Santa Paula Municipal Code Ch. 70 General Provisions

Section

General Provisions

Patrol Division

Traffic-Control Devices

GENERAL PROVISIONS

For the purpose of this title, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning. Whenever any words or phrases used in this title are not defined, but are defined in the California Vehicle Code and amendments thereto, such definitions shall apply.

ALLEY. Any unnamed street 25 feet or less in width between property lines used primarily for service purposes.

BICYCLE. Any device having two or more wheels in tandem, the wheels being 20 inches or more in diameter, propelled by human power upon which a person may ride.

CENTRAL TRAFFIC DISTRICT. All streets and portions of streets within the area described as follows: all that area bounded by Yale Street on the south, Eleventh Street on the east, Santa Barbara Street on the north and Seventh Street on the west.

COACH. Any motor bus, motor coach, or passenger stage used as a common carrier of passengers.

COUNCIL. The City Council of the city.

CURB. The lateral boundary of the roadway whether defined by curb construction or not.

DIVISIONAL ISLAND. A raised island or an area defined by painted lines located in the roadway and separating opposing or conflicting streams of traffic.

HIGHWAY. See the definition for “street” in this section.

HOLIDAYS. Within the meaning of this title, HOLIDAYS are New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, California Admission Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

LOADING ZONE. The space adjacent to a curb reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles during the loading or unloading of passengers or materials.

OFFICIAL TIME STANDARD. Whenever certain hours are named in this title, they mean standard time or daylight saving time as may be in current use in this city.

PARK. To stand or leave standing any vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading of passengers or materials.

PARKWAY. That portion of a street other than a roadway or a sidewalk.

PEDESTRIAN. Any person afoot.

POLICE OFFICER. Every officer of the Police Department of this city or any officer authorized to direct or regulate traffic or to make arrests for violations of traffic regulations.

STOP. When required, STOP means complete cessation of movement.

STOP or STAND. When prohibited, STOP or STAND means any stopping or standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or official traffic-control device.

STREET. A way or place of whatever nature publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.

VEHICLE CODE. The California Vehicle Code.

('81 Code, §§ 10.04.010-10.04.210)

Officers of the Police Department and such officers as are assigned by the Chief of Police such as reserve officers and citizen patrol members, 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.

('81 Code, § 10.12.010)

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 title, any mechanical push-button signal erected by order of the Chief of Police.

('81 Code, § 10.12.020) Penalty, see § 70.99

Every person riding a bicycle or 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.

('81 Code, § 10.12.030)

Cross-reference:

Bicycles skateboards, and other wheeled toys, see Ch. 73

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, this state, any county or city, and it is unlawful for any such operator to violate any of the provisions of this title or of the California Vehicle Code except as otherwise permitted in this title or by the California Vehicle Code.

('81 Code, § 10.12.040) Penalty, see § 70.99

(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 Department, any public ambulance or 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 California Vehicle Code in response to an emergency call.

(B) The exemptions set forth in division (A) of this section shall not, however, relieve the operator of any such vehicle from obligation to exercise due care for the safety of others or the consequences of his wilful disregard of the safety of others.

(C) The provisions of this title 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 or operated by the United States Post Office Department while in use for the collec-tion, transportation or delivery of United States mail.

('81 Code, § 10.12.050)

(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, 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 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 operating 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) 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 is physically incapable of making a report, but in such event he shall make a report as required in division (A) of this section within 24 hours after regaining ability to make such report.

('81 Code, § 10.12.060) Penalty, see § 70.99

Any member of the Police Department designated by the Police Chief 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 this city and signs are posted giving notice of such removal;

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

('81 Code, § 10.12.070)

Statutory reference:

Removal of parked and abandoned vehicles, see Cal. Veh. Code §§ 22650 et seq.

(A) Whenever any object such as a hedge, shrub, tree, fence, wall, and the like, within any street or highway obstructs the view of any inter-section, or any vehicular or pedestrian traffic upon the approaches to such intersection, or any other traffic hazard, the Chief of Police or City Engineer may remove or may cause to be removed such object, or have such object reduced in height.

