed or adapted for the conveyance of more than 16 persons (including the driver, if any);

"road marking" means any marking on the part of the road used for vehicular traffic and includes background and edge markings;

"construction vehicle" means a vehicle used in connection with road construction and road maintenance;

"cross", or any like expression, means to move on a public road in a direction which intersects the normal course of travel of traffic on such road;

"warning sign" means a traffic sign prescribed in Part II warning road users of any danger or hazard ahead;

"dangerous goods" means the commodities, substances and goods listed by the Minister as dangerous goods;

"delivery vehicle" means a goods vehicle, motor cycle, motor tricycle or motor quadrucycle, in the process of loading or unloading goods;

"disabled persons vehicle" means a motor vehicle conveying a person with a physical disability;

"driver" means any person who drives or attempts to drive any vehicle or who rides or attempts to ride any pedal cycle or who leads any draught, pack or saddle animal or heard or flock of animals, and "drive" or any like word has a corresponding meaning;

"edge of the roadway" means the boundary between the roadway and the shoulder, which is indicated by an appropriate road traffic sign, or in the absence of such sign:

(a) in the case of a road with a bituminous or concrete surface, the edge of such surface; or

(b) in the case of any other road, the edge of the improved part of the road intended for vehicular use;

"emergency vehicle" means an ambulance, rescue vehicle, fire-fighting vehicle or vehicle used for civil protection;

"fire-fighting vehicle" means a motor vehicle designed or adapted solely or mainly for fighting fires and which is registered as a fire-fighting vehicle;

"freeway" means a public road or a section of a public road which has been designated as a freeway by road signs R401 or R402;

"front end", in relation to:

(a) a vehicle, other than a semi-trailer, means that part of the vehicle which projects furthest forward; or

(b) a semi-trailer, means a line running parallel with the centre-line of the king-pin and connecting the sides of the semi-trailer at the widest and furthest point in front of the king-pin;

"green" means a shade of green which as nearly as possible conforms with the colour No. 267 Traffic Green in the BSIS;

"goods" means any moveable property;

"goods vehicle" means a motor vehicle other than a motor cycle, motor tricycle, motor quadrucycle, motor car, minibus or bus, designed or adapted for the conveyance of goods on a public road and includes a truck-tractor, adaptor dolly, converter dolly and breakdown vehicle;

"gross axle massload", in relation to a motor vehicle, means the maximum massload of a particular axle of such vehicle as specified by the manufacturer thereof or, in the absence of such specification, as determined by the registering authority;

"gross axle unit massload", in relation to a motor vehicle, means a maximum massload of a particular axle unit of such vehicle as specified by the manufacturer thereof or, in the absence of such specification, as determined by the registering authority;

"gross combination mass" in relation to a motor vehicle which is used to draw any other motor vehicle, means the maximum mass of any combination of motor vehicles, including the drawing vehicle, and load as specified by the manufacturer thereof or, in the absence of such specification, as determined by the registration authority;

"guidance sign" means any one of the following informative signs:

(a) route marker sign being a numeric or alpha numeric sign designating a route);

(b) direction sign guiding road users on direction to another road or locality;

(c) local direction sign (differs according to locality to enhance the visibility of the sign to road users);

(d) tourism sign (advising road users of places of recreational or similar value to travellers);

(e) diagrammatic sign advising road users of changes in the configuration of the road ahead;

(f) any other guidance sign prescribed under Class I(a)(iii) of the First Schedule;

"hawker" means a person who sells or trades goods;

"hazard marker sign" means a traffic sign used in association with a danger warning sign placed in the proximity of the actual hazard forewarned by the danger warning sign;

"high occupancy vehicle" means a motor vehicle in which the number of occupants equals or exceeds the number indicated on an appropriate road traffic sign;

"intersection" means the area embraced within the prolongation of the lateral boundary lines of two or more public roads, open to vehicular traffic, that join one another at any angle, whether or not one such public road crosses the other;

"junction" means that portion of an intersection contained within the prolongation of the lateral limits of the intersecting roadways and such junction shall include any portion of the roadway between such lateral limits, and any stop or yield line marking which is painted at such intersection;

