(1) In this section—
‘bollard’ means a pole, post or similar device inserted into or affixed vertically or nearly vertically to the surface of a roadway or footway;
‘ramp’ means an artificial hump in or on the surface of a roadway;
‘reserved function’ means—
(a) with respect to the council of a county or an elective body for the purposes of the County Management Acts, 1940 to 1985, a reserved function for the purposes of those Acts,
(b) with respect to the corporation of a county borough, a reserved function for the purposes of the Acts relating to the management of the county borough.
(2) A road authority may, in the interest of the safety of road users, provide in its functional area either permanently or for such period as it considers appropriate—
(a) bollards on a roadway or footway for the purpose of preventing or restricting the use of a public road by mechanically propelled vehicles or animal-drawn vehicles,