La Palma Municipal Code Art. III Traffic Control Devices

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State Law reference— Local authority to place and maintain traffic signs, signals and other traffic control devices on streets and highways, Vehicle Code §§ 21351—21351.5.

(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 to make effective the provisions of this chapter.

(b) Whenever the Vehicle Code requires for the effectiveness of any provision thereof that traffic control devices 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 or proper to regulate traffic or 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 set forth in this article or as may be determined by ordinance or resolution of the Council.

(Code 1975, § 16-12; Ord. No. 70-8, § 4)

No provision of the Vehicle Code or of this chapter for which signs are required shall be enforced against an alleged violator unless appropriate legible signs are in place giving notice of such provisions of the traffic laws.

(Code 1975, § 16-13; Ord. No. 70-8, § 4)

State Law reference— Signs required for certain local traffic laws provisions, Vehicle Code § 21103.

(a) The City Traffic Engineer is hereby directed to install and maintain with City Council approval official traffic signals at those intersections and other places where traffic conditions are such as to require that the flow of traffic be alternately interrupted and released in order to prevent or relieve traffic congestion or to protect life or property from exceptional hazard.

(b) The City Traffic Engineer shall ascertain and determine the locations where such signals are required by field investigation, traffic counts and other traffic information as may be pertinent and his or her determination therefrom shall be made in accordance with appropriate traffic engineering and safety standards and instructions.

(c) Whenever the City Traffic Engineer installs and maintains an official traffic signal at any intersection, he or she shall likewise erect and maintain at such intersection street name signs clearly visible to traffic approaching from all directions unless such street name signs have previously been placed and are maintained at any such intersection.

(Code 1975, § 16-14; Ord. No. 70-8, § 4)

The City Traffic Engineer is hereby 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 1975, § 16-15; Ord. No. 70-8, § 4)

The City Traffic Engineer is authorized to place and maintain distinctive roadway markings, as described in the Vehicle Code, on those streets or parts of streets where the volume of traffic or the vertical or other curvature of the roadway renders it hazardous to drive on the left side of such markings or signs and markings. Such markings or signs and markings shall have the same effect as similar markings placed by the State Department of Transportation pursuant to provisions of the Vehicle Code.

(Code 1975, § 16-16; Ord. No. 70-8, § 4)

The City Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized to remove, relocate, or discontinue the operation of any traffic control device, other than traffic signals, not specifically required by the Vehicle Code 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.

(Code 1975, § 16-17; Ord. No. 70-8, § 4)

The City Traffic Engineer shall determine the hours and days during which any traffic control device shall be in operation or be in effect, except in those cases where such hours or days are specified in this chapter.

(Code 1975, § 16-18; Ord. No. 70-8, § 4)

(a) The City Traffic Engineer is authorized to place official traffic control devices within or adjacent to intersections and indicating the course to be traveled by vehicles turning at such intersections; and the City Traffic Engineer is authorized to locate and indicate more than one lane of traffic from which drivers of vehicles may make right or left hand turns, and the course to be traveled as so indicated may conform to or be other than as prescribed by law or ordinance.

(b) The City Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized to determine those intersections at which drivers of vehicles shall not make a right, left, or U-turn, and shall place proper signs at such intersections. The making of such turns may be prohibited between certain hours of any day and permitted at other hours, in which event the same shall be plainly indicated on the signs or they may be removed when such turns are permitted.

(Code 1975, § 16-19; Ord. No. 70-8, § 5)

Whenever any ordinance or resolution of this City designates any one-way street or alley, the City Traffic Engineer shall place and maintain signs giving notice thereof, and no such regulations shall be effective unless such signs are in place. Signs indicating the direction of lawful traffic movement shall be placed at every intersection where movement of traffic in the opposite direction is prohibited.

(Code 1975, § 16-20; Ord. No. 70-8, § 6)

The City Traffic Engineer shall post appropriate signs where he or she determines that the making of right turns against a traffic signal "stop" indication would seriously interfere with the safe and orderly flow of traffic.

(Code 1975, § 16-21; Ord. No. 70-8, § 5)

The City Traffic Engineer is authorized to regulate the timing of traffic signals so as to permit the movement of traffic in an orderly and safe manner at speeds slightly at variance from the speeds otherwise applicable within the district or at intersections, and shall erect appropriate signs giving notice thereof.

(Code 1975, § 16-22; Ord. No. 70-8, § 15)

Whenever any ordinance or resolution of this City designates and describes any street or portion thereof as a through street, or any intersection at which vehicles are required to stop at one or more entrances thereto, or any railroad grade crossing at which vehicles are required to stop, the City Traffic Engineer shall erect and maintain stop signs in accordance with the appropriate traffic engineering and safety standards and instructions.

(Code 1975, § 16-23; Ord. No. 70-8, § 7)

(a) Upon request of any person and approval of the City Council, temporary directional signs not larger than four feet by four feet may be installed within the City and offsite of the subject property at intervals of no more than one sign per one-half mile, and with a total of not to exceed five signs per subject property. No authority is granted by this section to place such signs on public property.

(b) Subject property for the purpose of this section means the property for which or to which the directional signs are directing the viewer.

(c) A fee in an amount established by City Council resolution shall be charged per sign, one-half of which shall be refunded if the signs are removed when the period of authorization has expired. No authority is granted by this section to place such signs upon public property.

(Code 1975, § 16-24; Ord. No. 112, §§ 1—3)