Merced Municipal Code Ch. 10.20 Traffic-Control Devices

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

B. Whenever the Vehicle Code of this state 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 engineer is authorized to install the necessary devices subject to any limitations or restrictions set forth in the law applicable thereto.

C. The city engineer may also place and maintain such additional traffic-control devices as he may deem necessary to regulate traffic or to guide or warn traffic, but he shall make such determination only upon the basis of safety requirements, of traffic engineering principles and traffic investigations and in accordance with such standards, limitations and rules as may be set forth in the traffic ordinances or resolutions of this city or as may be determined by ordinance or resolution of the city council.

(Prior code § 16.24).

No provision of the state Vehicle Code 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.

(Prior code § 16.25).

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

(Prior code § 16.26).

A. The director of public works is directed to install and maintain official traffic signals at those intersections and other places were 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 an exceptional hazard.

B. The city engineer shall ascertain and determine the locations where such signals are required by resorting to field observation, traffic counts, and other traffic information as may be pertinent and his determinations therefrom shall be made in accordance with those traffic engineering and safety standards and instructions set forth in the traffic manual.

(Ord. 2279 § 2, 2007: prior code § 16.27).

Whenever the city engineer installs and maintains an official traffic signal at any intersection, he shall likewise erect and maintain at each intersection, street name signs visible to the principal flow of traffic, unless such street name signs have previously been placed and are maintained at any such intersection.

(Prior code § 16.28).

The city engineer is authorized to mark center lines 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 center line of the highway.

(Prior code § 16.29).

Whenever the state department of public works determines by resolution and designates a distinctive roadway marking which indicates no driving over such markings, the chief of police and city engineer are authorized to designate by such marking 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 public works pursuant to the provisions of the state Vehicle Code.

(Prior code § 16.30).

The city engineer is authorized to remove, relocate or discontinue the operation of any traffic-control device not specifically required by the state law, this chapter or other ordinance or resolution of the city whenever it is determined in any particular case that the conditions which warranted or required the installation no longer exist or pertain.

(Prior code § 16.31).

The chief of police and city 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 or other ordinance or resolution of this city.

(Prior code § 16.32).

The chief of police and city engineer are authorized to place markers, buttons or signs within or adjacent to intersections indicating the course to be traveled by vehicles turning at such intersections. The chief of police and city engineer are authorized to allocate 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.

(Prior code § 16.33).

When authorized markers, buttons or other indications are placed within an intersection indicating the course to be traveled by vehicles turning thereat, no driver of a vehicle shall disobey the directions of such indications.

(Prior code § 16.34).

The chief of police and city engineer are 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 turn 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.

(Prior code § 16.35).

Whenever authorized signs are erected indicating that no right or left or U-turn is permitted, no driver of a vehicle shall disobey the directions of any such sign.

(Prior code § 16.36).

The city engineer and the chief of police are authorized to determine those intersections within any business or residence district at which drivers of vehicles shall not make a right turn against a red or stop signal and shall erect proper signs giving notice of such prohibition. No driver of a vehicle shall disobey the directions of any such sign.

(Prior code § 16.37).

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 (1) or more entrances thereto, or any railroad grade crossing at which vehicles are required to stop, the city engineer shall erect and maintain stop signs as follows:

A stop sign shall be erected on each and every street intersecting such through street or portion thereof so designated and at those entrances of other intersections where a stop is required and at any railroad grade crossing so designated. Every such sign shall conform with and shall be placed as provided in Chapter 2, Article 1, Sections 21350 through 21355 of the California Vehicle Code.

(Ord. 2316 § 21, 2008: prior code § 16.38).

The city council, by ordinance or resolution, and in accordance with law, may prescribe the erection of traffic control devices on a private road or driveway at designated locations, and when such traffic control devices have been so installed, it is unlawful for any person to disobey any such traffic control device.

(Prior code § 16.38.1).

The city engineer shall install and maintain traffic control devices, including but not limited to traffic signals, stop signals and yield right-of-way signs at any location, but only when the traffic and other conditions meet the warrants as set forth in this chapter and in the traffic manual.

(Prior code § 16.200).

Traffic control measures for school crossing protection shall be in accordance with the traffic manual, except that the first sentence of Section 10-07.3 of the traffic manual, as adopted (Warrants for Assignment of Adult Crossing Guards) shall be deemed to read as follows:

Adult crossing guards normally are assigned where official supervision of elementary school children is desirable while they cross a public street or highway, and at least forty elementary school age pedestrians in the fourth grade or under utilize the crossing on the way to or from school.

(Ord. 1844 § 4, 1993: prior code § 16.201).

Minimum warrants for installation of stop signs are:

A. On a street entering a legally established through highway or street;

B. On a minor street when the ability to see all potentially conflicting traffic is insufficient to allow a road user traveling at the posted speed, or the statutory speed (whichever speed is greater) to pass through the intersection or to stop in a reasonably safe manner;

C. On the less important road at its intersection with a major road where application of the normal right-of-way rule is unduly hazardous as evidenced by three (3) accidents reported and investigated during the preceding twelve (12) month period, if such investigations show such accidents were susceptible to correction by stop signs;

D. Where circumstances and collision history indicate that observing the normal right-of-way rule could still be hazardous, resulting in crashes; or

E. Where stop control would improve traffic operational characteristics of the intersection as determined by the city engineer or his/her designee.

(Ord. 2279 § 3, 2007: prior code § 16.202)

(Ord. No. 2589, 3-2-2026)

Minimum warrants for yield right-of-way signs are to be placed at the entrance to an intersection where it is desirable to assign the right-of-way but where a stop sign is unduly restrictive; provided:

A. Traffic volume on the approaches where these signs are to be used must be less than the volume on the other two (2) approaches.

B. The ability to see all potentially conflicting traffic on the approach having the minor volume is insufficient to allow a road user traveling at the posted speed, or the statutory speed (whichever speed is greater) to pass through the intersection or to stop in a reasonably safe manner.

C. There is a demonstrated hazardous condition existing at the intersection as demonstrated by the occurrence of at least two (2) right-angle collisions reported and investigated during the previous twelve (12) month period, such investigations showing these accidents susceptible to correction by the use of "yield" signs.

(Ord. 2279 § 4, 2007: prior code § 16.203).

A. Pursuant to Section 21107.8 of the Vehicle Code, the city council finds that there are privately owned and maintained off-street parking facilities within the city that are generally held open for use of the public for purposes of vehicular parking.

B. The following private parking facilities are subject to public traffic regulations and control when signs are in place giving notice thereof:

(Ord. 1555 § 1, 1984).