Chapter 10.15
TRAFFIC CONTROL
Sections:
10.15.010 Directing traffic.
10.15.020 Obedience to traffic regulations.
10.15.030 Traffic control devices.
10.15.040 Speed limits.
10.15.050 Use of coasters, roller skates, skateboards and similar devices restricted.
10.15.060 Limitations on turning around.
10.15.070 Authority to designate crosswalk, establish safety zones and mark traffic lanes.
10.15.080 Authority to place and obedience to turning markers.
10.15.090 Authority to place and obedience to restricted turn signs.
10.15.100 One-way streets and alleys.
10.15.110 Regulation of traffic at intersections.
10.15.120 Obstruction of view.
10.15.130 Traffic through private property.
10.15.140 Processions.
10.15.150 Impounding vehicles.
10.15.160 Reduced speed zones.
10.15.170 Vehicle weight requirement.
10.15.180 Off-road vehicles.
10.15.190 Dust free parcels.
10.15.200 Regulation of motorized play and low visibility vehicles.
10.15.010 Directing traffic.
A. The police chief, and police officers pursuant to SCC 2.65.020(B), are authorized to direct all traffic by voice, hand or signal.
B. Personnel of the Sedona fire department, when at the scene of a fire or other emergency, may direct or assist the police chief in directing traffic in the immediate vicinity. [Code 2006 § 11-3-1].
10.15.020 Obedience to traffic regulations.
It is a civil traffic violation for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform any act required by this title. It is a civil traffic violation for any person to willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of the police chief or a police officer. A.R.S. Section 28-622 makes failure to comply with the lawful order a class 2 misdemeanor. [Code 2006 § 11-3-2].
10.15.030 Traffic control devices.
A. Traffic control devices are all signs, signals, markings and devices placed on, over or adjacent to a street or highway to regulate, warn or guide traffic.
B. The city engineer is authorized to place and maintain traffic control devices, signs and signals as required under the traffic regulations of the city to make effective the provisions of the regulations. The city engineer may place and maintain such additional traffic control devices as he may deem necessary to regulate traffic under the traffic laws of the city or under state law or to guide or warn traffic excepting therefrom changes in speed limits or traffic light placement which shall be changed after council approval. All traffic control signs, signals and devices now in place are hereby ratified and approved as so placed. Notwithstanding other sections of this chapter, the city engineer shall have the authority to temporarily place, modify, and maintain traffic control devices restricting movement, speed, access, and parking as necessary to accommodate special events of less than seven days’ duration or public works construction projects.
C. The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic control device applicable thereto placed in accordance with the traffic regulations of the city, unless otherwise directed by the police chief, subject to the exceptions granted in this code or by state law. [Ord. 2007-13, 8-14-2007. Code 2006 § 11-3-3].
10.15.040 Speed limits.
Pursuant to the provisions of A.R.S. Sections 28-627 and 28-703, the established speed on all roads and streets and other areas accommodating motor vehicular traffic within the confines and boundaries of the city shall be 25 miles per hour unless otherwise posted. This section shall not apply to the regulation of any speed of traffic upon any state or federal highway. [Code 2006 § 11-3-4].
10.15.050 Use of coasters, roller skates, skateboards and similar devices restricted.
A. No person upon roller skates or riding any coaster, skateboard, toy vehicle or similar device shall go upon any roadway except while crossing a street on a crosswalk and, when crossing, such person shall be granted all the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties and responsibilities applicable to pedestrians.
B. No person may roller skate or ride any coaster, skateboard, toy vehicle or similar device on any sidewalk in such a way that would cause a hazard for pedestrian traffic. [Code 2006 § 11-3-5].
10.15.060 Limitations on turning around.
The driver of any vehicle shall not turn such vehicle so as to proceed in the opposite direction upon any street in a commercially zoned district and shall not upon any other street so turn a vehicle unless such movement can be made in safety and without interfering with other traffic. [Code 2006 § 11-3-6].
