(A) Traffic signs and signals.
(1) The City Council shall, by resolution, determine and designate the character or type of all official traffic signs and signals.
(a) Subject to this division (A), the Chief of Police is hereby authorized, and as to those signs and signals required hereunder, it shall be his or her duty, to place and maintain or cause to be placed and maintained, all official traffic signs and signals.
(b) All signs and signals required hereunder for a particular purpose shall, so far as practicable, be uniform as to type and location throughout the city.
(2) (a) No provision of this chapter for which signs are required shall be enforceable against an alleged violator if, at the time and place of the alleged violation, the sign herein required is not in proper position and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person.
(b) Wherever a particular section does not state that signs are required, such section shall be effective without signs being erected to give notice thereof.
(B) Obedience to traffic signs and signals. It shall be unlawful for any operator to disobey the instructions of any official traffic sign, or signal placed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, unless otherwise directed by a police officer.
(C) Traffic-control signal legend. Whenever traffic at an intersection is alternately directed to proceed and to stop by the use of signals exhibiting colored lights or the words “go,” “caution” and “stop,” said lights and terms shall indicate as follows:
(1) Green or “go.” Traffic facing the signal may proceed, except that vehicular traffic shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and vehicles lawfully within a crosswalk or the intersection at the time such signal was exhibited.
(2) Yellow or “caution.”
(a) Traffic facing the signal is thereby warned that the red “stop” signal will be exhibited immediately and such vehicular traffic shall not enter the intersection when the yellow or “caution” signal is exhibited.
(b) Flashing yellow shall indicate yield.
(3) Red or “stop.”
(a) Traffic facing the signal shall stop before entering the intersection and remain standing until green or “go” is shown alone, except that vehicles in the right-hand most lane, may, after coming to a complete stop, make a right turn, unless posted signs state no right-hand turns after stop shall be made.
(b) Flashing red shall be treated as a stop.
(D) Display of unauthorized signs and signals prohibited.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to place or maintain or to display upon or in view of any street any unofficial sign, signal or device which purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic sign or signal, or which attempts to direct the movement of traffic or which hides from view any official traffic sign or Chief of Police signal.
(2) Every such prohibited sign, signal or device is hereby empowered to be removed by the same, or cause it to be removed, without notice.
(E) Interference with signs and signals prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to willfully deface, injure, move, obstruct or interfere with any official traffic sign or signal or barricade.
(F) Chief of Police authorized to designate crosswalks. The Chief of Police, with the approval of the City Council, is hereby authorized to establish and designate and shall thereafter maintain, or cause to be maintained, by appropriate devices, marks or lines upon the surface of the roadway, crosswalks at intersections where, in his or her opinion, there is particular danger to pedestrians crossing the roadway, and at such other places as he or she may deem necessary.
(Prior Code, § 10.02.160) (Ord. 1, passed 1-17-1980; Ord. 2021-14, passed 12-20-2021)