Publication of the People S Assembly

STATE EMBLEM

OFFICIAL JOURNAL

OF

THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

PUBLICATION OF THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY
No. 19 1998 July

C O N T E N T

Law No. 8378 ROAD CODE

Dated 22.7.1998 OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

LAW

No. 8378, dated 22.7.1998

ROAD CODE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

Relying on article 16 of the law No. 7491, dated 29.4.1991 on “Main Constitutional dispositions” at the proposal of the Council of Ministers,

PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY

OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA

DECIDED

CHAPTER I

GENERAL DISPOSITIONS

Article 1

General principles

1. The road is regulated through the norms of this code and acts approved for the purpose of its applications, observing international and European community norms in this area. Norms and acts on the applications of this code, are led by the principle of security of movement in the road, following the objectives for a rational movement, the protection of environment and saving of energy.

2.   the Government informs the Parliament annually about the achieved results and the necessary steps to improve social environmental and economic status as far as road traffic is concerned.

3.   The government gives to the public opinion, through respective organs, the most significant data by using the most advancing system of massive communication and provides some special categories of citizens with publicity messages of preventive and education character.

4.   the acknowledgment and accurate application of the respective norms of this code and of the acts approved for its execution have to be rigorously observed by all the persons moving in the territory of the Republic of Albanian with vehicles or without vehicles, and/or for all those persons who are associated with these roads.

Article 2

Road definitions and classifications

1.   For the application of this code norms, a “road” is called that area for public use destined for the movement of pedestrians, vehicles and animals.

2.   Roads are classified, according to their constructive, technical and functional characteristics as follows:

A- Highway

B- Main inter-urban roads

C- Second inter-urban roads

D- Main urban road

E-   Second urban roads

F-   Local roads

3.   The roads divided in accordance with point 2, must have these minimal characteristics:

A-   HIGHWAY: Inter-urban or urban road with independent carriage way divided by insurmountable traffic separators, each with at least two moving lanes, paved embankment on the left or the emergency lane or embankment on the right, without crossroads in levels, equipped with encirclement and assistant systems for the users during all the length, reserved for the movement of some categories of motor vehicles and distinguished by special beginning and ending signals.

Certain areas are envisaged for stopping, with entrances and exits equipped respectively with retardation and acceleration lanes.

B-   MAIN INTERURBAN ROADS: Roads with independent carriage way

or divided by insurmountable traffic separators, each with at least two

lanes g for moving and pave embankments, without crossroads at the

level, with entrances coordinated for side objects, distinguished by

special beginning and ending signals, reserved for the movement of

some categories of motor vehicles. For other possible categories of

vehicles appropriate spaces have to be provided for. Certain areas have to be foreseen also for stopping with entrances and exits equipped

respectively by retardation and acceleration lane.

C-   SECOND INTER-URBAN ROADS: Roads with one carriage way with at least one moving lane for sense and embankment.

D-   MAIN URBAN ROAD: A road with separate carriage way or divided by traffic separators, each with at least two moving lanes and one possible lane reserved for public vehicles, paved tracking and pavements, with crossroads in levels equipped with semaphores. For stopping areas or side belts outside carriageway, both with concentrated entrances and exits are foreseen.

E-   SECOND URBAN ROADS: Road with one carriage way with at least two lanes, paved embankment and pavements. For stopping, areas equipped with manoeuvring lane outside carriage way are foreseen.

F- LOCAL ROADS : Urban or inter- urban road, systematized at an appropriate way according to the definitions of point 1, but it doesn’t take part at the above mentioned roads.

4. “ A service road” is called the road by the side of a main road (highway, main inter-urban road, main urban road), which has the function of stopping permission as well as the grouping of entrances from side objects at the main road and vice versa. They are also used for movements and prohibited manoeuvres at the main road.

