Cap. 499 Art. 7Powers and functions in connection with roads and railways and transport by road and by rail.

Without prejudice to the powers and functions granted to the

Authority in terms of article 6, the Authority shall have the following powers and functions specifically in connection with roads and railways and transport by road and by rail:

(a) to regulate transport by road, the registration, licensing and use of vehicles, the licensing of all commercial operations connected with road transport, and to make provision for any matter that is provided for under this Act in connection with transport by road;

(b) to do all such things as may be necessary for the regulation, management, safety and control of road traffic both at a national as well as at local level and for this purpose to adopt strategies and standards that are benchmarked at a European level;

(c) to plan, design, regulate and authorise road traffic signs or signals, road markings and traffic calming measures, the installation of traffic control equipment and related lighting equipment, the construction of road ramps, the installation of speed cameras and other road traffic facilities for the purposes of traffic, management and control;

(d) to administer, operate and maintain electronic road traffic and safety signs or signals, electronic road traffic markings and traffic control equipment and related lighting equipment;

(e) to establish standards and specifications to be maintained and complied with in the execution of any works connected with roads and to do all such things as are necessary or expedient to ensure adherence to such standards and specifications by any local council, the Agency for Infrastructure Malta or person who carries out works on a road independently of who is responsible for that road and for this purpose to set up regular programmes to verify as well as to ensure the implementation of such standards and specifications;

(f) to carry out road safety audits, road safety assessments and any other functions relating to roads set out in the

New Roads and Road Works Regulations and any other law;

(g) without prejudice to any application that may have to be made under the Development Planning Act, to act as the sole authority to grant permits for any work on any road;

(h) to grant rights of way on roads, other than private roads, to persons;

(i) to determine the classification or re-classification of roads as the Authority may consider most appropriate or expedient and to keep and cause to be published a list of such classifications;

(j) to do all such things as are necessary or expedient for the testing, registration and licensing of vehicles, owners of vehicles, commercial operators of vehicles, drivers of vehicles, or other persons connected with road transport;

(k) to ensure the provision of adequate, efficient and environmentally friendly public transport systems and for this purpose to either provide such services itself or enter into a contract of service or other binding instrument with one or more operators to provide such services, whether on an exclusive basis or otherwise, as the Authority may determine;

(l) to plan, install, construct and maintain bus stops, fare stages, bus termini, taxi stands, stands and karrozzini other commuter facilities, and to regulate the installation of bus shelters;

(m) to plan, design, construct, re-construct, authorise, permit, regulate, administer, maintain, repair and restore accordingly, billboards, benches, kiosks and any other thing that may be affixed to the surface of a road, save as has been vested in Infrastructure Malta in terms of the Agency for Infrastructure Malta Act or any other law;

(n) to provide and regulate parking places for motor vehicles in public areas and roads, and to regulate and issue licences to car park attendants; and

(o) to establish weights, dimensions and equipment requirements for motor vehicles.