asked the Minister for Local Government if he intends to permit the parking of heavy vehicles on open roads during the night and also on private roads; what lighting requirements there are for vehicles so parked; and if he will introduce legislation to require private hauliers to provide parking spaces for their own vehicles overnight.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Parking of Vehicles.
5.
The control of parking is a matter for the Garda Commissioner and the local authority, subject to the relevant bye-laws or temporary rules. I do not consider it practicable to compel private hauliers by legislation to provide parking accommodation for their vehicles during the hours of darkness. With regard to the lighting requirements for parked heavy vehicles, I am giving the information sought in the form of a written statement which, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, will be included in the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
Lighting Requirements for Heavy Vehicles Parked at Night
The requirements of the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 and 1967 (S.I. No. 189 of 1963 and S.I. No. 32 of 1967) in so far as they relate to heavy vehicles parked in a public place during lighting-up hours may be summarised as follows:—
I. A mechanically propelled vehicle without trailer attached must have lit—
(1) two side lamps, white
(2) two rear lamps, red,
(3) identification mark lighting, white,
(4) a rear projecting load lamp, red, where a load extends more than 3' 6" beyond the rear lamps,
(5) a lateral projecting load lamp, red to rear, white to front, where a load projects more than 16" beyond the side or rear lamps.
It also must have—
(6) 2 rear reflectors, red, and where necessary a rear projecting load reflector, red.
II. A combination of vehicles consisting of a mechanically propelled vehicle with a trailer or trailers attached must in addition to the lights and reflectors at I above have lit—
(7) a marker lamp, showing a white light to the front through an angle of 45º with the side, on a trailer in a combination of vehicles exceeding 40 feet in length,
(8) 2 side lights on the trailer, showing white light to the front, where the distance separating it from the immediately preceding vehicle exceeds 5 feet,
(9) 2 rear lamps, red, and indentification mark lighting, white, on the rearmost trailer, this eliminates the similar requirements for the drawing component under certain conditions, and if the combination exceeds 40 feet in length the rearmost trailer must have fitted to its rear—
(10) 2 triangular reflectors, red.
III. A detached trailer which exceeds 5 feet in width and 12 feet in length must have—
(a) 2 side lamps showing a white light to front—"front" being construed as the part of the vehicle facing the direction of traffic on the side of the road on which the trailer is parked;
(b) 2 rear lamps showing a red light to the rear—as construed above at (a);
(c) rear and/or lateral projecting load lamps as described at (4) and (5) above.
IV. Every goods vehicle exceeding 1½ tons in weight unladen must carry a red reflectorised triangle for use as a warning sign to other traffic in the event of a breakdown or accident. Prescriptions for the sizes, shapes, location on the vehicle, performance and use of these lamps and reflectors are set out in the regulations.
Exemptions from lighting requirements for parked vehicles.
Where a vehicle is lawfully parked in a parking place specified by bye-laws or temporary rules made under section 90 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 lights need not be shown lit provided that the street lighting is such that the vehicle is so clearly visible to traffic as to constitute no danger to traffic.