Chapter 9.15
TRAFFIC ADMINISTRATION
Sections:
9.15.010 Authority of police and fire department officials.
9.15.015 Police to support fire department at fires.
9.15.060 School patrol authority.
9.15.110 Traffic engineer—Authority.
9.15.120 Closed or restricted streets.
9.15.140 Parking violations—Record and report.
9.15.010 Authority of police and fire department officials.
It shall be the duty of the chief of police and such officers of the police department or such officers as are assigned by the chief of police to enforce this traffic title. (Ord. 2816 § 1, 1984: Ord. 2735 § 2 (part), 1983).
9.15.015 Police to support fire department at fires.
The chief of police shall, in case of fire, upon the request of the fire chief, dispatch thereto patrolmen in charge of an officer which officer shall report for duty and be subject to the orders of the chief of the fire department, or his authorized agent, and shall establish firelines and direct traffic in accordance with his orders. (Ord. 2735 § 2 (part), 1983).
9.15.060 School patrol authority.
The chief of police is authorized and directed to cooperate with the superintendent of schools, the school board and other school officials in supervising the establishment, organization, training and operation of the school patrol in the city as authorized by RCW 46.61.385. (Ord. 2735 § 2 (part), 1983).
9.15.110 Traffic engineer—Authority.
The city traffic engineer is authorized:
1. To place and maintain official traffic-control devices as required under the traffic code or resolutions of the city council and to make effective the provisions of said code or resolutions, and he may place and maintain such additional official traffic-control devices as he may deem necessary to regulate, warn, or guide traffic under the traffic code or resolutions of the city council;
2. To place and maintain official traffic-control devices as he may deem necessary to regulate, warn, or guide traffic for construction, detours, emergencies, and special conditions;
3. 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 in such other places as he may deem necessary;
4. To establish safety zones of such kind and character and at such places as he may deem necessary for the protection of pedestrians;
5. To mark traffic lanes upon the roadway of any highway where a regular alignment of traffic is necessary;
6. To regulate the timing of traffic signals so as to permit the movement of traffic in an orderly and safe manner;
7. To place official traffic-control devices within or adjacent to intersections indicating the course to be traveled by vehicles turning at such intersections, in accordance with the provisions of this title, and such course to be traveled as so indicated may conform to or be other than as prescribed by law;
8. 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 they may be removed when such turns are permitted;
9. To erect and maintain stop signs, yield signs, or other official traffic-control devices to designate arterial highways or to designate intersections or other roadway junctions at which vehicular traffic on one or more of the roadways shall yield or stop and yield before entering the intersection or junction, except as provided in RCW 46.61.195;
10. To erect signs indicating no parking upon both sides of a highway when the width of the improved roadway does not exceed twenty feet, or upon one side of a highway as indicated by such signs when the width of the improved roadway is between twenty and twenty-eight feet;
11. To determine when standing or parking may be permitted upon the left-hand side of any roadway when the highway includes two or more separate roadways and traffic is restricted to one direction upon any such roadway and to erect signs giving notice thereof;
12. To determine and designate by proper signs places not exceeding one hundred feet in length in which the stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles would create an especially hazardous condition or would cause unusual delay to traffic;
13. To determine the location of loading zones, passenger loading zones, and towaway zones and shall place and maintain appropriate signs or curb markings supplemented with the appropriate words stenciled on the curb indicating the same and stating the hours during which the provisions of this chapter are applicable;
14. To establish bus stops, and bus stands on such highways in such places and in such number as he shall determine to be of the greatest benefit and convenience to the public, and every bus stop and bus stand or taxicab stand, or other stand shall be designated by appropriate signs or by curb markings supplemented with the appropriate words stenciled on the curb;
15. To designate and set aside taxicab stands and stands for other for-hire vehicles on the public streets where taxicabs and for-hire vehicles may stand while awaiting employment, which stands shall consist of parking spaces for two or more taxicabs or for-hire vehicles; provided, no such stand shall be designated by the traffic engineer without the written consent, filed in the office of the traffic engineer, from the abutting lessee or property owner to establish such stand; provided further, the city council may authorize the traffic engineer to designate and set aside a taxicab stand in the absence of such written consent, or in the event the lessee or owner of abutting property refuses to give such consent;
