A. 
Words and phrases, when used in this chapter, except for sections or articles to which different or additional definitions apply, shall have the meanings as ascribed to them in the Vehicle Code (75 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq.), as amended, except that in this chapter, the word "street" may be used interchangeably with the word "highway" and shall have the same meaning as the word "highway" as defined in the Vehicle Code.
B. 
For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ABANDONED VEHICLE
(1) 
A vehicle (other than a pedalcycle) shall be presumed to be "abandoned" under any of the following circumstances:
(a) 
The vehicle is physically inoperable and is left unattended on a highway or other public property.
(b) 
The vehicle has remained illegally on a highway or other public property.
(c) 
The vehicle is left unattended on or along a highway or other public property and does not bear all of the following:
[1] 
A valid registration plate.
[2] 
A valid certificate of inspection.
[3] 
An ascertainable vehicle identification number.
[4] 
The vehicle has remained on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property for more than 48 hours.
(2) 
Vehicles and equipment used or to be used in construction or in the operation or maintenance of highways or public utility facilities which are left in a manner which does not interfere with the normal movement of traffic shall not be considered to be "abandoned."
AUXILIARY POLICE OFFICER
Any member in good standing of the auxiliary force maintained by the Police Department and certified by the Board of Supervisors.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
The Board of Supervisors of Upper Merion Township.
CHIEF OF POLICE
The Chief of the Police Department of Upper Merion Township.
FIRE MARSHAL
The Fire Marshal of Upper Merion Township.
FIRE POLICE
Includes members of their respective fire companies assigned to the traffic, security or crowd control function and certified by the Chief of Police.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Police Department of Upper Merion Township.
PORTABLE STORAGE UNIT
Any container designed for the outdoor storage of personal property which is typically rented to owners or occupants of property for their temporary use and which is delivered and removed by vehicle.
SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD
Any person assigned by the Police Department for the purpose of crossing or supervising school children and certified as such by the Chief of Police.
STREET
Any highway or roadway within the boundaries of Upper Merion Township.
TOWNSHIP
Upper Merion Township.
TOWNSHIP MANAGER
The Township Manager of Upper Merion Township.
TRASH DUMPSTER
Any container designed for temporary storage of rubbish which is typically delivered and picked up by means of a roll-off truck.
VEHICLES
Excludes baby carriages, invalid chairs or similar devices when operated upon a sidewalk.
C. 
The term "legal holidays," as used in this chapter, shall mean and include New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, or days celebrated as such.
D. 
In this chapter, the singular shall include the plural, the plural shall include the singular, and the masculine shall include the feminine and the neuter.
A. 
Authority and considerations for placement of devices. A Traffic Regulations Commission, which shall consist of the Traffic Safety Unit of the Police Department, the Director of Public Services of Upper Merion Township or his designee and a member of the Board of Supervisors, who shall act as a liaison with the Board, is hereby authorized to place and maintain traffic control devices upon any street or highway under municipal jurisdiction as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this Traffic Code or to regulate, warn or guide traffic and such other traffic control devices as such Commission shall deem necessary for the proper control of traffic. The Commission shall determine the location, timing and coordination of such traffic control devices upon the basis of an applicable engineering or traffic investigation and shall consider the following:
(1) 
The maximum safety and protection of vehicular and pedestrian traffic from physical injury or property damage.
(2) 
The existing and potential traffic movement, volume and conditions.
(3) 
The location and frequency of accidents, including studies of remedial measures.
(4) 
The recommendations of the Chief of Police and Fire Marshal.
(5) 
The acceleration of transportation of persons and property by vehicles so as to expedite travel and promote public safety.
(6) 
The convenience and welfare of the general public in parking, standing, loading and unloading and the use of the streets as affecting business concerns and places of assembly.
(7) 
Economy in the expenditure of money.
B. 
Conformity with state manual. All traffic control devices placed pursuant to the provisions of this Traffic Code shall conform to the State Department of Transportation Regulations - Traffic Signs, Signals and Markings (Publication 68).
C. 
Powers of Traffic Regulations Commission. The Commission is hereby authorized to:
(1) 
Designate any street or highway as a through street or highway and require that all vehicles stop or yield the right-of-way as may be required before entering the same.
(2) 
Designate any intersection as a stop intersection and require all vehicles to stop at one or more entrances to such intersection.
(3) 
Designate any intersection as a yield intersection and require all vehicles to yield the right-of-way as required.
(4) 
Designate any street as a one-way street and require that all vehicles thereon be moved in one specific direction.
(5) 
Designate and mark lanes to be used by traffic moving in a particular direction regardless of the center line of the roadway.
(6) 
Erect signs directing slow-moving traffic to use a designated lane or allocating specified lanes to traffic moving in the same direction.
(7) 
Designate those portions of any street where overtaking and passing other traffic or driving to the left of the center or center line of the roadway would be especially hazardous, by appropriate signs or markings on the street to indicate the beginning and end of such zones. Such zones may be marked by an auxiliary yellow line placed parallel and to the right of the normal center line or offset marked lane line.
(8) 
Place markers, buttons or signs within or adjacent to intersections and require that a specific course of direction be traveled by vehicles proceeding in lanes by either permitting, prohibiting or requiring turns at such intersections.
(9) 
Install traffic control devices, signals and signs at any location to regulate traffic.
(10) 
Establish safety zones, crosswalks, zones of quiet and play streets.
(11) 
Close any street or portion thereof to vehicular traffic which is in the process of construction, reconstruction or repair.
(12) 
Designate snow emergency routes.
(13) 
Determine the location and limiting hours of truck-loading zones.
(14) 
Designate dangerous railroad crossings and erect stop signs thereat.
(15) 
Erect No U-turn signs at any location to prohibit a vehicle from being turned so as to proceed in the opposite direction.
