ROAD TRAFFIC Citation and commencement 1 These Regulations may be cited as the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 1992 and shall come into force on 1st January 1993. Preliminary 2 The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 shall be further amended as follows. Amendments to regulation (3) (interpretation) 3 1 Regulation 3 shall be amended as follows. 2 In the Table in regulation 3(2), the definition of “closely-spaced” shall be omitted. 3 In paragraph (8), for “1.02” there shall be substituted “0.5”. 4 After paragraph (8), there shall be inserted the following paragraph— 8A For the purposes of these Regulations, a reference to axles being closely-spaced is a reference to— a two axles (not being part of a group of axles falling within sub-paragraph (b) or (c)) which are spaced at a distance apart of not more than 2.5m; b three axles (not being part of a group of axles falling within sub-paragraph (c)) the outermost of which are spaced at a distance apart of not more than 3.25m; or c four or more axles the outermost of which are spaced at a distance apart of not more than 4.6m; the number of axles for the purposes of these paragraphs being determined in accordance with paragraph (8); and a reference to any particular number of closely-spaced axles shall be construed accordingly. 5 In paragraph (10), after the words “For the purpose of” there shall be inserted the words “paragraph (8A) above,” and the words “and of the definition in paragraph (2) of the expression “closely-spaced”” shall be omitted. Amendments to regulation 75 (maximum permitted laden weight of a vehicle) 4 1 Regulation 75 shall be amended as follows. 2 In the Table in regulation 75— a in item 1— i in the entry in column 2, for “2,” there shall be substituted “1A, 2,” and there shall be added at the end the words “(see regulation 78(3) to (6) in relation to buses)” and ii for the entry in column 3, there shall be substituted “The weight determined in accordance with Part I of Schedule 11”; b after item 1, there shall be inserted the following item— 1A A wheeled heavy motor car or motor car which is not described initem 2, 4, or 5, which complies with the relevant braking requirementand in which— every driving axle not being a steering axle is fitted with twin tyres; and either every driving axle is fitted with road friendly suspension or no axle has an axle weight exceeding 9,500kg. The weight determined in accordance with Part IA of Schedule 11 c for item 4, there shall be substituted the following item— 4 An articulated bus (see regulation 78(3) to (5)) 27,000 3 After paragraph (3), there shall be inserted the following paragraph— 3A Nothing in item 1 or 1A of the Table shall prevent a vehicle being used on a road if— a a plating certificate in respect of the vehicle was in force immediately before the 1st January 1993; and b the laden weight of the vehicle does not exceed the weight shown in that certificate as being the weight not to be exceeded in Great Britain . 4 In paragraph (4)— a for the words “In this regulation and regulation 76 —” there shall be substituted the words “In this Part of these Regulations and in Schedule 11 —”; and b before the definition of “balanced agricultural trailer” there shall be inserted the following definitions— “air spring” means a spring operated by means of air or other compressible fluid under pressure; “air suspension” means a suspension system in which at least 75 per cent of the spring effect is caused by an air spring. 5 After paragraph (4), there shall be inserted the following paragraphs— 5 For the purposes of this Part of these Regulations and Schedule 11, an axle shall be regarded as fitted with a road friendly suspension if its suspension is— a an air suspension, or b a suspension, not being an air suspension, which is regarded as being equivalent to an air suspension for the purposes of Community Directive 92/7. 6 For the purposes of this Part of these Regulations and Schedule 11, an axle shall be regarded as fitted with twin tyres if it would be regarded as fitted with twin tyres for the purposes of Community Directive 92/7 . Amendments to regulation 76 (maximum permitted laden weight of avehicle and trailer, other than an articulated vehicle) 5 1 Regulation 76 shall be amended as follows. 2 For paragraph (2), there shall be substituted the following paragraph— 2 In this regulation, the expressions “road friendly suspension”, “twin tyres” and “unbalanced agricultural trailer” shall be construed in accordance with regulation 75(4), (5) and (6) . 