16.—(1) The following section is substituted for section 85 of the Principal Act:

“85.—(1) A road authority may, by notice in writing, direct, in respect of a route upon which buses are operated, that specified points shall be stopping places at which persons may board or descend from buses or that specified places shall be used as stands for buses.

(2) A road authority may by notice in writing amend or revoke a direction given, or amendment made, by it under this section.

(3) A person operating or proposing to operate a bus service may apply to the road authority in whose functional area the service is being or will be operated for a direction under this section and the authority may, if it so thinks fit, after consultation with the person, give a direction specifying such points for stopping places, and places for stands, for buses as it considers appropriate.

(4) A notice under this section may direct that—

(a) one or more of the stopping places specified in the notice shall be used only for boarding buses or, as the case may be, only for descending from buses, or

(b) one or more of the stopping places so specified, or one or more of the stands so specified, shall be used only by buses providing a service or services operated by a specified person or by specified persons.

(5) A notice under this section—

(a) shall be given or sent by post to the person who is operating the bus service to which it relates, and

(b) shall specify the date on which it comes into operation,

and the notice shall come into operation on the date so specified.

(6) A certificate purporting to be signed by an officer of a road authority and stating that a notice under this section in specified terms was in force on a specified day or during a specified period shall, without proof of the signature of the person purporting to sign the certificate or that he or she was such an officer, be evidence in any legal proceedings until the contrary is shown that a notice under this section in the specified terms was given or sent by post to the person named in it and that it was in force on the specified day or during the specified period.

(7) In this section—

‘bus’ means omnibus;

‘road authority’ has the meaning assigned to it by the Roads Act, 1993.”.

(2) Directions under section 85 of the Principal Act in force immediately before the commencement of this section shall continue in force after such commencement as if given under section 85 (as inserted by this Act) of the Principal Act and may be amended or revoked accordingly.