10.15.070 Authority to designate crosswalk, establish safety zones and mark traffic lanes.
The city engineer is hereby authorized:
A. To designate and maintain, by appropriate devices, marks or lines upon the surface of the roadway, crosswalks at intersections where in his opinion there is particular danger to pedestrians crossing the roadway, and at such other places as he may deem necessary for traffic control;
B. To establish safety zones of such kind and character and at such places as he may deem necessary for the protection of pedestrians;
C. To mark lanes for traffic on street pavement at such places as he may deem advisable, consistent with this title. [Code 2006 § 11-3-7].
10.15.080 Authority to place and obedience to turning markers.
A. The city engineer is authorized to place markers, reflective buttons or signs within or adjacent to intersections indicating the course to be traveled by vehicles turning at such intersections.
B. When authorized markers, reflective buttons or other indications are placed within an intersection indicating the course to be traveled by vehicles turning thereat, drivers of vehicles shall not disobey the directions of such indications. [Code 2006 § 11-3-8].
10.15.090 Authority to place and obedience to restricted turn signs.
A. The city engineer is authorized to determine those intersections at which drivers of vehicles shall not make a right, left or U-turn and shall place proper signs at such intersections. The making of such turns may be prohibited between certain hours of any day and permitted at other hours, in which event the same shall be plainly indicated on the signs or such signs may be removed when such turns are permitted.
B. Whenever authorized signs are erected indicating that no right or left or U-turn is permitted, drivers of vehicles shall not disobey the directions of any such sign. [Code 2006 § 11-3-9].
10.15.100 One-way streets and alleys.
A. The council shall by resolution designate any streets or alleys which are to be limited to one-way traffic.
B. When any resolution of the council designates any one-way street or alley, the city engineer shall place and maintain signs giving notice thereof, and no such regulation shall be effective unless such signs are in place. Signs indicating the direction of lawful traffic movement shall be placed at every intersection where movement of traffic in the opposite direction is prohibited. [Code 2006 § 11-3-10].
10.15.110 Regulation of traffic at intersections.
A. The council shall by resolution designate through streets, intersections where stops are required and intersections where vehicles shall yield the right-of-way; provided, that all through streets with stop signs and yield signs now in place are hereby ratified and approved as so placed.
B. When any resolution of the council shall designate any through street or intersection where vehicles are to stop or yield the right-of-way, the city engineer shall erect and maintain the appropriate signs at every location where a vehicle must stop or yield the right-of-way. [Code 2006 § 11-3-11].
10.15.120 Obstruction of view.
A. The following requirements shall apply to any new grading, construction, landscaping, sign installation or other activity, commenced on and after January 1, 1991, that creates an obstruction.
1. There shall be provided an unobstructed view across the triangle formed by joining points measured 30 feet distance along the property lines from the intersection of two streets and of 15 feet along both the street and commercial driveway from the intersection of a street and commercial driveway.
2. Within the area of the triangle there shall be no sight-obscuring or partly obscuring earthen material, wall, fence, sign, foliage or other obstruction higher than 24 inches above curb grade or, in the case of trees, foliage lower than six feet.
3. Vertical measurement shall be made at the top of the curb on the street adjacent to the nearest street of the triangle or, if no curb exists, from the edge of the traveled way.
B. Any existing grading, construction, landscaping, sign installation or other activity, commenced before January 1, 1991, that creates an obstruction shall be removed within two weeks of written notice by the city engineer if, in the opinion of the city engineer, the grading, construction, landscaping, sign installation or other activity constitutes a hazardous obstruction for vehicle, bicycle, pedestrian or equestrian movement. Appeals from the decision of the city engineer in the implementation of this section may be taken pursuant to SCC 12.05.060. [Code 2006 § 11-3-12].
10.15.130 Traffic through private property.
No driver shall drive upon or through any private property such as a vehicle service station, vacant lot or similar property to avoid obedience to any regulation included in this title. [Code 2006 § 11-3-13].