3 In the Table— a for item 1, there shall be substituted the items set out in Schedule 1 to these Regulations; and b in item 3 in column 2, after “1” there shall be inserted “, 1A, 1B, 1C”. Amendments to regulation 77 (maximum permitted laden weight of an articulated vehicle) 6 In regulation 77, after paragraph (2) there shall be inserted the following paragraph— 3 In Part IV of Schedule 11, “road friendly suspension” and “twin tyres” shall be construed in accordance with regulation 75(5) and (6) . Amendments to regulation 78 (maximum permitted wheel and axle weights) 7 Regulation 78 shall be amended as follows— a in item 3, in sub-paragraph (a) of column 2 of the Table, i for the word “if” there shall be substituted the word “where”, ii the word “two” shall be omitted, and iii the words after “closely-spaced axles” to the end of the sub-paragraph shall be omitted; b in paragraph (3), the words “item 4 in the Table in” shall be omitted. c after paragraph (5), there shall be inserted the following paragraph— 6 Regulation 75 shall not apply to a two axle bus if— a its laden weight as calculated in accordance with paragraph (5) does not exceed 17,000kg; and b the distance between the two axles is at least 3.0m. Amendments to regulation 79 (maximum permitted weights for certain closely-spaced axles etc. ) 8 1 Regulation 79 shall be amended as follows. 2 For paragraphs (2), (3) and (4), there shall be substituted the following paragraphs— 2 Save as provided in paragraph (5), where a vehicle to which this regulation applies is of a description specified in an item in column 2 of Part V of Schedule 11 and has two closely-spaced axles, the total weight transmitted to the road surface by all the wheels of those axles shall not exceed the maximum permitted weight specified in column 3 of that item. 3 Save as provided in paragraph (5), where a vehicle to which this regulation applies is of a description specified in an item in column 2 of Part VI of Schedule 11 and has three closely-spaced axles, the total weight transmitted to the road surface by all the wheels of those axles shall not exceed the weight specified in column 3. 4 Save as provided by paragraph (5), where a vehicle is fitted with four or more closely-spaced axles, the weight transmitted to the road surface by all the wheels of those axles shall not exceed 24,000kg. 3 In paragraph (5), for the words “and nothing in paragraph (3)” onwards, there shall be substituted the words— and nothing in those paragraphs shall prevent a vehicle being used on a road if— a a plating certificate in respect of the vehicle was in force immediately before the 1st January 1993; and b no axle has an axle weight exceeding the weight shown in that certificate as being the weight not to be exceeded in Great Britain for that axle. 4 For paragraphs (6), (7) and (8) there shall be substituted the following paragraph— 6 In Parts V and VI of Schedule 11, “air-suspension” “road friendly suspension” and “twin tyres” shall be construed in accordance with regulation 75(4), (5) and (6). Amendments to Schedule 2 9 1 In Table I of Schedule 2— a after item 48, there shall be inserted the following item— 48A 85/3 19.12.84 L2, 3.1.85, p.14 The weights dimensions and other technical characteristics of certain road vehicles b after item 50, there shall be inserted the following item— 50A 86/360 24.7.86 L217, 5.8.86, p.19 The weights dimensions and other technical characteristics of certain road vehicles 85/3 c after item 55, there shall be inserted the following item— 55A 88/218 11.4.88 L98, 15.4.88, p.48 The weights dimensions and other technical characteristics of certain road vehicles 85/3 as amended by 86/360 d after item 56, there shall be inserted the following item— 56A 89/338 27.4.89 L142, 25.5.89, p.3 The weights dimensions and other technical characteristics of certain road vehicles 85/3 as amended by 86/360 and 88/218 e after item 57, there shall be inserted the following items— 57A 89/460 18.7.89 L226, 3.8.89, p.5 The weights dimensions and other technical characteristics of certain road vehicles 85/3 as amended by 86/360, 88/218 and 89/338 57B 89/461 18.7.89 L226, 3.8.89, p.7 The weights dimensions and other technical characteristics of certain road vehicles 85/3 as amended by 86/360, 88/218, 89/338 and 89/460 f after item 60, there shall be inserted the following item— 60A 91/60 4.2.91 L37, 9.2.91, p.37 The weights dimensions and other technical characteristics of certain vehicles 85/3 as amended by 86/360, 88/218, 89/338, 89/460 and 89/641 g after item 61, there shall be inserted the following item— 62 92/7 10.2.91 L57, 2.3.92, p.29 The weights dimensions and other technical characteristics of certain road vehicles 85/3 as amended by 86/360, 88/218, 89/338, 89/460 and 89/641 2 In Table II of Schedule 2, items 9A and 9B shall be re-numbered as items 23 and 24 and instead of appearing immediately after item 9 shall be inserted after item 22. Amendments to Schedule 11 10 In Schedule 11— a for Part I, there shall be substituted the provisions set out in Part I of Schedule 2 to these Regulations; b after Part I, there shall be inserted the Part set out in Part II to Schedule 2 to these Regulations; c for Part IV, there shall be substituted the provisions set out in Part III of Schedule 2 to these Regulations; d for Part V, there shall be substituted the provisions set out in Part IV of Schedule 2 to these Regulations; e for Part VI, there shall be substituted the provisions set out in Part V of Schedule 2 to these Regulations; and f Part VII shall be omitted. Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport Kenneth Carlisle Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of Transport 20th August 1992