Welsh Ministers have made the Traffic Signs (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations and General Directions 2026 (WSI 2026/35), signed on 6 February 2026 by Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales. The instrument comes into force on 11 March 2026 and applies in Wales only.
Using powers in sections 25 and 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the Regulations and section 65 for the General Directions, the Welsh Government records consultation with representative organisations under section 134 and with the Secretary of State. The measure amends the Traffic Signs Regulations 2016 and the Traffic Signs General Directions 2016 as they operate in Wales.
The central change creates a defined scenario in which certain Zebra crossing requirements no longer apply. Where a Zebra crossing is placed across a minor road in the vicinity of a junction with a major road, and the speed limit on both roads is 20 mph or lower, the amended rules take effect.
Under new paragraph 25A of Schedule 14 to the Regulations, no Zebra controlled area is required on the minor road and the yellow globe light specified at item 27 of the sign table in Schedule 14 Part 2 is not required. This disapplication is confined to the stated junction and speed‑limit conditions.
For these purposes, a Zebra crossing is treated as being "in the vicinity of a junction" if there is a distance of no more than 5 metres between the limits of the crossing and either the road marking shown at item 1 of the sign table in Part 6 of Schedule 9, or the nearest transverse line of the marking shown at item 3 of that table.
Schedule 1 is updated so that the meaning of “Zebra crossing” expressly includes a crossing that traverses a minor road in the above circumstances. This aligns the definition with the amended requirements at junctions with major roads in 20 mph environments.
In tandem, the General Directions are modified. Paragraph 41 of Schedule 14 Part 6 now requires, in these circumstances, that give‑way markings of the type shown at item 54 of the Schedule 14 Part 2 sign table are marked parallel to each side of the crossing. This ensures a consistent approach to driver priority on the minor road.
The spacing standard between the give‑way line and the limits of the crossing is also adjusted for these sites. At item 52 of Schedule 14 Part 2, the usual minimum of 1,100 millimetres may, if the traffic authority considers it appropriate, be reduced to 300 millimetres.
An exception is added to the general prohibition on stopping within the limits of a Zebra crossing. Where paragraph 25A applies, a driver may stop a vehicle for the purpose of making a turn from the minor road onto the major road. The broader no‑stopping rule at Zebra crossings otherwise continues to apply.
Outside the narrowly defined conditions-where the site is not within 5 metres of the junction, or where either road exceeds 20 mph-the standard Zebra crossing rules in the 2016 Regulations and Directions remain fully in force, including the requirement for controlled‑area zig‑zag markings and yellow globes.
For traffic authorities and scheme designers, the amendments provide a clear statutory basis to deliver compact side‑road Zebra crossings at low‑speed junctions without controlled‑area zig‑zags or yellow globes, while introducing mandatory give‑way markings and optional reduced spacing. Implementation sits with authorities through established design and enforcement procedures.