5. The roads classified according to point 2, are divided in line with usage, functions and needs of the administrative character, as follows: “state”, “district”, “communal” and “internal”, according to the following data. The institutions which are owners of the above mentioned roads are respectively the state, district, municipality or the commune, private or state subject. But the command of military region is the owner of the roads destined exclusively for military traffic, called “military roads”.

6. Inter-urban roads, according to point 2, B and C letters, are divided into:

A-   State roads, when: a) represent the main directions of national traffic,

b) link the main road network of the state with that of bordering states,

c) link metropolis of the districts between each other or represent

direct and important links between state roads, d) link also the network of state roads, sea ports, airports, centres of special industrial, tourist, cultural and climacteric significance, e) roads that represent special interest for the national economy.

B-   District roads are called those roads that links the metropolis of the

district with municipalities, centres of the communes and other areas of

industrial, agriculture, tourist and climacteric interest as well as roads

linking the centres of communes, municipalities and communes as well

as roads linking the centres of municipality and communes with state

roads.

C-   Inner roads: Roads that are stretched within the sectors of mines, oil, forestry, industrial works, yards, stone-quarries, agriculture economies.

D-   Communal roads: are all the roads within the territory of the commune or municipality which are not included in group A, B and C.

7. The Ministry responsible for the respective activity classifies the state roads, according to point 2 and 5, by following the criterion in line with points 5 and 6. It takes into account the opinion of the Institute of Transport studies as well as that of concerned districts, in line with the cases and the ways determined in the applied acts. The districts with the same determined criterion, proceed for the classification of the remaining roads in line with points 2 and 5 after drawing the opinion of local institutions. The roads classified in such a way are registered in the national archive of the roads foreseen in Article 220.

8. When the roads do not have anymore the above technical features or do not respond to functional objectives, are declassified from Ministry which covers the respective activity and the Districts in line with the above respective competences, by drawing the opinion according to point 7. Cases and procedures for such a declassification are determined by the acts in the process of application.

Article 3

Road and traffic definitions

1. In line with the norms of this code, road and traffic definitions have the following meanings:

a) EMBANKMENT: a part of the road included between the boundary of the carriage way and the nearest lengthy element: the pavement, the traffic separator, clayboard, the inner edge of the channel or the upper edge of the talus.

2) RESERVED BELT: strip of land, outside the road boundary, where the land owner is prohibited to carry out constructions, enclosures, to sow crops and to form deposits, etc.

3) A BELT FOR SIDE STOPPING: That part of the road by the side of the carriage way separated by this through a boundary interrupted line and which includes the line of the stopping places and the respective manoeuvring tracking (lane).

4) THE BELT OF PERTAINING RANGE: A strip of land placed between the carriage way and the road boundary. It is part of the road ownership and can be used only for the realisation of the other parts of the road.

5) THE ROAD SIDES: an area of the site (zone) which comes right after the lower or the upper talus of the road body respectively where the road is lifted or deepened into the ground.

6) CROSSROAD BRANCHES: a part of the road included into a crossroad (intersection).

7) ESCAPING ISLAND (see.ESCAPING)

8) TRAFFIC ISLAND (See. GUIDING ISLAND)

9) TRAFFIC SEPARATOR ISLAND (See. TRAFFIC SEPARATOR).

10) GUIDING ISLAND: that part of the road, which is limited in an appropriate way and is also unexplored as well as is destined for the separation and direction of the traffic currents.

11) A PASSING AT A DIFFERENCE OF LEVEL: crossroad at different levels at which the traffic currents are not interrupted among each other.

12) A PASSING AT THE LEVEL: crossroad at the level, which is regulated and signalled in an appropriate way with the purpose of ensuring the movement between one or more roads and a railway line passing through the road surface.

13) CHANNEL: an art work destined for the flow of the rain waters, snow or draining, build along or transversally the road.

14) CARRIADGEWAY: a part of the road destined for the movement of vehicles; it consists of one or more movements lanes and it is generally paved or limited by the siding line.

15) TRACKING (LANE): a lengthy part of the road with an appropriate wideness which permits the passing of only one line of vehicles.

