You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Bills and legislation > Bills before Parliament > Commons Bill
          House of Commons portcullis
House of Commons		 Session 1997-98
Internet Publications
Other Bills before Parliament

Home Zones Bill

This is the text of the Home Zones Bill, as presented to the House of Commons on 27 January 1998

 
 
  
Home Zones Bill
 
 
 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES
Clause 
1.Power to designate home zones.
2.Regulations and guidance issued by Secretary of State.
3.Expenses.
4.Interpretation.
5.Short title, commencement and extent.
 

 

 
 
A

B I L L

TO

Enable highway authorities to make provision in residential areas for the designation of highways where pedestrians and pedal cycles have priority in the carriageway over mechanically propelled vehicles, for the purpose of promoting safety and of improving the environment; and for related purposes.

BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-
 

Power to designate home zones.     1. - (1) For any of the purposes stated in subsection (2) below every highway authority shall, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State and in accordance with guidance issued by him, have the power to designate any restricted residential road or roads within their area and for which they are the highway authority as a home zone.
 
      (2) A highway authority may designate a home zone for any or all of the following purposes-
 
 
    (a) improving the environment;
 
    (b) improving the safety and security of the community in whose area the home zone is situated;
 
    (c) promoting road safety.
      (3) For the purposes of this Act a home zone is an area within which-
 
 
    (a) pedestrians and cyclists have precedence on any highway and in relation to which the driver of any mechanically powered vehicle shall accord such precedence to any pedestrian or cyclist; and
 
    (b) the speed limit for motorised vehicles does not exceed 20 mph.
      (4) Within six months of a home zone being designated the highway authority shall introduce such traffic calming works and other measures as it deems appropriate.
 
      (5) A highway authority shall, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State and in accordance with guidance issued by him under section 2, have the power to set a speed limit of 20 miles per hour or less for mechanically propelled vehicles in any home zone designated by it.
 
Regulations and guidance issued by Secretary of State.     2. - (1) As soon as is practicable and no later than six months after the coming into force of this Act the Secretary of State shall-
 
 
    (a) make regulations by statutory instrument making provision for the way in which a highway authority may seek his approval for designating a home zone or for setting the speed limit on any restricted road pursuant to this Act; and
 
    (b) issue guidance as to the way in which a highway authority shall exercise its powers under section 1 of this Act.
      (2) The Secretary of State may, if he deems it appropriate, issue different guidance for different authorities or different types of authority or for different areas.
 
      (3) Any such guidance may contain such transitional or consequential provisions as the Secretary of State deems appropriate.
 
      (4) Any regulations made under this section shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament
 
Expenses.     3. There shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament-
 
 
    (a) any expenses incurred by the Secretary of State under or by virtue of this Act; and
 
    (b) any increases attributable to this Act in the sums so payable under any other enactment.
Interpretation.     4. In this Act the following terms shall have the following meanings, that is to say-
 
 
    "other measures" includes signing, provision of seating and plants and the arrangement or rearrangement of parking provisions;
 
    "restricted road" has the same meaning as in the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984;
 
    "traffic calming works" has the same meaning as in the Traffic Calming Act 1992.
Short title, commencement and extent.     5. - (1) This Act may be cited as the Home Zones Act 1998.
 
      (2) This Act shall come into force two months after the date on which it is passed.
 
      (3) This Act extends to Northern Ireland.
 
 

 
House of Commons home page Houses of Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries
© Parliamentary copyright 1998
Prepared 26 February 1998