Merced Municipal Code Ch. 10.12 Enforcement and Exceptions

It is a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or to fail to perform any act required in this chapter.

(Prior code § 16.2).

No person shall wilfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order of a police officer or fire department official when directing traffic.

(Prior code § 16.3).

No person other than an officer of the police department or a person deputized or 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 authorized to do so by the provisions of this chapter, any mechanical pushbutton signal erected by order of the chief of police.

(Prior code § 16.4).

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

(Prior code § 16.5).

A. The provisions of this chapter regulating the operation, parking and standing of vehicles shall not apply to any vehicle of 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 in the state Vehicle Code in response to an emergency call.

B. The foregoing exemptions shall not, however, protect the driver of any such vehicle from the consequences of his 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 by the United States while in use for the collection, transportation or delivery of the United States mail.

(Prior code § 16.6).

A. The driver 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, ornamental lighting post, telephone pole, electric light or power pole, or resulting in damage to any ornamental shade tree, traffic-control device or other property of a like nature located in or along any street, shall within twenty-four (24) hours after such accident make a written report of such accident to the police department of this 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 driving 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. A driver involved in an accident shall not be subject to the requirements or penalties of this section if and during the time such driver is physically incapable of making a report, but in such event the driver shall make a report as required in subsection A of this section within twenty-four (24) hours after regaining ability to make such report.

(Prior code § 16.7).

Any person riding upon any bicycle, motorcycle, coaster, roller skates or any toy vehicle shall not attach the same or himself to any moving vehicle upon any roadway.

(Prior code § 16.8).

No driver of a vehicle shall drive between vehicles comprising a funeral procession while they are in motion and when the vehicles in such processions are conspicuously so designated.

(Prior code § 16.19).

The driver of a vehicle emerging from any alley, driveway or building shall stop such vehicle immediately prior to driving onto a sidewalk or into the sidewalk area extending across any alleyway.

(Prior code § 16.10).

The driver of a vehicle shall not drive within any sidewalk area or any parkway except at a permanent or temporary driveway.

(Prior code § 16.11).

A. No person shall operate any motor vehicle or motorized scooter, or any animal-drawn vehicle or ride or drive any horse, mule or other animal upon any bicycle path or bicycle trail.

B. The terms "bicycle path," "bike path," "bicycle trail" and "bike trail," mean a specifically designated area for bicycle travel, separated from the roadway in such manner that an intervening space or physical barrier exists between such bicycle path and the roadway so that the bicycle path is not contiguous to the outer edge of the tile-paved highway shoulder.

C. "Motor vehicle" includes motorcycles and motor-driven cycles, such as gasoline-powered mini-motorcycles.

(Ord. 2203 § 1, 2005: Ord. 1154 § 1, 1975: prior code § 16.11.1).

No person shall ride or drive any animal or any vehicle over or across any newly-made pavement or freshly-painted marking on any street when a barrier or sign is in place warning persons not to drive over or across such pavement or marking, or when a sign is in place stating that the street or any portion thereof is closed.

(Prior code § 16.12).

No person shall drive a vehicle onto or from any limited-access roadway except at such entrances and exits as are established by public authority.

(Prior code § 16.13).

No person shall drive or operate any bicycle, motor-driven cycle or any vehicle which is not drawn by a motor vehicle upon any street established as a freeway, as defined in Section 604.5 of the state Vehicle Code, nor shall any pedestrian walk across or along any such street so designated and described except in the space set aside for the use of pedestrians; provided, that official signs are in place giving notice of such restrictions.

(Prior code § 16.14).

No person shall operate or drive any vehicle used for advertising purposes or any advertising vehicle equipped with a sound-amplifying or loud-speaking device upon any street or alley at any time within the city without first having obtained a permit from the city council to do so.

(Prior code § 16.15).

No person shall drive any animal-drawn vehicle into or within any business district between the hours of four-thirty p.m. and six p.m. of any day.

(Prior code § 16.16).

The city council shall, by ordinance or resolution, designate one-way streets or keys. Signs indicating the direction of lawful traffic movement shall be placed by the city engineer at every intersection where movement of traffic in the opposite direction is prohibited. When so designated, and when properly signposted, traffic shall move only in the direction indicated on such signs.

(Prior code § 16.17).

A. It is unlawful for any person to cause or permit any railway train or railway cars or similar vehicle on rails to operate or to be operated in such a manner as to prevent the use of any street for the purposes of travel for a period of time longer than ten minutes, except for the following conditions:

1. Blocking resulting from compliance with state and federal laws and regulations;

2. Terrain and physical conditions;

3. Adverse weather conditions;

4. Conditions which render the roadbed or track structure unsafe;

5. Mechanical failures; and

6. Train accidents.

B. For purposes of this section, an "accident" is described as an unforeseeable occurrence on the railway right-of-way or involving the railway train whereby the railway train or railway cars cannot be moved without endangering the safety of the public, passengers, private property, or freight.

(Ord. 1194 § 1, 1977: prior code § 17.30).

A. No motor vehicle, motorcycle, tractor, trailer, camper, or other mode of transportation, whether or not motorized or operational, shall be parked or stored on a required front yard, side yard, lawn, grass, or landscaped areas except on a permanent driveway or parking place specifically and properly designed for the purpose of parking vehicles and constructed of asphalt blacktop, concrete, cement, paver blocks or other paved surface.

B. Any motor vehicle, motorcycle, tractor, trailer, camper, or other mode of transportation, whether or not motorized or operational, parked on a street or public way in a manner such that one or more wheels rest in a yard, lot or lawn more than twelve (12) inches from the curb or pavement edge shall be deemed to be in violation of this section.

C. It shall be presumed that the owner of the property, the person or entity occupying the property, and the registered owner of the motor vehicle, motorcycle, tractor, trailer, camper, or other mode of transportation found in violation of this section authorized the parking in violation of this section. The property owner, occupant and registered owner of the vehicle may all be held responsible for violation of this section and shall each be responsible for the prompt removal of said motor vehicle, motorcycle, tractor, trailer, camper, or other mode of transportation from the front yard, side yard, lawn, grass, or landscaped areas of the property.

(Ord. 2186 § 2, 2005).