16. To erect and maintain official traffic-control devices on any highway or part thereof to impose gross weight limits on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation;
17. To erect and maintain official traffic-control devices on any highway or part thereof to prohibit the operation of trucks exceeding ten thousand pounds gross weight on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation; provided, that such devices shall not prohibit necessary local operation on such highways for the purpose of making a pickup or delivery;
18. To erect and maintain official traffic-control devices on any highway or part thereof to impose vehicle size restrictions on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation;
19. To determine and designate those heavily traveled highways upon which shall be prohibited any class or kind of traffic which is found to be incompatible with the normal and safe movement of traffic on the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation and shall erect appropriate official traffic-control devices giving notice thereof;
20. To post appropriate signs making it unlawful for pedestrians to cross highways in certain crosswalks when such crossing would endanger either pedestrian or vehicular traffic using the highway;
21. To test new or proposed traffic-control devices under actual conditions of traffic;
22. To determine upon what streets, other than state highways, center street parking shall be permitted or required, and shall sign or mark the same for center street parking;
23. To establish along the curb on any street near any city buildings and installations and at such other places as may be reasonably necessary, restricted parking zones for the purpose of facilitating the work of the police, fire, and other departments of the city;
24. To erect signs indicating no parking or stopping upon either or both side of any street adjacent to any school property when such parking would interfere with traffic or create a hazardous situation;
25. To determine upon what streets angle parking shall be permitted and sign or mark same for angle parking; provided, that on those streets forming a part of any federal-aid or state highway the traffic engineer may recommend action by the city council in accordance with RCW 46.61.575 (3);
26. To consider when establishing a loading zone, passenger loading zone, or towaway zone, the presence of alley entrances or other similar means of approach to buildings or property, and congested traffic conditions within the block and to fix the hours during which such zones shall be in effect;
27. To authorize funeral zones along the curbs on any street adjacent to funeral parlors or churches for the purpose of relieving congestion of traffic attendant to funeral services;
28. To establish school crossings at locations in the vicinity of schools where routes to be followed by school children have been selected;
29. To establish no-passing zones;
30. To authorize the installation and removal of temporary traffic-control devices necessary for special events, including parades which have been issued a parade permit in accordance with Chapter 9.50 of this code;
31. To close or authorize closure of any street or portion thereof to any and all traffic pursuant to the provisions of this title;
32. To authorize the installation of those traffic-control measures described in this title which are not specifically the responsibility of the city council;
33. To authorize the painting and stenciling of curbs in lieu of or in addition to posting signs, to convey parking restrictions in accord with the following color scheme:
a. Yellow, loading zones and no parking zones,
b. Blue, handicapped parking;
34. To authorize the establishment of left-turn lanes, right-turn lanes, and two-way left-turn lanes. (Ord. 2846 § 1, 1985: Ord. 2735 § 2 (part), 1983).
9.15.120 Closed or restricted streets.
Whenever the condition of any street or alley, either newly constructed, repaired or improved, or of prior construction, or any part thereof, is such that its use or continued use by vehicles will greatly damage such street or alley, the director of public works or the director of engineering and utilities may close such street or alley to travel by all vehicles, or to any class of vehicles, for such period as he determines. (Ord. 2735 § 2 (part), 1983).
9.15.140 Parking violations—Record and report.
It is the duty of the director of finance and budget to keep an account of all stopping, standing and parking violations; and:
1. Report the location of parking which violates any provision of this title;
2. Report the license number of such vehicle;
3. Report other facts, a knowledge of which is necessary to a thorough understanding of the circumstances attending such violation;
4. Attach to such vehicle a notice that it has been parked in violation of this title and instructing the owner or operator to report at the parking violation bureau of the city, or such other place in the city where such violations may be reported, in regard to such violation within five days. (Ord. 2846 § 2, 1985: Ord. 2735 § 2 (part), 1983).