The City Traffic Engineer shall place and maintain
traffic control signs, signals and devices when and as required under
the traffic ordinances of the City to make effective the provisions
of said ordinances and may place and maintain such additional traffic
control devices as he/she may deem necessary to regulate traffic under
the traffic ordinances of the City or under State law or to guide
or warn traffic.
All traffic control signs, signals and devices
shall conform to the manual and specifications approved by the State
Highways and Transportation Commission or resolution adopted by the
Board of Aldermen of the City. All signs or 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 this Title
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 provisions of this Title, unless otherwise directed
by a traffic or Police Officer, subject to the exceptions granted
the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle in this Title.
No provision of this Title for which official
traffic control devices are required shall be enforced against an
alleged violator if at the time and place of the alleged violation
an official device is not in proper position and sufficiently legible
to be seen by an ordinarily observant person. Whenever a particular
Section does not state that official traffic control devices are required,
such Section shall be effective even though no devices are erected
or in place.
A.Â
Whenever official traffic control devices are placed
in position approximately conforming to the requirements of this Title,
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.Â
Any official traffic control device placed pursuant
to the provisions of this Title and purporting to conform to the lawful
requirements pertaining to such devices shall be presumed to comply
with the requirements of this Title, unless the contrary shall be
established by competent evidence.
A.Â
Whenever traffic is controlled by traffic control
signals exhibiting different colored lights or colored lighted arrows,
successively one (1) at a time or in combination, only the colors
green, red and yellow shall be used except for special pedestrian
signals carrying a word legend, and said lights shall indicate and
apply to drivers of vehicles and pedestrians as follows:
1.Â
Green indication.
a.Â
Vehicular traffic facing a circular green signal
may proceed straight through or 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.Â
Vehicular traffic facing a green arrow signal,
shown alone or in combination with another indication, may cautiously
enter the intersection only to make the movement indicated by such
arrow or such other movement as is permitted by other indications
shown at the same time. Such vehicular traffic shall yield the right-of-way
to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to other
traffic lawfully using the intersection.
2.Â
Steady yellow indication.
a.Â
Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow signal
is thereby warned that the related green movement is being terminated
or that a red indication will be exhibited immediately thereafter
when vehicular traffic shall not enter the intersection.
3.Â
Steady red indication.
a.Â
Vehicular traffic facing a steady red signal alone 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 a green indication is shown except as provided in Subsection (A)(3)(b) below.
b.Â
The driver of a vehicle which is stopped as
close as practicable at the entrance to the crosswalk on the near
side of the intersection or, if none, then at the entrance to the
intersection in obedience to a red signal may cautiously enter the
intersection to make a right turn but shall yield the right-of-way
to pedestrians and other traffic proceeding as directed by the signal
at the intersection, except that the State Highways and Transportation
Commission with reference to an intersection involving a State highway,
and local authorities with reference to an intersection involving
other highways under their jurisdiction, may prohibit any such right
turn against a red signal at any intersection where safety conditions
so require, said prohibition shall be effective when a sign is erected
at such intersection giving notice thereof.
4.Â
In the event an official traffic control signal
is erected and maintained at a place other than an intersection, the
provisions of this Section shall be applicable 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.
A.Â
Whenever special pedestrian control signals exhibiting
the words WALK or DON'T WALK or appropriate symbols are in place,
such signals shall indicate as follows:
1.Â
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 all vehicles.
2.Â
WAIT or DON'T WALK: No pedestrian shall start
to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but any pedestrian
who has partially completed his/her crossing on the walk signal shall
proceed to a sidewalk or safety zone while the wait signal is showing.
A.Â
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.Â
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.Â
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 or highway, vehicular traffic
may travel in any lane over which a green signal is shown but shall
not enter or travel in any lane over which a red signal is shown.
No person shall place, maintain or display upon
or in view of any highway an 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 traffic, or which hides from view
or interferes with the effectiveness of any official traffic control
device or any railroad sign or signal.
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.
The City Traffic Engineer shall have authority
to declare any street or part thereof a play street and to place appropriate
signs or devices in the roadway indicating and helping to protect
the same.
Whenever authorized signs are erected indicating
any street or part thereof as a play street, no person shall drive
a vehicle upon any such street or portion thereof except drivers of
vehicles having business or whose residences are within such closed
area, and then any said driver shall exercise the greatest care in
driving upon any such street or portion thereof.
A.Â
The City Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized:
1.Â
To designate and maintain, by appropriate devices,
marks or lines upon the surface of the roadway, crosswalks at intersections
where in his/her opinion there is particular danger to pedestrians
crossing the roadway and at such other places as he/she may deem necessary.
2.Â
To establish safety zones of such kind and character
and at such places as he/she may deem necessary for the protection
of pedestrians.
A.Â
The City Traffic Engineer is hereby authorized to
mark traffic lanes upon the roadway of any street or highway where
a regular alignment of traffic is necessary.
B.Â
Where such traffic lanes have been marked, it shall
be unlawful for the operator of any vehicle to fail or refuse to keep
such vehicle within the boundaries of any such lane except when lawfully
passing another vehicle or preparatory to making a lawful turning
movement.