The Chief of Police is authorized and, as to those signs and
signals required in this article, it shall be his duty to place and
maintain, or cause to be placed and maintained, all official traffic
signs, signals, markings and safety zones. All signs, signals, markings
and safety zones shall conform to the standards as prescribed by the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
No driver of any vehicle of any description shall disobey the
instructions of any official traffic control signal, sign, marking,
marker or legend unless otherwise directed by a police officer.
Every driver of any vehicle, railway car or other conveyance
approaching an intersection of ways where there exists facing him
an official sign bearing the word "Stop," or a flashing red signal
indication, such signs or signal having, apart from these rules and
orders, the written approval of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation,
and such approval being in effect, shall, before proceeding through
the intersection, bring such vehicle, railway car or other conveyance
to a complete stop at such point as may be clearly marked by a sign
or line, or if a point is not so marked, then at the nearer line or
crosswalk of such intersection. In the case of a line of two or more
vehicles approaching such stop sign, or flashing red signal indication,
the drivers of the second and third vehicles in any group shall not
be required to stop more than once before proceeding through the intersection.
This section shall not apply when the traffic is otherwise directed
by an officer or by a lawful traffic regulating sign, signal or device.
A list of locations where stop signs are authorized is on file
in the office of the City Clerk.
A list of locations where right turns on red lights are prohibited
is on file in the office of the City Clerk.
Whistles used by any police officer in directing traffic shall
have the following meanings:
A. One blast of a police officer's whistle at an intersection means
all moving vehicular traffic shall come to a stop, at which time pedestrians
may cross the street.
B. Two blasts of a police officer's whistle followed by a warning hand
signal shall indicate termination of the pedestrian crossing interval,
and vehicular traffic shall proceed on receiving a hand signal from
a police officer.
C. Three or more blasts of a whistle given by a police officer shall
indicate the approach of an authorized emergency vehicle, when both
vehicular and pedestrian traffic shall immediately stop or proceed
as directed by the police officer.
Any person who wilfully defaces, injures, moves, obstructs or interferes with any official traffic sign, signal or marking shall be subject to the penalty provided in Chapter
1, Article
I, of this Code.
No person or corporation shall place, maintain or display upon
or in view of any street any unofficial device, sign, signal, curb
marking or street marking which purports to be or is an imitation
of or resembles an official traffic device, sign, signal, curb marking
or street marking or which attempts to direct the movement of traffic
or which hides from view any official sign, signal, marking or device.
The Chief of Police is empowered to remove every such prohibited sign,
signal, marking or device or cause it to be removed without notice.