(1) Where a traffic sign

(a) of a prescribed size, colour and type, or

(b) of another character authorized by the Minister or a road authority has been lawfully placed on or near a road, a person driving a motor vehicle or riding a motor cycle or a bicycle who fails to comply with the indication given by the sign commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 100 penalty units or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or to both.

(2) A traffic sign shall not be treated for the purposes of this section as having been lawfully placed unless

(a) the indication given by the sign is an indication of a statutory information, warning, prohibition, restriction or requirement, or

(b) it is expressly provided by or under a provision of this Act or any other Regulations that this section shall apply to the sign or to the signs of a type of which the sign is one, and, where the indication in paragraph (a) of this subsection is of the general nature only of the prohibition, restriction or requirement to which the sign relates, a person shall not be convicted of failure to comply with the indication unless the person has failed to comply with the warning, prohibition, restriction or requirement to which the sign relates.

(3) For the purposes of this section a traffic sign placed on or near a road shall be deemed,

(a) to be of the prescribed size, colour and type, or of another character authorized by the Minister by Regulations unless the contrary is proved; or

(b) subject to subsection (2), to have been lawfully so placed.

(4) Where a traffic survey is being carried out on or in the vicinity of a road, this section applies to a traffic sign by which a direction is given for the purposes of the survey

(a) to stop a motor vehicle or motor cycle,

(b) to make the motor vehicle or motor cycle proceed in, or keep to, a particular line of traffic, or

(i) vehicle is being driven or propelled; or

(ii) the motor cycle is being ridden or propelled.