"kerb line" means the boundary between the shoulder and the verge or, in the absence of a shoulder, the part between the edge of the roadway and the verge;

"local authority" includes a local board and rural district council;

"midibus" means a bus which is designed or adapted solely for the conveyance of not more than 35 persons, including the driver;

"minibus" means a motor vehicle designed or adapted solely or principally for the conveyance of more than nine, but not more than 16 persons, including the driver;

"mini circle" means a junction which contains a traffic or painted island, around which a road user shall travel in a clockwise direction;

"Minister" means the Minister responsible for Transport;

"motor car" means a motor vehicle, other than a motor cycle, motor tricycle or motor quadrucycle designed or adapted solely or principally for the conveyance of not more than nine persons, including the driver;

"motor cycle" means a motor vehicle which has two wheels and includes any such vehicle having a side-car attached;

"motor quadrucycle" means a motor vehicle, other than a tractor, which has four wheels and which is designed to be driven by the type of controls usually fitted to a motor cycle;

"motor tricycle" means a motor vehicle, other than a motor cycle or a tractor, which has three wheels and which is designed to be driven by the type of controls usually fitted to a motor cycle;

"motor vehicle" means any self-propelled vehicle and includes:

(a) a trailer; and

(b) vehicle having pedals and an engine or an electric motor as an integral part thereof or attached thereto and which is designed or adapted to be propelled by means of such pedals, engine or motor, or both such pedals and engine or motor, but does not include:

(i) any vehicle propelled by electrical power derived from storage batteries and which is controlled by a pedestrian; or

(ii) any vehicle with a mass not exceeding 230 kilograms and specially designed and constructed, and not merely adapted, for the use of any person suffering from some physical defect or disability and used solely by such person;

"operate on a public road" or any like expression, in relation to a vehicle means to use or drive a vehicle or to permit a vehicle to be used or driven on a public road, or to have or to permit a vehicle to be on a public road;

"overall height", in relation to a vehicle, means the distance measured from ground level to the highest part of:

(a) any part of such vehicle; or

(b) any load thereon;

whichever part is the highest but, in the case of a vehicle driven by electrical power, the overall height should not include any overhead electrical contacting gear or catwalk protruding above such vehicle;

"overall length", in relation to a vehicle, means the distance between the front end and the rear end of the vehicle and, in relation to a combination of vehicles, the distance between the front end of the leading vehicle and the rear end of the rearmost vehicle;

"overall width", in relation to a vehicle, means the width measured between two planes parallel to the longitudinal centre-line of the vehicle and passing through the extreme projecting points on either side of such vehicle, excluding any side mirror or direction indicator;

"park" means to keep a vehicle, whether occupied or not, stationary for a period of time longer than is reasonably necessary for the actual loading or unloading of persons or goods, but does not include any such keeping of a vehicle by reason of a cause beyond the control or the person in charge of such vehicle;

"pedal cycle" means any bicycle or tricycle designed for propulsion solely by means of human power;

"pedestrian crossing" means:

(a) that portion of a public road at an intersection included within the prolongation or connection of the kerb line and adjacent boundary line of such road, whether such portion is marked or not; or

(b) any other portion of a public road designated as a pedestrian crossing by appropriate road traffic signs;

"permanent" in relation to a traffic sign means that the sign is used to indicate define the normal conditions;

"prescribed" means prescribed by regulation;

"priority road" means a road user has priority of way in the event of any intersection or junction with that road;

"public road" means any road, street or thoroughfare or any other place (whether a thoroughfare or not) which is commonly used by the public or any section thereof or to which the public or any section thereof has a right of access, and includes:

(a) the verge of any such road, street or thoroughfare;

(b) any bridge, ferry or drift traversed by any such road, street or thoroughfare; and

(c) any other work or object forming part of or connected with or belonging to such road, street or thoroughfare;

"rear end", in relation to a vehicle, means that part of the vehicle which projects furthest to the rear;

"red" means a shade of red which as nearly as possible conforms with the colour No. 536 Poppy in the BSIS;

"regulatory sign" means a traffic sign prescribed in Part III whose purpose is be to convey an instruction to road users that the use of a road by traffic or by a particular class of traffic is subject to some restriction or control;

