How are speed limits established and how can I reduce or increase the speed limit on a particular street?
Can the City install Children at Play or SLOW signs on my street?
Can the City install a Deer Crossing sign at a particular location?
Can I get red curb painted in front of the fire hydrant by my house?
Can the City paint red curb so I can see getting out of a driveway/street/parking lot?
How can I get a stop sign installed on a neighborhood street to slow speeders down?
What is a commercial vehicle prohibition?
How can I get a radar speed feedback sign on my street?
How long can a car stay parked on the street?
How do I get a crosswalk installed on a particular street or at an intersection?
How does a signal operate? Is a specific signal operating correctly?
Why do I have to stop? Why are signals so poorly synchronized?
Why do I have to wait so long after I stop at a specific signal?
Why isn’t there enough green time to get the traffic through the signal for a specific movement?
How do I get a new signal installed?
How do I find how much traffic there is at a specific location, or how many accidents there have been?
How do I find how a signal was operating at a specific time and date, and if it was operating correctly?
How does a pedestrian signal work?

How are speed limits established and how can I reduce or increase the speed limit on a particular street?   back to top

Speed laws, as well as other traffic laws, are enacted by the State Legislature and compiled in the California Vehicle Code (CVC). 

All states base their speed regulations on the Basic Speed Law: “No person shall drive a vehicle at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property” (CVC 22350).

California state law also establishes maximum speed limits. For example the maximum speed on an undivided two-lane roadway is 55 MPH (CVC 22349b). All other speed limits are called prima facie limits, which are considered by law to be safe and prudent under normal conditions. Certain prima facie limits are established by California law and include the 25 MPH speed limit in business and residential districts and the 25 MPH limit in school zones when children are present.

Local jurisdictions have authority to establish reduced speed limits on the basis of engineering and traffic surveys (CVC 22358). Such surveys must include an analysis of roadway conditions, accident records and a sampling of the prevailing speed of traffic, (CVC 627). Other factors may be considered, but an unreasonable speed limit, which is called a speed trap, may not be established, (CVC 40802).

The Legislature has declared a strong public policy against the use of speed traps, to the extent that citations issued where a speed trap is found to exist are likely to be dismissed, particularly if radar enforcement methods are used (CVC 40803 – 40805).

A provision of the vehicle code that California Courts have generally considered very important reads, “It is the intent of the Legislature that physical conditions such as width, curvature, grade and surface conditions, or any other condition not readily apparent to a driver, in the absence of other factors, would not require special downward speed zoning, as the basic rule of section 22350 is sufficient regulation as to such conditions” (CVC 22358.5). The words, It is the intent of the Legislature, are intended to get the attention of traffic engineers and local jurisdictions in setting and maintaining local speed limits. Such speed limits must be set carefully, as justified by appropriate factors, to avoid making such limits unenforceable.

In practice, speed limits are normally set at the first five-mile per hour increment below the 85 percentile speed, defined as that speed at or below which 85 percent of the traffic is moving. Any further reduction must be documented by and clearly justified by an Engineering and Traffic Survey.

In residential neighborhoods, 25 MPH speed limit signs may be installed without an engineering and traffic survey so long as these conditions are met:

• The width does not exceed 40 feet.
• Uninterrupted length cannot be more than 1/2 mile; interruptions include official traffic control devices such as stop signs and traffic signals.
• There can only be one travel lane in each direction.
• The street must be considered local on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) map.

In all other areas the speed limit is set by an engineering and traffic survey which is done once every seven years for each segment of roadway.

When traffic problems occur, concerned citizens frequently ask why we don’t lower the speed limit. There are widely held misconceptions that speed limit signs will slow the speed of traffic, reduce accidents, and increase safety. Most drivers drive at a speed that they consider to be comfortable, regardless of the posted speed limit. Before and after studies have shown that there are no significant changes in average vehicle speeds following the posting of new or revised speed limits. Furthermore, research has found no direct relationship between posted speed limits and accident frequency.

Realistic speed limits help preserve uniformity of speed. Uniformity of speed is valuable for a number of reasons:

• It maintains consistency in traffic gaps for crossing traffic.
• It enables pedestrians to more accurately judge the speed of traffic.
• It reduces the possibility of conflict between faster and slower drivers.
• It makes unreasonable violators more obvious to enforcement personnel.

If you have further questions regarding the establishment of speed limits or a missing or needed speed limit sign, please call Traffic Engineering at 543-3814.

If you have concerns regarding the enforcement of speed limits please contact the Traffic Division of the Santa Rosa Police Department at 543-3636.

Can the City install Children at Play or SLOW signs on my street?   back to top

Children at Play signs are not recognized by the State of California or the Federal government as official traffic control devices, and are therefore not installed on public streets in the City of Santa Rosa.

