Ventura Municipal Code § 16.115.070 Required obedience to traffic ordinance

2 Cross reference(s): Administration, Title 2.

A. Traffic Division Established. There is hereby established in the police department of this city a traffic division to be under the control of an officer of police appointed by and directly responsible to the chief of police.

B. Duty of Traffic Division. It shall be the duty of the traffic 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 this city, to make arrests for traffic violations, to investigate traffic accidents and to cooperate with the city traffic engineer 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 said traffic division by this title.

C. Traffic Accident Studies. Whenever the accidents at any particular location become numerous, the traffic division shall cooperate with the city traffic engineer in conducting studies of such accidents and determining remedial measures.

D. Traffic Accident Reports. The traffic division shall maintain a suitable system of filing traffic reports. Such reports shall be available for the use and information of the city traffic engineer.

E. Traffic Division to Submit Annual Traffic Safety Report. The traffic division shall annually prepare a traffic report which shall be filed with the city council. 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 traffic division for future traffic safety activities.

F. Records of Traffic Violations.

1. The police department or the traffic division thereof shall keep a record of all violations of the traffic ordinances of this city or of the state vehicle laws of which any person has been charged, together with a record of the final disposition of all such alleged offenses. Such record shall be so maintained as to show all types of violations and the total of each. Said record shall accumulate during at least a five-year period and, from that time on, the record shall be maintained complete for at least the most recent five-year period.

2. All forms for records of violations and notices of violations shall be serially numbered. For each month and year a written record shall be kept available to the public showing the disposal of all such forms.

G. Driver Files to Be Maintained.

1. The police department or the traffic division thereof shall maintain a suitable record of all traffic accidents, warnings, arrests, convictions, and complaints reported for each driver.

2. Said division shall study the cases of all the drivers charged with frequent or serious violations of the traffic laws or involved in frequent traffic accidents or any serious accident, and shall attempt to discover the reasons therefor, and shall take whatever steps are lawful and reasonable to prevent the same or to have the licenses of such persons suspended or revoked.

3. Such records shall accumulate during at least a five-year period and from that time on such records shall be maintained complete for at least the most recent five-year period.

H. Traffic Division to Designate Method of Identifying Funeral Processions. The traffic division may designate a type of pennant or other identifying insignia to be displayed upon, or other method to be employed to identify the vehicles in funeral processions. (Code 1971, § 7121)

A. The office of city traffic engineer is hereby established. The city engineer shall serve as city traffic engineer in addition to their other functions, and shall exercise the powers and duties with respect to traffic as provided in this title, and the city traffic engineer shall coordinate these activities with the police traffic division.

B. It shall be the general duty of the city traffic engineer to determine the installation and proper timing and maintenance of traffic control devices, to conduct engineering analyses of traffic accidents and to devise remedial measures, to conduct engineering investigation of traffic conditions, to plan the operation of traffic on the streets and highways of this city, and to cooperate with other city officials in the development of ways and means to improve traffic conditions, and to carry out the additional powers and duties imposed by ordinances of this city. (Code 1971, § 7122)

A. The chief of police by and with the approval of the city traffic engineer and the city manager is hereby empowered to make regulations necessary to make effective the provisions of the traffic ordinances of this city and to make and enforce temporary or experimental regulations to cover emergencies or special conditions. No such temporary or experimental regulations shall remain in effect for more than 90 days.

B. The city traffic engineer may test traffic control devices under actual conditions of traffic. (Code 1971, § 7123)

Officers of the police department and such officers as are assigned by the chief of police are hereby 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, notwithstanding the provisions to the contrary contained in this title or the Vehicle Code. (Code 1971, § 7131)

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 herein provided, any mechanical pushbutton signal erected by order of the city manager. This section shall not prevent persons from taking reasonable measures to warn others of danger during an emergency. (Code 1971, § 7132)

No person shall fail or refuse to comply with, or perform any act forbidden by any lawful order, signal, or direction of a traffic or police officer, or a member of the fire department, or a person authorized by the chief of police or by law. (Code 1971, § 7133)

A. Generally.

1. It is a misdemeanor for any person driving any vehicle or other conveyance upon any street or any pedestrian, to do any act forbidden, or fail to perform any act required as applicable to any such person under this title.

2. The owner or operator of any motor vehicle exercising the privilege of parking a vehicle on any street or public parking lot or portion thereof where regulations are in effect restricting the length of time vehicles may be parked on a street or public parking lot or portion thereof does so on the condition that the police officer or other officer or employee of this city may place chalk or other removable marks on the tire of the vehicle for the purpose of enforcing such parking regulations.

B. Obstruction or Interference With Police or Authorized Officers. No person shall interfere with or obstruct in any way any police officer or other officer or employee of this city in their enforcement of the provisions of this title. The removal, obliteration, or concealment of any chalk mark or other distinguishing mark used by any police officer or other employee or officer of this city in connection with the enforcement of the parking regulations of this title or the movement of a previously marked vehicle in such a manner as to cause the tire marking to be concealed or removed, and without leaving the parking space or the block where such vehicle was parked when its tires were previously marked, shall be deemed to be a removal or obliteration of such chalk or other marking, and if either is done for the purpose of evading the provisions of this title, shall constitute such interference or obstruction.

C. Public Employees to Obey Traffic Regulations. 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 shall be unlawful for any said operation to violate any of the provisions of this title except as otherwise permitted in this title or by the Vehicle Code.

D. Exemption of Certain Vehicles.

1. 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 Vehicle Code in response to an emergency call.

2. The foregoing exemptions 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 the operator’s willful disregard of the safety of others.

3. 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 Postal Service while in use for the collection, transportation or delivery of United States mail.

E. Report of Damage to Certain Property.

1. The operator of a vehicle or the person in charge of any animal involved in any accident resulting in damage to any publicly owned property or property 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 as soon as possible and in no case longer than 24 hours after such accident make a written report of such accident to the police department of this city.

2. 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.

3. 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 the operator is physically incapable of making a report, but in such event the operator shall make a report as required in subsection (E)(1) of this section within 24 hours after regaining ability to make such report.

4. This section does not relieve the driver of responsibility under Section 20002 of the Vehicle Code. (Code 1971, § 7134; Ord. No. 2020-005, § 1, 2-10-20)

The police department of this city may remove or cause to be removed:

A. Any vehicle that has been parked or left standing upon a public street, public highway, or public right-of-way for 72 or more consecutive hours.

This section is violated if:

1. At the end of such period the vehicle is parked or left standing in the same place as it was at the beginning of such period, and physical marking or other facts indicate that the vehicle has not been moved; or

2. At the end of such period the vehicle is parked or left standing on the street, or highway, or right-of-way, within 1,056 feet of where it was parked or left standing at the beginning of such period, unless the owner or custodian establishes that the vehicle has been moved more than 1,056 feet or to a location off such street, highway or right-of-way.

B. Any vehicle which is parked or left standing upon a public street, public highway, or public right-of-way 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 public street, public highway, or public right-of-way where the use of such street or highway or right-of-way or a portion thereof is necessary for the cleaning, repair or construction of the street, highway, or right-of-way or for the installation of underground utilities or where the use of the street, highway or right-of-way or any portion thereof is authorized for a purpose other than the normal flow of traffic or where the use of the street, highway, or right-of-way 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. (Code 1971, § 7135)

No person upon roller skates, or riding in or by means of any coaster, toy vehicle, or similar device, shall go upon any roadway. (Code 1971, § 7136)