"reflective" means composed wholly or partly of retro reflective or reflective material;

"reflective material" means material specially designed to reflect light back to the source of such light;

"reflex reflector" means a reflector of glass or other similar material specially designed to reflect light back to the source of such light;

"retro-reflective" means emanating from a reflector of glass or other similar material specially designed to reflect light back to the source of such light;

"rescue vehicle" means a motor vehicle designed or adapted solely for the purpose of rescuing persons, and which is owned or controlled by an authority;

"rickshaw" means a vehicle with two wheels designed to be pulled by a person;

"road authority" means the authority responsible for constructing and maintaining roads and for displaying road traffic signs;

"road stud" means any reflective stud on the roadway used in conjunction with road markings;

"road traffic sign" means a road traffic sign prescribed under this legislation;

"roadway" means that portion of a road, street or thoroughfare improved, constructed or intended for vehicular traffic which is between the edges of the roadway;

"selective restriction sign" means a regulatory sign which comprises of a two part message which is such that the lower message modifies or qualifies the significance of the upper message;

"shoulder" means that portion of a road, street or thoroughfare between the edge of the roadway and the kerb line;

"sidewalk" means that portion of a verge intended for the exclusive use of pedestrians;

"sign" means a traffic sign;

"stop" means the bringing to a standstill of a vehicle by the driver thereof;

"stop line" means a stop line prescribed in section 51;

"supplementary plate" means an informative sign which is be used in conjunction with a danger warning sign, a regulatory sign or informative sign type to reinforce the warning, restriction, prohibition, command, condition or information conveyed by the sign in question;

"taxi" means a motor car, motor tricycle or motor quadrucycle which is designed or adapted or the conveyance of up to nine persons, including the driver, and is operating for reward;

"temporary" in relation to a traffic sign means that the sign is placed in the view of road users to indicate change from the normal conditions;

"tour bus" means a minibus, midibus or a bus which is operated by or leased to a tour operator and which is solely or principally used to convey tourists;

"tractor" means a motor vehicle designed or adapted mainly for drawing other vehicles and not to carry any load thereon, but does not include a truck-tractor;

"traffic island" means an area in a road intended to exclude, direct or separate any vehicular or pedestrian traffic, and includes a roundabout;

"traffic light controlled" in relation to any road, intersection or junction means regulated by a sequential or flashing traffic signal;

"traffic officer" means a person who is empowered to enforce road traffic legislation;

"traffic signal" means a road traffic sign which, by means of automatic light signals, alternately directs traffic to stop and permits it to proceed;

"tram" means a device that operates on rails within a public road;

"urban area" means the area under the jurisdiction of:

(a) a municipal council established in terms of the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15]; or

(b) a town council established in terms of the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15]; or

(c) a local board established in terms of the Local Government Act [Chapter 29:15] or the district area specified within the area under the jurisdiction of a rural council, declared in terms of section 7 of the Rural District Councils Act [Chapter 29:13]; or

(d) any built up area not referred in (a), (b) or (c);

"variable message sign" means a road sign which is capable of varying its message by manual or remote control to display a different message to the message last displayed and the road sign may be light reflecting or light emitting;

"vehicle" means a device designed or adapted mainly to travel on wheels or crawler tracks and includes such a device which is connected with a draw-bar to a breakdown vehicle and is used as part of the towing equipment of a breakdown vehicle to support any axle or all the axles of a motor vehicle which is being salvaged and a tram;

"verge" means that portion of a public road including the sidewalk, which is not the roadway or the shoulder;

"yellow" means a shade of yellow which as nearly as possible conforms to the colour No. 356 Golden Yellow in the BSIS.

(2) Where any colour is prescribed in these regulations, such colour shall not be reflective unless so prescribed.

(3) Where any colour is required by these regulations to be reflective, such colour shall retain its essential characteristics whether viewed by day or by night.

4. Classifications of signs

(1) All traffic signs are classified as follows:

(a) Class I: Road signs:

(i) regulatory signs;

(ii) warning signs;

(iii) guidance signs;

(iv) information signs;

(b) Class II: Road markings:

(i) regulatory markings;

(ii) warning markings;

(iii) guidance markings;

(iv) roadstuds;

(v) other delineation devices;

and

(c) Class III: Road signals:

(i) traffic light signals;

(ii) hand signals;

(iii) flag signals.

