Davis Municipal Code Art. 22.06 Traffic-Control Devices

(a) The city traffic engineer shall have the power and duty to place and maintain or cause to be placed and maintained official traffic-control devices when and as required under this Code or other ordinances of this city to make effective such provisions.

(b) Whenever the Vehicle Code of the state requires for the effectiveness of any provisions thereof that traffic-control devices shall be installed to give notice to the public of the application of such law, the city traffic engineer is hereby authorized to install, or cause to be installed, the necessary devices subject to any limitations or restrictions set forth in the law applicable thereto.

(c) The city traffic engineer may also place and maintain or cause to be placed and maintained such additional traffic control devices as he or she may deem necessary to regulate traffic or to guide or warn traffic, but he or she shall make such determination only upon the basis of traffic engineering principles and traffic investigations and in accordance with such standards, limitations and rules as may be set forth in this Code or other ordinances of this city or as may be determined by ordinance or resolution of the city council.

(d) With the approval of the city council, the traffic committee and the California Traffic Control Devices Committee, the city traffic engineer may also place and maintain or cause to be placed and maintained such additional nonstandard traffic-control devices as he or she may deem necessary for trial use or, following trial use, for permanent use. During the trial use, the city traffic engineer shall monitor and record the effects of the application of the trial devices and shall produce an engineering report of the effects. The city traffic engineer shall undertake the installation of trial traffic-control devices upon the basis of a demonstrated need and guided by the application of traffic engineering principles.

(e) The city council, after review and approval by the traffic committee, may adopt by resolution those signs and markings that are contained in national and international standards.

(Code 1964 § 4-3.401.4; Ord. 1666 § 1; Ord. 1873 § 1; Ord. 2664, 8/27/2024)

No provision of the Vehicle Code of the state or of this chapter for which signs are required shall be enforced against an alleged violator unless appropriate signs are in place and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person, giving notice of such provisions of the traffic laws.

(Code 1964 § 4-3.402)

The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic control device applicable thereto placed in accordance with this chapter unless otherwise directed by a police officer subject to the exceptions granted the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle when responding to emergency calls.

(Code 1964 § 4-3.403)

It shall be unlawful and shall constitute an infraction for any person to remove, obliterate or conceal any chalk mark or other distinguishing mark used by any police officer or other employee or officer of this city in connection with the enforcement of the parking regulations as provided for in this Code.

(Ord. 653 § 1)

The city traffic engineer is authorized to mark centerlines and lane lines upon the surface of the roadway to indicate the course to be traveled by vehicles and may place signs temporarily designating lanes to be used by traffic moving in a particular direction, regardless of the centerline of the highway.

(Code 1964 § 4-3.404; Ord. 2664, 8/27/2024)

The city traffic engineer is authorized to place and maintain distinctive roadway markings as described in the Vehicle Code of the state on those streets or parts of streets where the volume of traffic or curvature of the roadway renders it hazardous to drive on the left side of such marking or signs and markings. Such marking or signs and markings shall have the same effect as similar markings placed by the state department of public works pursuant to provisions of the Vehicle Code of the state.

(Code 1964 § 4-3.405; Ord. 2664, 8/27/2024)

The city traffic engineer is authorized to remove, relocate or discontinue the operation of any traffic control device not specifically required by state law or this chapter whenever he or she shall determine in any particular case that the conditions which warranted or required the installation no longer exist or obtain.

(Code 1964 § 4-3.406; Ord. 2664, 8/27/2024)

Installation or removal of traffic signals may be authorized by ordinance or resolution of the city council.

(Ord. 998 § 1)