Los Altos Hills Municipal Code Art. 3 Enforcement and Obedience

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

(§ 4.1, Art. IV, Ord. 87)

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, or audible or other signal in conformance with the traffic laws; provided, however, 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 any provision to the contrary set forth in this chapter or in the Vehicle Code.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent any police officer from prohibiting any person from parking any vehicle upon or using any street, sidewalk, or path or from prohibiting any pedestrian from using any street, sidewalk, or path. Police officers shall have authority to direct the parking of vehicles in any reasonable way, manner, or direction, and it is hereby declared to be unlawful for any person to fail to promptly obey any order, signal, or command of any police officer, regardless of any other provision of this chapter.

(§§ 3 and 3.3, Art. III, Ord. 87)

No person shall interfere with or obstruct in any way any police officer or other officer or employee of the Town in the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter. 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 Town in connection with the enforcement of the parking provisions of this chapter shall constitute such interference or obstruction.

(§ 3.6, Art. III, Ord. 87)

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 traffic by voice, hand, or other signal, except that persons may operate, when and as provided in this chapter, any mechanical pushbutton signal erected by order of the Chief of Police.

(§ 3, Art. III, Ord. 87)

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

(§ 3.2, Art. III, Ord. 87)

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

(§ 3.7, Art. UI, Ord. 87)

It shall be a misdemeanor for any pedestrian or for any person driving any vehicle or other conveyance upon any street to do any act forbidden or to fail to perform any act required, applicable to any such person by the provisions of this chapter.

(§ 3.4, Art. III, Ord. 87)

(a) The provisions of this chapter regulating the operation, parking, and standing of vehicles shall not apply to vehicles operated by the Police Department or Fire Department, any public ambulance, any public utility vehicle, or any 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 provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall not, however, protect the operator of any such vehicle from 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 Town department or public utility while necessarily in use for construction or repair work or to 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.

(§ 3.8, Art. III, Ord. 87)

(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, or 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 24 hours after such accident, make a written report of such accident to the Police Department.

(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 a brief description of the property damages 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 by subsection (a) of this section within 24 hours after regaining the ability to make such report.

(§ 3.9, Art. III, Ord. 87)

Any regularly employed and salaried officer of the Police Department may remove or cause 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 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. when such parking or standing is prohibited by ordinance or resolution of the Town and signs are posted giving notice of such removal; and

(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, however, signs giving notice that such vehicle may be removed shall be erected or placed at least 24 hours prior to the removal.

(§ 3.10, Art. III, Ord. 87, as amended by § 2 Ord. 103)

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Sections 4-3.308—4-3.311 were renumbered to be 4-3.307—4-3.310 during the 2008 republication.