(2) A regulatory, warning, guidance or information sign for which a temporary sign number is allocated may be used in the temporary sign colours as prescribed section 8(2)(b)(ii).

(3) The provision of paragraph (2) shall not apply to any control regulatory sign, location sign or tourism direction guidance sign.

(4) When no specific symbol is available for the regulatory or warning message required, a word message may be used on the background of a regulatory or warning sign of standard shape, size and colour, and the letters used shall be black semi-matt on a white or yellow background or white on a blue background.

(5) The lettering shall substantially conform to one of the standard letter styles detailed in the Southern African Development Community Road Traffic Signs Manual and shall be of a maximum size permitted by the space available and the message to be displayed, but shall not be less than 70 millimetres in height.

(6) The classification of signs and their corresponding symbols shall be further provided for in the First and Second Schedules.

5. Dimensions and minimum requirements for forms of signs, symbols and inscriptions

(1) The dimensions and variations therefrom, of all traffic signs and their symbols and inscriptions shall conform to Volume 4 (Traffic Sign Design) of the Southern African Development Community Road Traffic Signs Manual issued on behalf of SADC by the Southern African Transport and Communication Commission, copies of which shall be kept at every provincial office of the Ministry responsible for transport for inspection without charge by members of the public during normal working hours:

Provided that in any prosecution for an offence against these regulations the fact that a traffic sign does not strictly comply with the dimensions referred to in this section is irrelevant so long as the sign in question is clearly visible.

(2) All inscriptions and symbols of traffic signs shall be bold and clear cut in outline.

(3) In particular, the size and form of the letters of any inscription on any sign shall be as provided in the manual referred to in subsection (1).

(4) Inscriptions of road markings shall consist of elongated letters. Numerals or symbols of such size are to be clearly legible to approaching road users.

6. Dimensions and colours for manufacture of road traffic signs

(1)

(a) the minimum external dimensions in millimetres of regulatory and warning signs are given in relation to the speed limit in kilometres per hour pertaining to the section of public road on which the signs are erected:

Provided that a tolerance of five per centum below such minimum dimension shall be permissible;

(b) the minimum dimensions and speed referred to in subsection (1) shall, subject to paragraph (c), be:

(i) for circular regulatory signs as shown in the table below:

Provided that:

(aa) a stop sign shall be the same size as a circular sign except for a sign used by a scholar patrol which may be a minimum of 450 millimetres in diameter;

(ab) a sign for pedestrians and cyclists may be a minimum of 300 millimetres in diameter; or

(ac) a keep left sign used on the vertical face of a bollard may be a minimum of 300 millimetres in diameter;

(ii) for triangular regulatory and warning signs as shown in the table below:

(iii) for rectangular regulatory signs as shown in the table below:

Provided that a one-way roadway sign, R4 shall be of a minimum height of 450 millimetres and a minimum width of 600 millimetres;

(c) the following signs shall be of the minimum dimensions as follows:

(i) sign R1.3 and R1.4 have a side length that is of the same size as one side of stop sign R1;

(ii) the lower part of sign R2.1 shall be as shown in the table below:

(iii) sign R5 shall be of a minimum side length of 450 millimetres;

(iv) an exclusive secondary message sign shall be of the same length as the diameter or width of the upper sign in such sign combination;

(v) signs W401, W402, and W415 shall be of the minimum dimensions as shown in the table below:

(vi) signs W403 and W404 shall be of the minimum dimensions as shown in the table below:

(vii) signs W405 to W410 and W414 shall be of the minimum dimensions as shown in the table below:

Provided that sign W414 shall have a minimum height of 600 millimetre and a height of 1 600 millimetre, irrespective of the speed limit when used in conjunction with sign GA4;

(viii) sign W411 shall be of the minimum dimensions as shown in the table below:

(ix) sign TW412 shall be of the minimum dimensions as shown below:

(x) sign W413 shall be of the minimum dimensions as shown in the table below:

(2) The minimum:

(a) width of a longitudinal road marking shall be 100 millimetres:

Provided that a tolerance of 10 per centum below such minimum dimension shall be permissible.

