44Protection of bridges from excessive loading

### 44 Protection of bridges from excessive loading > > (1)  *\[Section 44 Subsection (1) amended by No. 46 of 1991, s. 4 and Sched. 2 \]*The corporation may, on the certificate of its engineer or an officer of the corporation who is authorized to give a report as provided in [section 41](#GS41@EN) , and shall, on the certificate of the Secretary, that a certain load or axle load is the greatest that can be sustained by a bridge without risk of damage to the bridge or that a certain speed is the greatest that can be used over a bridge without such risk, put up a notice at each end of the bridge saying "maximum mass, tonnes", "maximum mass per axle, tonnes", or "maximum speed, kilometres per hour", as the case may be, and stating that maximum by a numeral and a unit measurement or a unit measurement or a standard abbreviation or symbol for that maximum. > > > (2)  *\[Section 44 Subsection (2) amended by No. 43 of 1991, s. 5 and Sched. 1 \]*A person – > > > > > > (a) who drives a vehicle past a notice under [subsection (1)](#GS44@Gs1@EN) and on to the bridge to which it relates, being a vehicle the total mass of which exceeds the mass shown in the notice or the mass on any one axle of which exceeds the mass per axle shown in the notice; or > > > > > > > (b) who drives a vehicle over a bridge to which such a notice relates exceeding at any part the speed shown in the notice – > > > > is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 10 penalty units as well as for any damage done by his so driving. > > > (3)  [*\[Section 44 Subsection (3) amended by No. 61 of 2009, s. 4, Applied:20 Nov 2009\]*](/view/html/inforce/2009-11-20/act-2009-061#GS4@EN) [*\[Section 44 Subsection (3) substituted by No. 71 of 2001, s. 26, Applied:01 Jan 2002\]*](/view/html/inforce/2002-01-01/act-2001-071#GS26@EN) A notice for the purposes of [subsection (1)](#GS44@Gs1@EN) is to be in accordance with a sign referred to in [rule 103 of the](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/sr-2009-142#GS103@EN) [Road Rules](/view/html/inforce/2026-04-12/sr-2009-142) .