Section
71.01 Police administration
71.02 Enforcement and obedience to traffic regulations
71.03 Speed restrictions
71.04 Vehicle load limits
71.05 Bus routes designated
71.06 Pedestrians to walk in sidewalks or facing traffic
71.07 Riding bicycles on paved roadways at night; reflective material
71.08 Traffic control during fire emergency
71.09 Operational prohibitions
71.10 Bus and truck routes
71.11 Stop streets
71.12 Signage posting authority
71.99 Penalty
Cross-reference:
Traffic Schedules, see Ch. 74
(A) (1) The Police Department shall keep a record of all violations of this chapter or of the commonwealth’s vehicle laws of which any person has been charged, together with the record of the final disposition of all such offenses.
(2) 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.
(3) 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. All such records and reports shall be public records.
(B) (1) It shall be the duty of the Police Department to investigate traffic accidents, and to arrest and to assist in the prosecution of those persons charged with violations of law causing or contributing to such accidents. Whenever the accidents at any particular location become numerous, the Police Department shall cooperate with the City Engineer in conducting studies of such accidents and determine remedial measures.
(2) The Police Department shall maintain a suitable system of filing traffic accident reports. Accident reports or cards referring to them shall be filed alphabetically by location. Such reports shall be available for the use and information of the officer in charge.
(3) The Police Department shall receive and properly file all accident reports made to it under state law or under this chapter, but all such accident reports made by drivers shall be for the confidential use of the Police Department, and no such report shall be admissible in any civil or criminal proceeding other than upon request of any person making such report or upon the request of the court having jurisdiction to prove compliance with the law requiring the making of any such report.
(4) The Police Department shall maintain a suitable record of all traffic accidents, warnings, arrests, convictions, and complaints reported for each driver, which shall be filed alphabetically under the name of the driver concerned.
(5) Said Department shall study the cases of all the drivers charged with frequent or serious violations of the traffic laws or involved in frequent traffic accidents, 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.
(6) Such records shall accumulate during at least a five-year period and from that time on such records shall be maintained for at least the most recent five-year period.
(C) (1) The Police Department shall annually prepare a traffic report which shall be filed with the Mayor.
(2) Such report shall contain information on traffic matters in the city as follows:
(a) The number of traffic accidents, the number of persons killed, the number of persons injured, and other pertinent traffic accident data;
(b) The number of traffic accidents investigated and other pertinent data on the safety activities of the police; and
(c) The plans and recommendations of the Department for future traffic safety activities.
(D) (1) The Chief of Police is hereby empowered to make regulations necessary to make effective the provisions of this chapter and to make and enforce temporary or experimental regulations to cover emergencies or special conditions.
(2) No such temporary or experimental regulation shall remain in effect for more than 90 days.
(2010 Code, § 71.01)
(A) Authority of Police and Fire Department officials.
(1) It shall be the duty of the officers of the Police Department and/or such officers as are assigned by the Chief of Police to enforce all traffic laws of this city and all of the state vehicle laws applicable to traffic in this city.
(2) Officers of the Police Department and/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, officers of the Police Department may direct traffic as conditions may require notwithstanding the provisions of the traffic laws.
(3) Officers of the Fire Department, when at the scene of a fire, or when in route to the scene of a fire, may direct or assist the police in directing traffic at or in the immediate vicinity.
(B) Required obedience to traffic ordinance. It is a misdemeanor for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required in this chapter.
(C) Obedience to Police and Fire Department officials. No person shall willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of a police officer or Fire Department official.
(D) Persons propelling push carts or riding animals to obey traffic. Every person propelling any push cart or riding an animal upon a roadway, every person driving any animal-drawn vehicle, and any person riding a bicycle, shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter applicable to the driver of any vehicle, except those provisions of this chapter which by their very nature can have no application.
(E) Use of coasters, roller skates, and similar devices restricted. No person upon roller skates, or riding in or by means of any coaster, toy vehicle, or similar device, shall go upon any roadway except while crossing a street at a crosswalk and when so crossing, such person shall be granted all of the rights and be subject to all of the duties applicable to pedestrians.
(F) Public employees to obey traffic regulations. 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, county, or city, and it shall be unlawful for any said driver to violate any of the provisions of this chapter, except as otherwise permitted in this chapter or by federal or state statutes.
(G) Exceptions to authorized emergency vehicles. The provisions of this chapter regulating the operation, parking, and standing of vehicles shall apply to authorized emergency vehicles, as defined in this chapter, except as follows:
(1) A driver when operating any such vehicle in an emergency, except when otherwise directed by a police officer, may:
(a) Park or stand notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter;
(b) Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation;
(c) Exceed the prima facie speed limits so long as he or she does not endanger life or property; or
(d) Disregard regulations governing direction of movement or turning in specified directions so long as he or she does not endanger life or property.
(2) Those exceptions hereinbefore granted in reference to the movement of an authorized emergency vehicle shall apply only when the driver of said vehicle shall sound a siren, bell, or exhaust whistle as may be reasonably necessary, and the vehicle displays a lighted red lamp visible from the front as a warning to others.
(3) The foregoing examples shall not, however, protect the driver of any such vehicle from the consequences of his or her reckless disregard for the safety of others.
(H) Operation of vehicles on approach of authorized emergency vehicles.
(1) Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle equipped with at least one lighted lamp exhibiting red light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of 500 feet to the front of such vehicle and when the driver is giving audible signal by siren, exhaust whistle, or bell the driver of every other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the roadway clear of any intersection, and shall stop and remain in such position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed except when otherwise directed by a police officer.
(2) This section shall not operate to relieve the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons using the highways.
(I) Immediate report of accidents.
(1) The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury to or death of any person or property damage shall immediately by the quickest means of communication, either verbal or written, give notice of such accident to the Police Department if such accident occurs within the city.
(2) The Police Department of this city may require any driver of a vehicle in an accident of which report must be made as provided in this section to file supplemental reports whenever the original report is insufficient in the opinion of said Department, and may require witnesses of accidents to render reports to said Department.
(J) Driver’s inability to report. Whenever the driver of a vehicle is physically unable to make the required accident report and there was another occupant in the vehicle at the time of the accident capable of making the report, such occupant shall make or cause to be made said report.
(2010 Code, § 71.02) Penalty, see § 71.99
(A) No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any of the streets of the city at a greater speed than 20 mph unless otherwise posted.
(B) (1) The maximum speed limit for Exeter Drive should be reduced to 15 miles per hour.
(2) The Public Works Director shall post the 15 mph speed limit on Exeter Drive.
(2010 Code, § 71.03) (Ord. 17, 2014, passed 12-8-2014) Penalty, see § 71.99
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