(A) The City Manager shall place and maintain traffic-control signs, signals, and devices when and as required under the traffic regulation of this City to make effective the provisions of said regulations, and may place and maintain such additional traffic-control devices as he may deem necessary to regulate traffic under the traffic regulations of this City or under State Law, or to guide or warn traffic. All traffic-control signs, signals, and devices shall conform with the manual and specifications approved by the State Highway Department or resolution adopted by the City Council of this City.
(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. All traffic-control devices so erected and not inconsistent with the provisions of State Law or this Article, shall be official traffic-control devices. The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device applicable thereto, placed in accordance with the traffic articles of this City, unless otherwise directed by a police officer, subject to the exceptions granted the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle in this Article.
(C) No provision of this Article for which signs are required shall be enforced against an alleged violator if at the time and place of the alleged violation an official sign is not in proper position and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person. Whenever a particular section does not state that signs are required, such section shall be effective, even though no signs are erected in place.
(D) Whenever traffic is controlled by traffic-control signals exhibiting the words, “Go” “Caution”, or “Stop”, or exhibiting different colored lights successively, one at a time, or with arrows, the colors only shall be used and said terms and lights shall indicate and apply to drivers of vehicles and pedestrians as follows:
(1) Green alone or “Go”.
(a) Vehicular traffic facing the signal, except when prohibited, may proceed straight through to turn right or left, unless a sign at such place prohibits either such turn. But vehicular traffic, including vehicles turning right or left, shall yield the right-of-way to other vehicles and to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk at the time such signal is exhibited.
(b) Pedestrians facing the signal may proceed across the roadway within any marked or unmarked crosswalk.
(2) Yellow alone or “Caution”, when shown following the green or “go” signal.
(a) Vehicular traffic facing the signal is thereby warned that the respective “green” or “go” movement is being terminated and is thereby warned that the “red” or “stop” signal will be exhibited immediately thereafter; and such vehicular traffic shall not enter the intersection when the “red” or “stop” signal is exhibited.
(b) No pedestrian facing such signal shall enter the roadway until the “green” or “go” is shown alone (unless authorized to do so by a pedestrian “walk” signal).
(3) Red alone or “Stop”.
(a) Vehicular traffic facing the signal shall stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or if none, then before entering the intersection and shall remain standing until green or “go” is shown alone.
(b) No pedestrian facing such signal shall enter the roadway until the green or “go” is shown alone (unless authorized to do so by a pedestrian “walk” signal).
(E) Whenever special pedestrian-control signals exhibiting the words, “walk” or “wait” are in place, such signals shall indicate the following:
(1) Walk - Pedestrians facing such signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and shall be given the right-of-way by the drivers of the vehicles.
(2) Wait - No pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but any pedestrian who has partially completed his crossing on the walk signal, shall proceed to a sidewalk or safety zone while the wait signal is showing.
(F) Whenever flashing red or yellow signals are used, they shall require obedience by vehicular traffic as follows:
(1) Flashing Red (stop signal). When a red lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles shall stop before entering the nearest crosswalk at an intersection or at a limit line when marked, or if none, then before entering the intersection and the right to proceed shall be subject to the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop sign.
(2) Flashing Yellow (caution sign). When a yellow lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles may proceed through the intersection or past such signal only with caution.
(G) No person shall place, maintain, or display upon, or in view of, any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking, or device which purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic-control device or railroad sign or signal, or which attempts to direct the movement of the traffic, or which hides from view or interferes with the effectiveness of any official traffic-control device or any railroad sign or signal, and no person shall place or maintain nor shall any public authority permit upon any highway any traffic sign or signal bearing thereon any commercial advertising. This shall not be deemed to prohibit the erection upon private property adjacent to highways or signs giving useful directional information and of a type that cannot be mistaken for official signs. Every prohibited sign, signal, or marking is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and the authority having jurisdiction over the highway is hereby empowered to remove same or cause it to be removed without notice.
(H) No person shall, without lawful authority, attempt to, or in fact, alter, deface, injure, knock down, or remove any official traffic-control device or any railroad sign or signal or any inscription, shield, or insignia thereon, or any other part thereof.
(I) The City Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized:
(1) To designate and maintain, by appropriate devices, marks or lines upon the surface of the roadway, crosswalks at intersections where, in his opinion, there is particular danger to pedestrians crossing the roadway, and at such other places as he may deem necessary.
(2) Establish safety zones of such kind and character and at such places as he may deem necessary for the protection of pedestrians.
(3) To mark lanes for traffic on street pavements at such places as he may deem advisable, consistent with the traffic articles of this City.
(Prior Code, Art. 18, § 18.5)