10.15.140 Processions.
A. No procession or parade, except funeral processions, shall be held without first securing a permit from the director of community development. All such requests for permits shall state the time, place of formation, proposed line of march, destination and such other regulations as the director of community development may set forth.
B. A funeral procession composed of a procession of vehicles shall be identified by such methods as may be determined and designated by the police chief.
C. No driver of a vehicle shall drive between the vehicles comprising a funeral or other authorized procession while they are in motion and when such vehicles are conspicuously designated. This provision shall not apply at intersections where traffic is controlled by traffic control signals or the police department.
D. Each driver in a funeral or other procession shall drive as near to the right-hand edge of the roadway as practical and shall follow the vehicle ahead as close as is practical and safe. [Code 2006 § 11-3-14].
10.15.150 Impounding vehicles.
A. When Permitted. Pursuant to SCC 8.10.220, the police chief is authorized to remove a vehicle from a street or highway to the nearest garage or other place of safety or to a garage designated or maintained by the police department or otherwise maintained by the city under the circumstances enumerated in this section:
1. When any vehicle is left unattended upon any bridge, viaduct, street or highway and constitutes a definite hazard or obstruction to the normal movement of traffic;
2. When a vehicle upon a highway or street is so disabled as to constitute an obstruction to traffic and the person in charge of the vehicle is by reason of physical injury incapacitated to such an extent as to be unable to provide for its custody or removal;
3. When any vehicle is left unattended upon a street for a period in excess of 72 hours;
4. When any person is arrested while in possession of a motor vehicle and taken into custody.
B. Notice.
1. If Owner Known. Whenever the police department removes or orders the removal of a vehicle from a street as authorized in subsection (A) of this section and the police officer knows or is able to ascertain from the registration records in the vehicle the name and address of the owner thereof, such officer shall immediately give or cause to be given notice in writing to such owner as to the fact of such removal, the reasons therefor, and of the place to which such vehicle has been removed. In the event any such vehicle is stored in a public garage, a copy of such notice shall be given to the proprietor of the garage.
2. If Owner Unknown. Whenever the police department removes a vehicle from a street under subsection (A) of this section and does not know and is not able to ascertain the name of the owner, or for any other reason is unable to give the notice to the owner as hereinbefore provided, in the event the vehicle is not returned to the owner within a period of three days, then the officer shall immediately send or cause to be sent a written report of such removal by mail to the Motor Vehicle Division, Arizona Department of Transportation, whose duty it is to register motor vehicles, and shall file a copy of such notice with the proprietor of any public garage in which the vehicle may be stored. Such notice shall include a complete description of the vehicle, VIN number; the date, time and place from which removed; the reasons for such removal, and name of the garage or place where the vehicle is stored.
C. Redemption or Sale. Application for redemption of a vehicle impounded under the provisions of subsection (A) of this section shall be made by the owner or his duly authorized agent who shall be entitled to the possession thereof upon payment to the city of the sum of $5.00, together with all other costs of removal and storage that may have accrued thereon. In the event the vehicle impounded shall not be redeemed by its owner or agent within 30 days, then such vehicle shall be sold for such penalty, charges and costs, in the manner provided by A.R.S. Section 28-4801 et seq. This remedy shall be cumulative of any and all other penalties provided by this title. [Code 2006 § 11-3-15].
10.15.160 Reduced speed zones.
A. Subject to the provisions of SCC 10.15.030(B), the city council may, by resolution, approve establishment, or elimination, of reduced speed zones. Zones established shall be subject to the provisions of the Arizona Revised Statutes and this section.
B. The city engineer may in writing recommend establishment of school speed zones adjacent to either public or private schools in accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes; provided, that the adjacent school requests that such a zone be established subject to the provisions of this section. School speed zones shall have no less than 15 miles per hour as the maximum speed limit within the zone.
C. Portable signs indicating that school is in session and that the speed limit in the school speed zones is 15 miles per hour shall be placed in the roadway at the point of commencement of the school speed zone from either direction by the school authorities. School authorities shall erect and maintain these signs when school is in session and shall cause them to be removed immediately thereafter. The city engineer may place permanent signs, if deemed appropriate.