(16) 
Regulate or prohibit the stopping, standing and parking of vehicles on streets, alleys or public property by erecting signs plainly indicating the prohibitions, restrictions or limitations.
(17) 
Designate individual parking spaces by markings, which may either be parallel or at a prescribed angle to the curb or edge of the roadway.
(18) 
Designate intersections where no turn on red will be permitted.
(19) 
Designate weight limits for streets and bridges within the Township.
D. 
Posting of signs and signals required. No provision of this chapter shall be effective until signs, signals, markings or other devices giving notice of such local traffic regulations are posted upon or at the entrance to the street or part thereof affected, as may be most appropriate, so that in a proper position they are sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant person.
E. 
Traffic regulations. The powers of the Commission shall not be limited by the specific enumeration of subjects contained in this chapter.
F. 
Records of Traffic Regulations Commission. The Traffic Regulations Commission shall keep a record of all rules, regulations and proceedings promulgated in connection with this chapter.
G. 
Reservation of power to Board of Supervisors. Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, the Board of Supervisors may override any decision of the Traffic Regulations Commission and may assume any of the powers delegated to such Traffic Regulations Commission with respect to any particular regulation or the application thereof to any particular person, time, place or thing.
A. 
The Township Manager or Chief of Police shall have the following powers to regulate traffic and parking temporarily and in time of emergency:
(1) 
In the case of fire, flood, storm or other emergency, to establish temporary traffic and/or parking regulations.
(2) 
In the case of emergency public works or public events of limited scope or duration, to restrict or prohibit traffic and/or parking in limited areas for periods of not more than 72 hours.
B. 
These temporary and emergency regulations shall be enforced by the Township Manager and the Police Department in the same manner as permanent regulations. Any person who drives or parks a vehicle in violation of any such regulation or who shall move, remove, destroy, injure or deface any sign or marking erected, posted or made to give notice of any such regulations shall, upon conviction thereof, be liable to the penalty set forth in the law for a violation of that nature and, in case of a violation for which no specific penalty is set out in the law or elsewhere in this chapter, to a fine of $25 and costs.
The purpose of this section is to allow for test and experimental determination of the feasibility and desirability of permanent changes in the ordinances of the Township relative to traffic and parking. The Board of Supervisors may, from time to time, designate places upon and along streets in the Township where, for a period of not more than 90 days, specific traffic and/or parking regulations, prohibitions and restrictions shall be in force and effect and shall designate those locations by proper signs and markings. Those regulations, prohibitions and restrictions shall have the same effect as if specified in this chapter. No person shall drive or park a vehicle in violation of any such regulation, prohibition or restriction, and no person shall move, remove, destroy or deface any sign or marking erected, posted or made by authority of this section. Any person who violates any provision of this section shall, upon conviction, be liable to the penalty set out in the law or elsewhere in this chapter for a violation of that nature and, in case of a violation for which no specific penalty is set out in the law or elsewhere in this chapter, to a fine of $25 and costs.
A. 
The Township Manager or Chief of Police shall have authority to close any street or specific part of a street to vehicular traffic, and to place barriers or station police officers at each end of the closed portion, while construction or maintenance work is under way or a special event is being conducted on the closed portion. It shall be unlawful for any person to drive a vehicle upon any such dosed portion.
B. 
The Township Manager or Chief of Police shall have authority to establish a restricted traffic area upon any street where construction or maintenance work is under way and to station flagmen at each end of the restricted portion. It shall be unlawful for any person to drive a vehicle upon any such restricted traffic area at any time when the flagman is displaying a sign directing that vehicle to stop or is signaling that the vehicle, by a flag or other device, not proceed.
The police officers, auxiliary police officers, school crossing guards and fire police officers of the Township and Township fire companies shall have authority to direct traffic on the streets in the Township at intersections in public and in other places where the Vehicle Code or this chapter applies.
This chapter shall be enforced by the police officers and special officers of Upper Merion Township.
A. 
Violations generally. Unless another penalty is expressly provided by the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code[1] or except as hereinafter specified, every person convicted of a violation of a provision of this chapter shall be liable, upon summary conviction, to a penalty as set forth in Article III, General Penalty Provisions, of Chapter 1, General Provisions, and costs of prosecution.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 101 et seq.
B. 
Parking violations. Any person violating the provisions of this chapter pertaining to parking, including time limit parking but excluding those parking prohibitions in Article IX, shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a summary offense and be sentenced to pay a fine as set forth in Article III, General Penalty Provisions, of Chapter 1, General Provisions, and costs of prosecution, except as provided in Subsection C below.
C. 
Exceptions.
(1) 
Police officers of Upper Merion Township shall have authority to enforce limited-time parking regulations and temporary no-parking regulations.
(2) 
In any case where a police officer has given notice of any violation of limited-time parking regulations or of temporary no-parking regulations, by either handing to the offending driver or affixing to the vehicle in question a ticket on which is noted the time, place and nature of the violation charged, the owner of such vehicle may, within 48 hours after the time such notice was handed to the offending driver or affixed to or placed onto the vehicle in question, pay by mail or at police headquarters, as a guilty plea and as a penalty for and in satisfaction of each such violation, the sum as set forth in Article III, General Penalty Provisions, of Chapter 1, General Provisions.
(3) 
Failure of such owner to make such payment within said forty-eight-hour period shall result in a penalty as set forth in Article III, General Penalty Provisions, of Chapter 1, General Provisions, and costs of prosecution.
It shall be lawful for the Police Department to use such electronic, electrical and mechanical speed-timing devices as permitted by the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code for the purpose of timing and determining the speed of motor vehicles traveling on the highways, streets and alleys of the Township. Said timing devices shall be of a type and manufacturer which is from time to time approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.