(B) Whenever any object such as noted in division (A) of this section is on property outside the street or highway, the Chief of Police or City Engineer shall notify the occupant or owner of such property to remove or cause to be removed such object or reduce the height of such object to comply with the land use plan of the city.

('81 Code, § 10.12.080)

PATROL DIVISION

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

('81 Code, § 10.08.010)

It shall be the duty of the Patrol Division with such aid as may be rendered by other members of the Police Department to enforce the street traffic regulations of this 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 Chief of Police and other officers of the city in the administration of the traffic laws and in developing ways and means to improve traffic conditions, and to carry out those duties specially imposed upon such division by this title and the traffic ordinances of this city.

('81 Code, § 10.08.020)

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

('81 Code, § 10.08.030)

(A) The Patrol Division shall maintain a suitable system of filing traffic accident reports.

(B) Accident reports or cards referring to them shall be filed alphabetically by name.

(C) Such reports shall be available for the use and information of the Chief of Police.

('81 Code, § 10.08.040)

(A) The Patrol Division shall annually prepare a traffic report.

(B) Such a report shall contain information on traffic matters in this city as follows:

(1) The number of traffic accidents, the number of persons killed, the number of persons injured and other pertinent traffic accident data;

(2) The number of traffic accidents investigated and other pertinent data on the safety activities of the police;

(3) The plans and recommendations of the division for future traffic activities.

('81 Code, § 10.08.050)

(A) Established; compensation; chairman.

(1) There is established a Traffic Safety Committee to serve without compensation, consisting of the Chief of Police or his staff designee, the City Manager or his staff designee, the Public Works Director or his staff designee and other such persons as may be appointed by resolution of the City Council.

(2) The City Manager may appoint the chairman of the committee.

('81 Code, § 10.08.060) (Ord. 908, passed - -88)

(B) Duties. It shall be the duty of the Traffic Safety Committee to suggest the most practicable means for coordinating the activities of all officers and agencies of this city having authority with respect to the administration and enforcement of traffic regulations; to stimulate and assist in the preparation and publication of traffic reports; to receive complaints having to do with traffic matters; and to recommend to the legislative body of this city and to the chief of the Patrol Division and other city officials ways and means for improving traffic conditions and the administration and enforcement of traffic regulations.

('81 Code, § 10.08.070)

TRAFFIC-CONTROL DEVICES

(A) The City 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 title.

(B) Whenever the California 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 Engineer is 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 Engineer may also place and maintain or cause to be placed and maintained such additional traffic control devices as he may deem necessary or proper to regulate traffic or to guide or warn traffic, but he 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 may be set forth in this title or resolution of the Council.

('81 Code, § 10.20.010)

Statutory reference:

Traffic-control devices, see Cal. Veh. Code §§ 21351 et seq. and §§ 21400 et seq.

The City Engineer is authorized to remove, relocate or discontinue the operation of any traffic-control device not specifically required by the California Vehicle Code or this title whenever he determines in any particular case that the conditions which warranted or required the installation no longer exist or apply.

('81 Code, § 10.20.020)

The 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 title.

('81 Code, § 10.20.030)

No provision of the California Vehicle Code or of this title 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.

('81 Code, § 10.20.040)

(A) The City Engineer is directed to install and maintain 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 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 determinations therefrom shall be made in accordance with those traffic engineering and safety standards and instructions set forth in the “California Maintenance Manual” issued by the Division of Highways of the State Department of Public Works.

(C) Whenever the City Engineer installs and maintains an official traffic signal at any intersection, he shall likewise erect and maintain at such inter-section 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.

('81 Code, § 10.20.050)

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 centerline of the highway.

('81 Code, § 10.20.060)

(A) The City Engineer is authorized to place and maintain distinctive roadway markings as described in the California 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 marking or signs and markings.

(B) Such marking or signs and markings shall have the same effect as similar markings placed by the State Department of Public Works pursuant to provisions of the California Vehicle Code.

('81 Code, § 10.20.070)

No person, unless authorized by this city, shall paint any street or curb surface.

('81 Code, § 10.20.080) Penalty, see § 70.99

Any person who violates any provision of this title for which no penalty is otherwise provided shall be punished according to Chapter 13 of this code.