D. No vehicle shall proceed at a speed to exceed 15 miles per hour between the portable signs placed upon the roadway in accordance with subsection (B) of this section.
E. In the event that a location ceases to meet the criteria for a school speed zone, all signage related to the zone, including speed limit signs, shall be removed upon direction of the city engineer after written notification to the last known address of the school for which the zone was last applicable. If the school address is not known then notice shall be sent to the listed property owner. The notice shall be sent at least 30 days prior to removal of the signage.
F. Reduced speed zones may also be established in accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes along any public roadway connecting to or within 1,000 feet of a public school or public park, or passing through these public facilities; provided, that the speed limit shall not be less than 15 miles per hour.
G. The city engineer shall maintain on file a written current record of designated reduced speed zones and the basis for such designation. [Ord. 2006-06, 3-13-2006. Code 2006 § 11-3-16].
10.15.170 Vehicle weight requirement.
A. For all hauls where the cumulative quantity of haul is greater than 5,000 cubic yards or greater than 10,000 tons, a haul plan must specify all city streets that will be used for the haul. The haul plan shall be satisfactory to the city engineer, prior to the issuance of a grading permit.
B. For those projects a bond must be posted for $0.60/cubic yard times number of cubic yards. The actual cost for the haul shall be paid to the city after the hauling operations are complete. The final amounts shall be determined by the city engineer. A pavement engineer may be contracted by the city to conduct an investigation of the road before and after haul and submit a cost damage estimate to the city engineer for his guidance. [Code 2006 § 11-3-17].
10.15.180 Off-road vehicles.
It is prohibited for any person to drive, ride or use a motorcycle, off-highway motor vehicle, motor vehicle, minibike, dune buggy, motor scooter, jeep or other form of transportation propelled by an internal combustion engine upon any public or private property that is not a driveway, private street way, public street way, public right-of-way or street as defined in SCC 12.05.040 and 12.20.030, or on rights-of-way determined by the city engineer to be inappropriate for such travel, and visibly posted to prohibit such travel, including, but not limited to, public trails, river walks, etc. [Ord. 2008-02, 2-26-2008. Code 2006 § 11-3-18].
10.15.190 Dust free parcels.
It is prohibited for any person to operate any type of motor vehicle or vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine upon any parcel having a county assessor parcel number that is not dust-free and if the person is not the owner of that property. [Code 2006 § 11-3-19].
10.15.200 Regulation of motorized play and low visibility vehicles.
A. Definitions.
“Low visibility vehicle” means a self-propelled vehicle with a seat less than 24 inches from the ground, such as a “pocket motorcycle.”
“Motorized play vehicle” means a coaster, scooter, any other alternatively fueled device or other motorized vehicle with a seat not less than 24 inches from the ground that is self-propelled by a motor or engine, and which is not otherwise defined in A.R.S. Title 28 as a “motor vehicle,” “motor-driven cycle” or “motorized wheelchair.” It does not include self-propelled vehicles with seats lower than 24 inches from the ground, such as a “pocket motorcycle,” which for purposes of this section are “low visibility vehicles.”
“Motorized skateboard” means a self-propelled device which has a motor or engine, a deck on which a person may ride and at least two wheels in contact with the ground and which is not otherwise defined in A.R.S. Title 28, as amended, as a “motor vehicle,” “motor-driven cycle” or “motorized wheelchair.”
“Operator” means a person who operates or is in actual physical control of a motorized play vehicle or a motorized skateboard upon a public roadway, sidewalk, right-of-way, park, bicycle path or any other public property used for the operation of motor vehicles.
“Owner” means a person who holds the legal title to a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard, or any person who is a lessee, conditional vendee or mortgagor of a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard with a right to immediate possession.
B. Application of Traffic Laws.
1. All traffic laws shall apply to persons riding motorized play vehicles and motorized skateboards. Every person operating a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by the laws of this state declaring rules of the road applicable to vehicles, or by the traffic regulations of this city applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except as to special regulations under this title and except as to those provisions which by their nature can have no application.
