Lompoc Municipal Code Ch. 10.08 Administration and Enforcement

The Office of City Traffic Engineer is hereby established and September 20, 1999 determined to be a function of the Public Works Department. The Public Works Director is hereby designated as the City Traffic Engineer and he or she shall have the authority to delegate any or all of the functions of said office to any qualified person within the Public Works Department.

(Prior code § 2017)

The City Traffic Engineer shall exercise the powers and duties provided in this Title and any other traffic ordinance of the City, and unless otherwise specifically provided in this Title, he or she shall have the authority to adopt rules and regulations on the following specific matters:

A. Regulating traffic by means of semaphores or other official traffic-control devices;

B. Designating particular streets and highways as one-way streets and highways when in the opinion of the City Council public necessity and convenience requires that all vehicles thereon be moved in one specified direction;

C. Closing any street or highway to vehicular traffic when in the opinion of the City Council the street or highway is no longer needed for vehicular traffic;

D. Designating any street or highway as a through street or highway and requiring that all vehicles stop before entering or crossing the same or designating any intersection as a stop intersection and requiring all vehicles to stop at one or more entrances to the intersection;

E. Prohibiting the use of particular streets or highways by certain vehicles except as otherwise provided by the Public Utilities Commission pursuant to Article 2 of Chapter 5 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code.

(Prior code § 2018)

There is established in the Police Department a Traffic Division to be under the control of an officer of police appointed by and directly responsible to the Chief of Police

(Prior code § 2019)

A. The Traffic Division of the Police Department shall exercise the powers and duties as provided in this Title and any other traffic ordinance of the City and, unless otherwise specifically provided in this Title, it shall have the authority to adopt rules and regulations on the following specific matters:

1. Regulating or prohibiting processions or assemblages on the streets and highways;

2. Regulating traffic by means of traffic officers;

3. Closing particular streets during regular school hours for the purpose of conducting automobile driver training programs in the secondary schools of the City;

4. Temporarily closing a portion of any street or highway for celebrations, parades, local special events, and other purposes when, in the opinion of the Chief of Police, such closing is necessary for the safety and protection of persons who are to use that portion of the street during the temporary closing.

B. It shall be the duty of the Traffic Division, with such aid as may be rendered by other members of the Police Department, to enforce the street traffic regulations of the City and all of the State vehicle laws applicable to street traffic in the City, to make arrests for traffic violations, to investigate traffic accidents and to cooperate with the City Traffic Engineer, and other officers of the City, in the administration of traffic laws and in developing ways and means to improve traffic conditions.

(Prior code § 2020)

The Traffic Division shall maintain a suitable system of filing traffic accident reports. Accident reports or cards referring to them shall be filed alphabetically by location. Such reports shall be available for the use and information of the City Traffic Engineer.

(Prior code § 2021)

Whenever the accidents at any particular location become numerous, the Traffic Division shall cooperate with the City Engineer in conducting studies of such accidents and determining remedial measures.

(Prior code § 2022)

The Traffic Division shall annually prepare a traffic report which shall be filed with the City Council. Such a report shall contain information on traffic matters in the City as follows:

A. The number of traffic accidents, the number of persons killed, the number of persons injured, and other pertinent accident data;

B. The number of traffic accidents investigated and other pertinent data on the safety activities of the police;

C. The plans and recommendations of the Division for future traffic safety activities.

(Prior code § 2023)

Whenever this Title delegates authority to a City officer, or authorizes action by the City Council to regulate traffic upon a State highway in any way which by State law requires the prior approval of the Public Works Department of the State, no such officer shall exercise such authority nor shall such action by the City Council be effective with respect to any State highway without the prior approval in writing of the Public Works Department, when and to the extent required by the Vehicle Code of the State.

(Prior code § 2024)

Any provisions of this Title which regulate traffic or delegate the regulation of traffic upon State highways in any way for which the approval of the Department of Public Works of the State is required by State Law, shall cease to be operative six months after receipt by the City Council of written notice of withdrawal of approval of the Department of Public Works.

(Prior code § 2025)

It is unlawful for any person driving any vehicle or other conveyance upon any street, or any pedestrian, to do any act prohibited or fail to perform any act required as applicable to any such person under this Title.

(Prior code § 2026)

No person shall interfere with or obstruct in any way any police officer or other officer or employee of the City in his or her enforcement of the provisions of this Title. The removal, obliteration or concealment of any chalk mark or other distinguishing mark used by any police officer or other employee or officer of the City in connection with the enforcement of the parking regulations of this Title shall, if done for the purpose of evading the provisions of this Title, constitute such interference or obstruction.

(Prior code § 2027)

Officers of the Police Department and such officers as are assigned by the Chief of Police are 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 of the State.

(Prior code § 2028)

No person other than an officer of the Police Department, members of the Fire Department. a person authorized by the Chief of Police, or a person authorized by the law, shall direct or attempt to direct traffic by voice, hand, or other signal; except, that persons may operate, when and as provided in this Title, any mechanical pushbutton signal erected by order of the City Traffic Engineer.

(Prior code § 2029)

No person shall fail or refine to comply with. or shall perform any act prohibited by, any lawful order, signal or direction of a traffic or police officer, a member of the Fire Department, or a person authorized by the Chief of Police or by law.

(Prior code § 2030)

Every person riding a bicycle o riding or driving an animal upon a highway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this Title, except those provisions which, by their very nature, can have no application.

(Prior code § 2031)

The provisions of this Title shall apply to the operator of any vehicle owned by or used in the service of the United States government, any state, any county or any city, and it shall be unlawful for any such operator to violate any of the provisions of this Title except as otherwise permitted in this Title or by the Vehicle Code of the State.

(Prior code § 2032)

A. The provisions of this Title regulating the operation, parking and standing of vehicles shall not apply to vehicles operated by the Police or Fire Departments, 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 such vehicle is operated in the manner specified by the Vehicle Code of the State in response to an emergency call.

B. The exemptions of this Section shall not relieve the operator of any such vehicle from any obligation to exercise due care for the safety of others or the consequences of his or her willful disregard of the safety of others.

(Prior code § 2033)

Any regularly employed and salaried officer of the Police Department may remove or caused to be removed:

A. Any vehicle that has been parked or left standing upon a street or highway for 72 or more consecutive hours.

B. 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 24 hours prior to the removal.

(Prior code § 2034)