Road Traffic Act · 2026 Revised Edition · Part · Traffic on Roads
79B. Power to remove structures from roads
Official textFrom Attorney General's Chambers, unchanged
Where any structure has been erected or set up on or over any road or any road reserve otherwise than under the authority of any written law, the Director General of Public Works may, by notice in writing, require the person having control or possession of that structure to remove it within such period as may be specified in the notice or within such extended period as the Director General of Public Works may allow.
road
“road” means any highway and any other road to which the public has access, and includes bridges over which a road passes;
If any structure in respect of which a notice has been served under this section is not removed, the Director General of Public Works may remove the structure:
Director
“Director” means the Director of Land Transport and includes any Deputy Director appointed under section 3(2);
Provided that the power of the Director General of Public Works under this subsection shall not be exercised until the expiration of one month after the date of the service of the notice.
Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2), where there is a likelihood of immediate danger to traffic arising from any structure, the
traffic
“traffic” includes vehicles of every description, pedestrians, processions, and bodies of troops and all animals being ridden, driven or led;
Director General of Public Works may take such action as is necessary to remove such structure without giving notice to any person.
person
“person” shall have the meaning assigned to it by the Interpretation and General Clauses Act;
Where any structure has been removed by the Director General of Public Works under this section, and the expenses of the removal and detention of the structure have not been paid within one week after the date of such removal, the Director General of Public Works may, after giving one month’s notice in writing to the person having control or possession of the structure immediately before such removal, sell by public auction or otherwise dispose of such structure; and any proceeds from such sale or disposal shall be applied in payment of the expenses of such removal and detention and any surplus shall be paid to the person having the control or possession of the structure immediately before such removal or shall, if not claimed by such person within 3 months after the date of the sale or disposal, be forfeited to the Government.
Road Traffic 78
Nothing in subsection (4) shall prohibit —
the disposal, as the Director General of Public Works may consider necessary, of any food or other perishable goods removed together with the structure, and any proceeds from any such disposal shall be applied in the manner provided in that subsection; and
the recovery as a civil debt of the whole or part of the expenses of removal and detention from the person having the control or possession of the structure immediately before such removal.
Notice under subsection (1) may be served either personally, by post or by affixing it to the structure to which the notice relates.
In this section, “structure” includes any machine, pump, post and any other such object as is capable of causing obstruction or of endangering traffic.
Terms defined in s 2
Director
Defined · s 2“Director” means the Director of Land Transport and includes any Deputy Director appointed under section 3(2);
person
Defined · s 2“person” shall have the meaning assigned to it by the Interpretation and General Clauses Act;
road
Defined · s 2“road” means any highway and any other road to which the public has access, and includes bridges over which a road passes;
traffic
Defined · s 2“traffic” includes vehicles of every description, pedestrians, processions, and bodies of troops and all animals being ridden, driven or led;