2.4 Information Signs, Temporary Signs and Construction Zones

Not every sign gives an order or a warning. Rectangular signs tell you where you are, where roads go and how traffic is arranged. A separate set of temporary signs and devices keeps drivers and workers safe at road works. Since the 2017 amendments, road works also have their own statutory speed limit.

Information signs in the Ninth Schedule

• One-way traffic: a rectangle with a horizontal arrow, placed at a junction to show that traffic on the road ahead moves only in the direction of the arrow.
• One-way street: a rectangle with an upward arrow and the words ONE WAY, confirming that you are on a road where traffic moves in one direction only. In a one-way street you may draw up on the right-hand side as well as the left (reg. 31(12)).
• Entrance to controlled parking: a sign reading "Meter ZONE" with a no-waiting disc. Inside the zone you may park only in the places provided, and you must pay any charge shown (regs. 98 and 99).

Direction signs give destinations and distances in kilometres. Read them early so that you can choose your lane without last-minute changes.

Temporary signs and road works (regs. 104 to 107)

Road works change the road layout for a short time, so the Regulations allow special temporary devices:

The Commissioner of Police and police officers may also place temporary signs to deal with congestion or danger (reg. 102). Obey them exactly as you would a permanent sign.

Where one lane is closed, portable traffic lights with only a red and a green light may control traffic (reg. 111). A red light means stop at the line or the signal, even if you cannot see traffic coming through the works.

The construction-zone speed limit

The Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2017-26 added section 84A, and the Road Traffic (Amendment) Regulations, 2017 added regulation 87(2A):

• The maximum speed in an area classified as a construction zone is 25 km/h.
• Where traffic control devices at either end of the zone show a lower limit, that lower limit applies.
• The penalty is a fine of BBD $1,000 or 12 months' imprisonment, or both, plus an additional fine for every km/h over the limit:

Worked example. You drive at 55 km/h through a construction zone with the standard 25 km/h limit. You are 30 km/h over, which falls in the "30 or more but less than 50" band, so the additional fine is 30 × $70 = BBD $2,100, on top of the court fine of up to BBD $1,000.

Driving through works safely

1. Slow down at the first sign, not at the cones.
2. Increase your following distance. Loose material and sudden stops are common.
3. Follow the cones and signs, not your memory of the old layout.
4. Obey anyone directing traffic at the works, and never pass a red flag or red portable light.
5. Do not stop to look. Keep moving steadily, and leave room for workers and machinery.

At night and in rain

Works are hardest to read after dark. Cones carry white reflective material and may carry red reflective bands (reg. 107), and amber beacons flash to draw your eye. Use dipped headlights when other traffic is near, slow down well before the first cone, and expect the road surface to change from asphalt to loose material or steel plates. In rain, loose material and mud make braking distances longer, so increase your gap even further. If the works narrow the road to one lane without signals, give way to vehicles already in the narrow section.