2. This section shall not be construed to require the licensing or registration of motorized play vehicles or motorized skateboards, the licensing of motorized play vehicle or skateboard operators, or the carrying of insurance covering accidents involving motorized play vehicles or motorized skateboards.
3. It is unlawful for any person operating a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard not to obey the instructions of official traffic control signals, signs and other traffic direction devices applicable to vehicles, unless otherwise directed by a police officer.
C. Responsibility of Parents, Guardians and Custodians. No person shall, if a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child, authorize or knowingly permit any child to violate this chapter.
D. Prohibited Operation. No person shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard:
1. On any sidewalk, except for use in crossing such sidewalks by the most direct route to gain access to any public or private road or driveway.
2. On any public property that has been posted or designated by the owner of such property as an area prohibiting “skateboards.”
3. On any public roadway consisting of a total of four or more marked traffic lanes, or having an established speed limit of greater than 30 miles per hour.
4. On any private property of another, or any public property which is not held open to the public for vehicle use, without the written permission of the owner, the person entitled to immediate possession of the property, or the authorized agent of either.
E. General Operating Restrictions.
1. No child under the age of 13 shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard.
2. No person shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard in excess of the posted speed limit or at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the circumstances then existing.
3. The operator of a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard, approaching a sidewalk, bicycle path, bicycle lane, or multiuse path in order to cross such, shall yield to the right-of-way of all other users.
4. Motorized play vehicles and motorized skateboards may be operated on a path or lane that is designated as a bicycle path or lane by state or local authorities. However, motorized play vehicles and motorized skateboard operators on said bicycle path or lane shall yield at all times to other users.
5. No operator of a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard shall allow passengers when the motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard is in operation or motion.
6. No person operating or riding upon a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard shall attach themselves or the motorized skateboard in any manner to another vehicle.
7. No person shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard while carrying any package, bundle or article which prevents the operator from keeping both hands upon the steering mechanism at all times.
8. No person, other than the owner, shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard without the written permission of the owner.
9. No person shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard that has been structurally altered from the original manufactured design.
10. No person shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard in a crosswalk.
F. Operating Restrictions on Roadway.
1. No operator of a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard shall transport extra fuel in a separate container or alter the fuel reservoir from the original manufacturer’s design. This includes the prohibition of physically attaching fuel packs or containers to the operator’s person.
2. Persons operating motorized play vehicles or motorized skateboards on the roadway shall not ride more than two abreast.
G. Required Safety Equipment.
1. No person shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard without a head lamp emitting a beam and a red rear reflector anytime from sunset to sunrise, or any other time when there is not sufficient light to render clearly discernable persons or vehicles on the roadway.
a. A head lamp shall emit a white light and be visible from the front at a distance no less than 500 feet.
b. A rear red reflector shall be visible when illuminated by a vehicle head lamp from a distance of no less than 300 feet.
c. A rear red lamp visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the rear red reflector.
2. No person shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard unless it is equipped with a brake which enables the operator to make a braked wheel(s) skid on pavement.
3. Any operator of a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard under the age of 18 years being operated in a roadway shall at all times wear a protective helmet on his or her head in an appropriate and safely secured manner. The helmet shall meet minimum standards of testing and safety inspected by the bicycle industry.
4. No person shall operate a motorized play vehicle or motorized skateboard without wearing footwear. The footwear must have a sole and completely cover the feet and toes.
H. Low Profile Vehicles Prohibited. No person shall operate a low profile vehicle as defined in this section, including “pocket motorcycles,” on any public street, way, or alley within the city of Sedona.
I. Violations. Violations of this section are civil traffic violations and shall be filed and prosecuted in accordance with SCC 1.15.010(D), as amended. [Ord. 2005-16, 12-13-2005. Code 2006 § 11-3-20].