17—Installation etc of traffic control devices—general provision
(1) A road authority
may, with the approval of the Minister (or in accordance with a roadworks
permit issued under section 20), install, maintain, alter or operate, or
cause to be installed, maintained, altered or operated, a
traffic control device on, above or near a road.
(2) A road authority
may, with the approval of the Minister (or in accordance with a roadworks
permit issued under section 20), remove a traffic control device or cause
a traffic control device to be removed.
(3) Any authority,
body or person may, with the approval of the Minister (or in accordance with a
roadworks permit issued under section 20), install, display, alter,
operate or remove traffic control devices—
(a) in
relation to an area where persons are engaged in work or an area affected by
works in progress; or
(b) in
relation to a part of a road temporarily closed to traffic under this or any
other Act; or
(c) for
any temporary purposes.
(4) An approval of the
Minister under this section may be issued—
(a) in
relation to an authority, body or person of a class determined (from time to
time) by the Minister; or
(b) in
relation to an authority, body or person on an application under this section.
(5) An application for
an approval of the Minister must be made in a manner determined by the
Minister (which may differ between applications according to factors
determined by the Minister) and be accompanied by a fee fixed by, or
calculated in accordance with, the regulations.
(6) An approval issued
by the Minister under this section may—
(a) be
subject to such conditions as the Minister thinks fit; and
(b) be
varied, suspended or revoked at any time by the Minister (including, without
limitation, as a penalty for breach of conditions of the approval or while any
alleged breach of conditions is under investigation).
(7) Without limiting
the circumstances in which the Minister may refuse to issue an approval for
the purposes of this section, the Minister may refuse to issue an approval if
any person who has been found guilty of an offence against section 21 is
to be responsible for installing, displaying, altering, operating or removing
traffic control devices pursuant to the approval.