Buena Park Municipal Code Ch. 10.12 Enforcement and Obedience to Traffic Regulations

Officers of the police department and such officers as are assigned by the chief of police are hereby authorized to direct all traffic, by voice, hand, audible or other signal in conformance with traffic laws, except that in the event of a fire or other emergency or to expedite traffic or to safeguard pedestrians, officers of the police department or members of the fire department may direct traffic as conditions may require, notwithstanding the provisions to the contrary contained in this title or the Vehicle Code.

(Prior code § 17-26)

No person other than an officer of the police department or members of the fire department or a person authorized by the chief of police or a person authorized by law shall direct or attempt to direct, by voice, hand or other signal, except that persons may operate, when and as herein provided, any mechanical pushbutton signal erected by order of the city traffic engineer.

(Prior code § 17-27)

A. The provisions of this chapter regulating the operation, parking and standing of vehicles shall not apply to vehicle operated by the police or fire department, any public ambulance or any public utility vehicle or private ambulance, which public utility vehicle or private ambulance has qualified as an authorized emergency vehicle, when any vehicle mentioned in this section is operated in the manner specified by the Vehicle Code in response to an emergency call.

B. The foregoing exemptions shall not, however, relieve the operator of any such vehicle from obligation to exercise due care for the safety of others or the consequences of his or her wilful disregard of the safety of others.

C. The provisions of this chapter regulating the parking or standing of vehicles shall not apply to any vehicle of a city department or public utility while necessarily in use for construction or repair work, or any vehicle owned or operated by the United States Post Office Department while in use for the collection, transportation or delivery of United States Mail.

(Prior code § 1732; Amended during 1990 codification)

[1]

For state law as to authorized emergency vehicles, see Vehicle Code section 21055.

A. The operator of a vehicle or the person in charge of any animal involved in any accident resulting in damage to any property publicly owned or owned by a public utility, including but not limited to any fire hydrant, parking meter, lighting post, telephone pole, electric light or power pole, or resulting in damage to any tree, traffic-control device or other property of a like nature located in or along any street, shall, within twenty-four hours after such accident, make a written report of such accident to the police department of the city.

B. Every such report shall state the time when and the place where the accident took place, the name and address of the person owning and of the person operating or in charge of such vehicle or animal, the license number of every such vehicle, and shall briefly describe the property damage in such accident.

C. The operator of any vehicle involved in an accident shall not be subject to the requirements or penalties of this section if and during the time he or she is physically incapable of making a report, but in such event he or she shall make a report as required in subsection A of this section within twenty-four hours after regaining ability to make such report.

(Prior code § 17-33)

Any regularly employed and salaried officer of the police department of the city may remove or cause to be removed:

A. Any vehicle that has been parked or left standing upon a street or highway for seventy-two or more consecutive hours;

B. Any vehicle which is parked or left standing upon a street or highway, when such parking or standing is prohibited by ordinance or resolution of the city and signs are posted giving notice of such removal;

C. Any vehicle which is parked or left standing upon a street or highway where the use of such street or highway or a portion thereof is necessary for the cleaning, repair or construction of the street or highway, or for the installation of underground utilities, or where the use of the street or highway or any portion thereof is authorized for a purpose other than the normal flow of traffic, or where the use of the street or highway or any portion thereof is necessary for the movement of equipment, articles or structures of unusual size, and the parking of such vehicle would prohibit or interfere with such use or movement, provided that signs giving notice that such vehicle may be removed are erected or placed at least twenty-four hours prior to the removal.

(Prior code § 17-34)