16) BICYCLE TRACKING (LANE): a lengthy part of the road limited in an appropriate way, reserved for the bicycle circulation.

17) EMERGENCY TRACKING: a special lane by the side of the carriage way destined for the emergency stopping, for the passing of emergency assistance vehicles and more rarely for the movement of pedestrians in case it is permitted.

18) MOVEMENTS TRACKING: a constituent part of the carriageway, normally limited by horizontal signs.

19.   RETARDATION TRACKING : a special tracking to permit the exit of vehicles

from one carriage way in order not to cause the retardation of vehicles not taking part

in such a manoeuvre.

20.   RESERVED TRACKING : a movements tracking destined for the exclusive

circulation of one or only some of the categories of vehicles.

21.   SPECIALISED TRACKING : a tracking destined for vehicles which carry out

certain manoeuvres as for example:

marching past, slowing down, acceleration, manoeuvres for stopping etc.

22.   ACCELERATION TRACKING : a special tracking to allow and facilitate the

entrance of vehicles into carriage ways.

23.   THE WING OF CROSSROAD : ( See: THE BRANCH OF CROSSROAD).

24.   CROSSROAD AT DIFERENCE OF LEVEL: a community of infrastructures (over

passing, underpassing and ramps) which permit the transferring of the currents of vehicles between road branches placed at different levels.

25.   CROSSROADS AT LEVELS: a common area for some roads, organized in such a

way that it can permit the transfer of traffic currents from one road to the other.

26.   CURVE BEND: lengthy appropriation between two straight parts of the road having

interrupted axes.

27.   ROAD BOUNDARY: the end of the road ownership which results from the acts

related to purchase or to the expropriation of the approved project. In case they do not

exist, the boundary is formed by outer edge of security ditch or the channel, or by the

foot of the talus if the road is in height, or by the upper edge of the talus if the road is

in depth.

28.   PARKING: an area on infrastructure placed outside the carriage way destined for the

regulated or non - regulated stopping of the vehicles.

29.   INCLINATION: a part of the road with lengthy constant inclination.

30.   TRAFFIC : is the movement , stopping and stay of the pedestrians, vehicles

and animals in the road.

31.   INHABITED CENTRE: a community of buildings, limited along the road in the

entrance and exit by special signals at the beginning and at the end; by a community

of buildings it is meant a continuous grouping interrupted by roads, grounds, gardens

and areas for public use with entrances for vehicles and pedestrians in the street.

32.   CONCAVE ADJUSTMENT: adjustment between two different successive

inclinations with axes interrupted under the road surface. A part of the road with a

lengthy concave shape.

33.   CONVEX ADJUSTMENT: adjustment between two different successive inclinations

with axes interrupted over the road surface. A part of the road with lengthy convex

features.

34.   CROSSROAD RAMPS: road destined for linking two crossroads branches.

35.   INTER - URBAN ROADS: roads outside the inhabited centres

36.   PEDESTRIAN PASSING ROAD: a part of the road divided by carriage way with a

yellow line or a special protection parallel to it, destined for the passage of

pedestrians. It carries out the function of a road pavement when this is missing.

37.   VEHICLE PASSING ROAD: entrance or exit at an edging area appropriate for the

stay of one or more vehicles.

38.   INTERNATIONAL ROAD : roads or parts of the road included into itineraries

determined by international agreements.

39.   URBAN ROADS: roads within an inhabited centre.

40.   TRAFFIC CURRENT: community of vehicles (current of vehicles) or pedestrians

( pedestrian currents) which move into the road at the same direction of movements

into one or more parallel lines, by following a fixed trajectory.

41.   STOPPING GROUND: a part of the road with e limited length, in the side and

outside the embankment, destined for the stopping of vehicles.

42.   STREET REFUGE : part of the road build or limited and defended in an

appropriate way destined for the protection and stopping of the pedestrians, at the

pedestrians passing or at the collective transport stopping.

43.   FOOT PATH: a road with natural basement created for the passing of pedestrians or