Features, structures and hazards on, beside or above the roadway

Definition

Features, structures, and hazards are defined as anything on, beside, or above the roadway that presents (or has the potential to present) a hazard to road users. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• traffic islands, medians, or median barrier terminals located within the roadway;
• bridges and tunnels forming part of or contained within the roadway;
• culvert headwalls adjacent to the roadway; and
• objects and / or structures that form part of the roadway that narrow the available width of the roadway at isolated locations.

Objects which may constitute a hazard to traffic include:

• width end posts, kerb ends, footpaths, etc;
• ends of sight rails, guardrails and handrails;
• piers and abutments at underpasses;
• soffits of underpasses with less than 4.4m vertical clearance;
• non-frangible bollards, service poles and lighting columns;
• ends of medians, kerb extensions and kerb build-outs; and
• trees with a trunk diameter greater than 100mm.

Legislation

The TCD rule clause 7.7(2) states:

When providing a raised traffic island, a road controlling authority must:

(a) install, on the traffic island, reflectorised traffic signs complying with section 4 [of the TCD Rule] that the road controlling authority considers are necessary to guide drivers around the traffic island; and

(b) place markings or delineators on the roadway beside the traffic island to inform drivers of the presence and extent of the traffic island.