South Pasadena Municipal Code Art. I In General

For the purposes of this chapter, unless it is plainly evident from the context that a different meaning is intended, certain terms used herein are defined as follows:

Alley. A public highway without curbs or sidewalks which does not exceed twenty-five feet in width between property lines.

Loading zone. That 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 chapter, they shall mean Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time, as may be in current use in the city.

Official traffic-control devices. All signs, signals, markings and devices not inconsistent with this chapter, heretofore or hereafter placed or erected under this chapter, as authorized by the Vehicle Code of the state or by the authority of the city council.

Official traffic signals. Any device, whether manually, electrically or mechanically operated, by which traffic is alternately directed to stop, turn or proceed and which is erected by authority of a public body or official having jurisdiction.

Parking. To stop or allow to stand any vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than in obedience to official traffic-control devices or by direction of a police officer.

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

Passenger loading zone. The space adjacent to a curb reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles during the loading or unloading of passengers.

Pedestrian. Any person afoot.

Policeman. Every sworn member of the police department or any employee of the city authorized by the chief of police to direct or regulate traffic or to make arrests for violations of the traffic regulations.

Stop. When required, means complete cessation of movement.

Stop or stand. When prohibited, 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 direction of a police officer or official traffic-control device.

Taxi stand. A public place alongside the curb of a street or elsewhere in the city which has been designated by the city manager as reserved exclusively for the use of taxicabs under the provisions of chapter 33 of this Code.

Traffic. Pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using any street for purposes of travel. (Ord. No. 1106, § 1.01.)

• For state law definitions contained in Vehicle Code, see Veh. C., §§ 100 to 675.

In addition to the definitions set forth in the preceding section, all definitions of words and phrases set forth in the state Vehicle Code* are hereby incorporated in this chapter as though set forth in full herein. (Ord. No. 1106, § 1.02.)

• See Veh. C.A., §§ 31 to 90.1.

It is a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required in this chapter. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.02.)

• For state law as to required obedience to traffic laws, see Veh. C.A., § 450.

Members of the police department or such officers as are assigned by the chief of police are hereby authorized to direct all traffic by voice, hand or signal in conformance with traffic laws; provided, that in the event of a fire or other emergency or to expedite traffic or to safeguard pedestrians, members of the police department may direct traffic as conditions may require, notwithstanding the provisions of the traffic laws. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.01.)

Members of the fire department, when at the scene of a fire, may direct or assist the police in directing traffic thereat or in the immediate vicinity. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.01.)

No person shall wilfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order, direction or signal of a police officer or firefighter. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.03.)

• For state law as to obedience to police, see Veh. C.A., § 451. As to required obedience to firefighters in absence of police, see Veh. C.A., § 451.1.

No person other than a member of the police department or a person assigned by the chief of police or 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 push-button signal erected by order of the city manager. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.04.)

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, this state or any county or city, and it shall be 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. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.05.)

• For state law as to applicability of traffic laws to operators in course of public employment, see Veh. C. A., § 453.

The provisions of this chapter regulating the operation, parking and standing of vehicles shall not apply to any vehicle of the police or fire departments, 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 in the Vehicle Code* in response to an emergency call.

The foregoing exemptions shall not, however, protect the driver of any such vehicle from the consequences of his or her wilful disregard of the safety of others.

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 maintenance work upon the streets of the city or any vehicle used by the United States for the collection, transportation or delivery of United States mail. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.06.)

• See Veh. C.A., § 454.

The person in charge of any garage or repair shop to which is brought any motor vehicle which shows evidence of having been involved in an accident of which report must be made as provided in Section 19.10 of this Code shall, during such periods as designated by the chief of police, notify the police department immediately after such motor vehicle is received. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.07.)

Every person who shall repossess in the city any motor vehicle sold, exchanged or financed by such person shall, immediately after such repossession, make out and file, either in person or by an authorized agent, at the police department, a full and complete report of the repossession of such vehicle. Such report shall be written and shall contain the name and address of the person making the repossession; the name and address of the person from whom the repossession was made; and the make, the state license number, motor number, style and seating capacity of the motor vehicle repossessed. Such report shall not be required when a repossession is made with the knowledge of the person in charge of the vehicle. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.07.)

The city manager is authorized to regulate the timing of traffic signals so as to permit the movement of traffic in an orderly and safe manner at speeds slightly at variance from the speeds otherwise applicable within the district or at intersections, and shall erect appropriate signs giving notice thereof. (Ord. No. 1106, § 12.02.)

• For state law as to regulation of speed by traffic signals, see Veh. C., § 22401.

The city manager is 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 turns may be prohibited between certain hours of any day and permitted at other hours, in which event the same shall plainly be indicated on the signs or they may be removed when such turns are permitted.

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. (Ord. No. 1106, §§ 4.02, 4.03.)

The city manager is authorized to determine those intersections 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. (Ord. No. 1106, § 4.04.)