(b) length of a continuous longitudinal road marking shall be nine metres on a public road in an urban area and 12 metres on any other public road:

Provided that it shall not apply to such marking used to mark the edge of a painted island;

(c) width of a transverse road marking shall be:

(i) for road marking RTM1 in an urban area 300 millimetres and in any other area 500 millimetres;

(ii) for road marking RTM2 in an urban area 200 millimetres and in any other area 300 millimetres;

(iii) for road marking RTM4 2 400 millimetres;

(iv) for road marking GM5 300 millimetres;

(v) for any other transverse road marking 100 millimetres.

(3) The minimum diameter of any disc light signal of a traffic signal shall be 210 millimetres:

Provided that a tolerance of 10 per centum below such dimension shall be permissible.

(4) The specific dimensions of a road traffic sign and of the letter styles and symbols used on such sign shall be substantially in conformity with the requirements laid down in the Southern African Community Development Manual, Volume 4.

(5) The colours of a road traffic sign shall be as indicated in First Schedule to these regulations with the following exceptions:

(a) where a temporary version of a road sign is provided for, by means of a temporary number allocated to such sign the colour of such sign shall be altered so that:

(i) a white symbol, letter or border becomes black semi-matt and any superimposed black symbol becomes white retro-reflective;

(ii) the yellow symbol on signs R302 and R303 and any yellow letters, numerals or punctuation marks become black semi-matt; or

(iii) a white, blue or green background becomes yellow retro-reflective:

Provided that:

(iv) a red border or other area stays red except that:

A. the border of a temporary diagrammatic sign or high visibility sign becomes black semi-matt; or

B. the red areas on signs W401, W402 and W405 to W410 become black semi-matt;

C. the superimposed coloured portions of symbols on signs R126, R232, R316, R321, R322, R316-P, R321-P, R322-P, W301, W302 and W303 stay as they are; or

D. any other yellow symbol stays yellow but is surrounded by a thin black semi-matt border;

(b) where only a temporary version of a road sign is provided for, it shall conform to the temporary colours referred to in subsection (5)(a).

(6) Where a road traffic sign is required to be any specific colour or colours, such colours shall be in conformity with the following specifications published by the British Standard:

(a) for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, and brown retro-reflective material and for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, grey, black, and brown paint, Road Signs: British Standard;

(b) for yellow, white, black and red road marking material and golden yellow paint, Specification for National Colour Standards for Paint: British Standard;

(c) for red, yellow, clear and green road studs, Road studs: British Standard; and

(d) for red, yellow and green illuminated traffic signals, Traffic Lights: British Standard.

(7) If a road traffic sign is displayed with a colour which differs in shade from the colour specified in subsection (6), the validity of such sign shall, in the absence of proof of prejudice, not be affected thereby.

(8) The reverse side of a road sign, other than a double sided sign or a road sign with an aluminium background, shall be grey, except that, irrespective of the material of manufacture, the reverse side of a stop sign shall be white semi-matt.

(9) Subject to the provisions of this Part, the colour of the standard or post specifically erected for:

(a) the display of a road sign shall, where the standard or post is:

(i) of steel, be grey:

Provided that if the steel has been treated this requirement shall not apply;

(ii) of wood, the colour of the wood as treated, or painted grey or brown;

(iii) of concrete, be the natural colour of the concrete;

(b) the display for a road signal shall be golden yellow:

Provided that this provision shall not be applicable to an overhead traffic signal mounted on a gantry or cable.

(10) Light reflecting variable message road signs shall conform to the dimensional and colour requirements in this regulation.

(11) Any light emitting variable message road sign which conveys a regulatory or warning message shall display the message:

(a) in the same shape as the equivalent standard sign;

(b) with an illuminated red or white border as the case may be;

(c) with an illuminated message in white letters, numbers or symbols on a semi-matt black background.

(12) A combination of a standard road sign and a variable message road sign may be used.

(13) Light emitting variable message road signs may be used to display a regulatory, warning, guidance or information message.