The Administrator shall place and maintain such traffic-control
devices as necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter and
to regulate, warn or guide traffic. (*)
The Administrator shall place and maintain such traffic-control
devices upon streets under his jurisdiction as he may deem necessary
to indicate and to carry out the provisions of this chapter or to
regulate, warn or guide traffic. All such traffic-control devices
hereafter erected shall conform to the state manual and specifications.
(66-7-103 NMSA 1978)
The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any
official traffic-control device applicable thereto placed in accordance
with the provisions of this chapter, unless otherwise directed by
a traffic or police officer, subject to the exceptions granted the
driver of an authorized emergency vehicle in this chapter. (66-7-104
NMSA 1978)
No provision of this chapter 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 or
in place. (66-7-104 NMSA 1978)
A.
Whenever official traffic-control devices are placed in position
approximately conforming to the requirements of this chapter, such
devices shall be presumed to have been so placed by the official act
or direction of lawful authority, unless the contrary shall be established
by competent evidence.
B.
Any official traffic-control device placed pursuant to the provisions
of this chapter and purporting to conform to the lawful requirements
pertaining to such devices shall be presumed to comply with the requirements
of this chapter, unless the contrary shall be established by competent
evidence. (*)
Whenever traffic is controlled by traffic-control signals exhibiting
different colored lights, or colored lighted arrows, successively
one at a time or in combination, only the colors green, yellow and
red shall be used, except for special pedestrian-control signals carrying
a word legend, and the lights indicate and apply to drivers of vehicles
and pedestrians:
A.
Green alone:
(1)
Vehicular traffic facing the signal may proceed straight through
or turn right or left unless a sign at the place prohibits either
turn. 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
the signal is exhibited; and
(2)
Pedestrians facing the signal may proceed across the street within
any marked or unmarked crosswalk.
B.
Yellow alone when shown following the green signal:
(1)
Vehicular traffic facing the signal is warned that the red signal
will be exhibited immediately thereafter and the vehicular traffic
shall not enter the intersection when the red signal is exhibited
except to turn right as hereinafter provided; and
(2)
No pedestrian facing the signal shall enter the street until the
green is shown alone unless authorized to do so by a pedestrian "walk"
signal.
C.
Red alone:
(1)
Vehicular traffic facing the signal shall stop before entering the
crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if there is no
crosswalk, then before entering the intersection (66-7-105 NMSA 1978),
and shall remain stopped until permitted to proceed by a green light
or arrow (*), or may then turn right after standing until the intersection
may be entered safely, provided that such vehicular traffic shall
yield the right-of-way to all pedestrians and vehicles lawfully in
or approaching the intersection; and
(2)
Vehicular traffic on a one-way street facing the signal shall stop
before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection
or, if there is no crosswalk, then before entering the intersection,
and if a left turn onto a one-way street in the proper direction is
intended, may turn left after stopping until the intersection may
be entered safely, provided that such vehicular traffic shall yield
the right-of-way to all pedestrians and vehicles lawfully in or approaching
the intersection;
(3)
Whenever the Administrator determines on the basis of an engineering
and traffic investigation that a turn as hereinabove provided should
be prohibited at a particular intersection, such turn may be prohibited
by the posting of signs at the intersection indicating that such a
turn is prohibited; and
(4)
No pedestrian facing the signal shall enter the street until the
green is shown alone unless authorized to do so by a pedestrian "walk"
signal.
D.
Red with green arrow:
(1)
Vehicular traffic facing the signal may cautiously enter the intersection
only to make the movement indicated by the arrow, but shall yield
the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within a crosswalk and to
other traffic lawfully using the intersection; and
(2)
No pedestrian facing the signal shall enter the street unless he
can do so safely and without interfering with any vehicular traffic.
E.
If an official traffic-control signal is erected and maintained at
a place other than an intersection, the provisions of this section
apply except as to those provisions which by their nature can have
no application. Any stop required shall be made at a sign or marking
on the pavement indicating where the stop shall be made, but in the
absence of any such sign or marking, the stop shall be made at the
signal.
F.
When a sign is in place permitting a turn, vehicular traffic facing a steady red signal may cautiously enter the intersection to make the turn indicated by the sign after stopping as required by Subsection C(1). Vehicular traffic shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully using the intersection. (66-7-105 NMSA 1978)
Whenever special pedestrian-control signals exhibiting the words
"walk" or "don't walk" are in place:
(1)
"Walk" indicates that pedestrians facing the signal may proceed across
the street in the direction of the signal and shall be given the right-of-way
by drivers of all vehicles; and
(2)
"Don't
walk" indicates that no pedestrian shall start to cross the street
in the direction of the signal, but any pedestrian who has partially
completed his crossing on the walk signal shall proceed to a sidewalk
or safety island while the "don't walk" signal is showing. (66-7-106
NMSA 1978)
A.
Whenever an illuminated flashing red or yellow signal is used in
a traffic sign or signal it 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; or
(2)
Flashing yellow (caution signal): 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.
When lane-direction-control signals are placed over the individual
lanes of a street, vehicular traffic may travel in any lane over which
a green signal is shown, but a vehicle shall not enter or travel in
any lane over which a red signal is shown. (*)
A.
No person shall place, maintain, or display upon or in view of any
street 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
movements of 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.
B.
Every such prohibited sign, signal or marking is hereby declared
to be a public nuisance, and the Administrator is hereby empowered
to remove the same or cause it to be removed without notice. (66-7-108
NMSA 1978)
C.
The provisions of this section shall not prohibit the erection of
signs upon private property adjacent to streets if the signs give
useful directional information and are of a type that cannot be mistaken
for official signs. (*)
A.
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. (66-7-109 NMSA 1978)
B.
No person shall hide or obscure any official traffic-control device
or railroad sign or signals by parking a vehicle or erecting any object
or by allowing bushes, hedges, trees or other vegetation to grow so
as to obscure traffic-control devices or railroad signals. An obstruction
includes, but is not limited to, any sign, fence, ornament, hedge,
shrub, tree or display, but it does not include a building.
C.
Unobstructed vision for traffic safety shall be maintained by the
property owner or occupant on all corner lots regardless of the zone
classification. No obstruction between three and eight feet above
the street level shall be placed or maintained within a triangular
area bounded by the street property lines of the corner lot and a
line connecting the points 25 feet distant from the intersection of
the property lines of such lot.
D.
Every obstruction interfering with official traffic-control devices
or railroad signals is a public nuisance, and the Administrator may
remove the obstruction or cause it to be removed without notice and
assess costs involved to the violator. (*)
A.
The Administrator has authority to declare any street or part of
a street a temporary play street and to place appropriate signs or
devices in the street to indicate and help protect the street.
B.
Whenever authorized signs are erected to indicate a play street,
no person shall drive on the street except drivers of vehicles whose
residences are within the closed area. Such drivers shall exercise
the greatest care in driving on the play street. (*)
The Administrator, upon the basis of engineering and traffic
study investigations, may:
(1)
Designate and maintain crosswalks by appropriate devices, marks or
lines on the surface of the street where, in his opinion, there is
particular danger to pedestrians crossing the street; and
(2)
Establish safety zones of the kind and character and at places he
deems necessary for the protection of pedestrians. (*)
A.
The Administrator, upon the basis of engineering and traffic study
investigations, may mark traffic lanes upon any street where a regular
alignment of traffic is necessary.
B.
Where such traffic lanes have been marked, it is unlawful for the
operator of a vehicle to fail to keep the vehicle within the boundaries
of the lane except when lawfully passing another vehicle or when making
a lawful turning movement. (*)