On all highways of the type described in Section 21651 of the Vehicle Code and upon any street or alley designated a one-way street or alley by the city council the city manager shall place and maintain signs giving notice thereof, and no such regulations shall be effective unless such signs are in place. Signs indicating the direction of lawful traffic movement shall be placed at every intersection where movement of traffic in the opposite direction is prohibited. (Ord. No. 1106, § 5.01; Ord. No. 1983, § 39.)

Huntington Drive is designated as a one-way street. It is divided into north and south drives. It is unlawful to drive any vehicle on Huntington Drive north, between Garfield Avenue and Pine Street, except in a general westerly direction and between Pine Street and Kendall Street, except in a general southerly direction. It is unlawful to drive any vehicle on Huntington Drive south, between Alhambra Road and a point opposite the Pine Street intersection, except in a general northerly direction and between such point and Garfield Avenue, except in a general easterly direction. (Ord. No. 1115, § 1.)

(a) Whenever any section of this chapter designates and describes any street or portion thereof as a street, the use of which is permitted by any commercial vehicle exceeding a maximum gross weight of six thousand pounds, laden or unladen, the city manager is authorized and instructed to designate such street by appropriate signs such as “Truck Route’ for the movement of commercial vehicles exceeding a maximum gross weight of six thousand pounds, laden or unladen.

(b) When any such truck route is so established and designated by appropriate signs, the operator of any commercial vehicle exceeding a maximum gross weight limit of six thousand pounds, laden or unladen, shall drive on such route and none other except that nothing in this section shall prohibit the operator of any commercial vehicle exceeding a maximum gross weight of six thousand pounds, laden or unladen, coming from a truck route in the city from having ingress and egress by direct route to and from a restricted street in the city when necessary for the purpose of making pickups or deliveries of goods, wares, and merchandise from or to any building or structure located on such restricted street in the city or for the purpose of delivering materials to be used in the actual and bona fide repair, alteration, remodeling or construction of any building or structure upon such restricted street in the city for which a building permit has previously been obtained thereof.

(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to:

(1) Passenger buses under the jurisdiction of the public utilities commission of the state, or

(2) Any vehicle used by a municipality, public agency or public utility while necessarily in use in the construction, installation or repair of any public utility or public way.

(d) Those streets and parts of streets hereinafter described are declared to be truck routes for the movement of commercial vehicles exceeding a maximum gross weight of six thousand pounds, laden or unladen:

Fair Oaks Avenue between Huntington Drive and the northerly city limits;

Huntington Drive between the westerly city limits and the easterly city limits;

Pasadena Avenue between the westerly city limits and Mission Street;

Mission Street between Pasadena Avenue and Fair Oaks Avenue;

Fremont Avenue between Alhambra Drive and the south drive of Huntington Drive. (Ord. No. 1106, § 10.01; Ord. No. 1244, § 1; Ord. No. 2139. § 1.)

(a) Construction-related vehicles are restricted from operating on any of the following streets except between the hours of eightthirty a.m. and two p.m., Monday through Saturday:

Hanscom Drive;

Peterson Avenue;

Illinois Drive;

Harriman Avenue;

Randolph Avenue;

Elkins Street;

Moffatt Street.

(b) The maximum number of construction-related vehicles at a single site on the public streets set forth in subsection (a) of this section shall be limited to two at any given time.

(c) For the purposes of this section, “construction-related vehicles” are defined as commercially licensed vehicles, excluding passenger cars and pick-up trucks, that are used to engage in “construction activity” as defined in Section 19A.13(c) and 19.21-4 of the South Pasadena Municipal Code.

(d) The prohibition of this section shall not apply to emergency work as defined in Article I of this chapter. (Ord. No. 2153, § 2; Ord. No. 2179, § 2, 2008.)

No driver of a vehicle shall drive between vehicles comprising a funeral procession while they are in motion and when the vehicles in such procession are conspicuously so designated. (Ord. No. 1106, § 7.01.)

• For state law as to power of local authorities to regulate processions, see Veh. C. A., § 459.

19.25 Boarding or alighting from moving vehicles.

No person shall board or alight from any vehicle while such vehicle is in motion. (Ord. No. 1106, § 11.01.)

No person shall ride or drive any animal or any vehicle over or across any newly made pavement or freshly-painted markings in any street when a barrier, sign, cone-marker or other warning device is in place warning persons not to drive over or across such pavement or marking. (Ord. No. 1106, § 7.04.)

No person shall operate a vehicle contrary to the directions or provisions of any barrier or sign erected: (a) pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or other ordinance of the city; (b) by any public utility; (c) by any department of the city; or (d) by any other person pursuant to law or contract with the city. Nor shall any unauthorized person move or alter the position of any such barrier or sign. (Ord. No. 1106, § 7.05.)

No person shall drive a vehicle onto or from any freeway or limited-access roadway, except at such entrances and exits as are established by public authority. (Ord. No. 1106, § 7.06.)

It shall be the duty of the members of the police department or such persons as are assigned by the chief of police to enforce all street traffic laws of the city and all of the state vehicle laws applicable to street traffic in this city. (Ord. No. 1106, § 2.01.)