Shafter Municipal Code Ch. 10.12 Traffic-Control Devices

Except for the provisions of Sections 10.40.190 and 10.40.200 of this title, no provisions of the 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.

(Prior code § 10-4-2)

A. The traffic 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 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 traffic 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 traffic 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 principals and traffic investigations and in accordance with such standards, limitations and rules as may be set forth in this title or as may be determined by ordinance or resolution of the council.

(Prior code 10-4-1)

A. The traffic 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 traffic 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 determination 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 Transportation.

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

(Amended during 1989 codification; prior code § 10-4-4)

The traffic engineer is authorized to mark centerlines 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.

(Prior code § 10-4-5)

The traffic engineer is authorized to place and maintain distinctive roadway markings as described in the 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. Such marking or signs and markings shall have the same effect as similar markings placed by the State Department of Transportation pursuant to provisions of the Vehicle Code.

(Amended during 1989 codification; prior code § 10-4-6)

A. The traffic engineer shall establish, designate and maintain crosswalks at intersections and other places by appropriate devices, marks or lines upon the surface of the roadway as follows:

Crosswalks shall be established and maintained at all intersections within the central traffic district and at such intersections outside such district, and at other places within or outside the district where the traffic engineer determines that there is particular hazard to pedestrians crossing the roadway subject to the limitation contained in subsection B of this section.

B. Other than crosswalks at intersections, no crosswalk shall be established in any block which is less than four hundred feet in length and such crosswalk shall be located as nearly as practicable at midblock.

C. The traffic engineer may place signs at or adjacent to an intersection in respect to any crosswalk directing that pedestrians shall not cross in the crosswalk so indicated.

(Prior code § 10-9-1)

The traffic 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.

(Prior code § 10-4-8)

The operator of any vehicle or train shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device placed in accordance with this title unless otherwise directed by a police officer or other authorized person subject to the exceptions granted the operator of an authorized emergency vehicle when responding to emergency calls.

(Prior code § 10-4-3)

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

(Prior code § 10-4-7)

No person, unless authorized by this city, shall paint any street or curb surface; provided, however, that this section shall not apply to the painting of numbers on a curb surface by any person who has complied with the provisions of any resolution or ordinance of this city pertaining thereto.

(Prior code § 10-4-9)