Traffic studies have shown that these signs do not increase driver awareness to the point of reducing vehicle speeds or pedestrian accidents. In fact, placement of the signs may actually increase the potential for accidents by providing a false sense of protection that does not exist and cannot be guaranteed.

Citizens also frequently request SLOW signs or reduced speed limit signs on residential streets. The speed limit on a residential street is 25 MPH, whether posted or not. If the City posted such streets at 10 MPH, it is likely that the courts would consider the street a speed trap, and in accordance with state law, find any citation issued invalid. SLOW signs are ineffective at reducing speeds because if a driver passes the sign and encounters no reason to slow down (or doesn’t know how much to slow down) that driver may become confused and foster disrespect for all signs.

Can the City install a Deer Crossing sign at a particular location?   back to top

Deer and other wild animals frequent many parts of Santa Rosa. During certain times of the year seeing them on or around city streets is commonplace. The California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices has specific standards regarding the installation of Deer Crossing signs. This standard states that the Deer Crossing sign shall only be installed “after confirmation from a Department of Fish and Game warden having jurisdiction in the area that a substantial problem exists.”

Beyond that, the City of Santa Rosa also keeps track of all reported collisions involving wildlife. If the City notices a collision pattern in a particular area without Deer Crossing signs, we will install them in appropriate locations.

However, we cannot put up Deer Crossing signs at all locations where deer are spotted. Deer are wild animals and the locations and times they may cross streets are completely random. Drivers in the rural areas of Santa Rosa need to be aware that deer may jump onto the roadway from out of sight whether or not there is a sign there.

If you have any questions, requests or suggestions concerning traffic, please call Traffic Engineering at 543-3814.

Can I get red curb painted in front of the fire hydrant by my house?   back to top

The California Vehicle Code has established the law regarding parking near fire hydrants. Pursuant to section 22514, no person shall stop, park, or leave standing any vehicle within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.

Generally the City does not paint red curb in front of fire hydrants due to the high cost of maintenance. The City has thousands of fire hydrants within the city limits and maintaining 30 feet of red curb in front of all of them would take away time that can be spent on other public facilities maintenance around the City.

If a vehicle is parked too close to a hydrant in a fire emergency, the fire department will use all means necessary to gain access to the hydrant. In non-emergency situations a vehicle parked within 15 feet of a fire hydrant is in violation of CVC22514 and can be cited by a Police Officer or Parking Enforcement Officer.

If there is a vehicle parked in front of a fire hydrant in the downtown area please call Transit and Parking at 543-3325. If there is a vehicle parked in front of a fire hydrant in all other parts of the City please call the Police Department at 528-5222. If there is a fire emergency, call 911 immediately.

Can the City paint red curb so I can see getting out of a driveway/street/parking lot?   back to top

If you have any sight distance concerns please call and report them to traffic engineering. We will conduct an investigation and measure the sight distance available and compare that to generally accepted stopping sight distance values for the prevailing speed of cross traffic.

If the sight distance is inadequate and can be improved by trimming vegetation, we will send a letter to the property owner informing them to trim the obstruction. If the sight distance is limited due to parking we will evaluate the length of parking that is needed to be eliminated and either paint red curb or install No Parking signs.

Please direct all concerns regarding sight distance to Traffic Engineering at 543-3814.

How can I get a stop sign installed on a neighborhood street to slow speeders down?   back to top

Stop signs are installed according to the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA-MUTCD) to assign right-of-way at an intersection, not to control speeding. According to the CA-MUTCD stop signs must meet certain sets of criteria, called warrants, so there is uniformity in their use around the nation. These warrants identify specific vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian volumes, accident history, and any unusual conditions which must be present at the intersection for a stop sign to be installed.

There are certain streets within the City of Santa Rosa, designated Through Streets by City Council resolution that cannot have stop signs. Most of these are arterial streets designed to maintain higher traffic volumes for the more efficient movement of vehicles throughout the City.

At intersections without stop controls the installation of two-way stop signs are done only after a thorough engineering evaluation based on the following criteria:

• Stopping the direction that conflicts the most with established pedestrian crossing activity or school walking routes.
• Stopping the direction that has obscured vision, dips, or bumps that already require drivers to use lower operating speeds.
• Stopping the direction that has the longest distance of uninterrupted flow approaching the intersection.
• Stopping the direction that has the best sight distance to conflicting traffic.
• Stopping through traffic at highway-railroad grade crossings without gates or flashing signals.

Locations that currently have two-way stop control also have warrants for determining if the intersection would be better suited with all-way stop controls. Generally all-way stop controls are used when the vehicle volumes of the intersecting streets are approximately equal. Requests to review intersections for multi-way stop control are evaluated using the warrants established by the CA-MUTCD as follows:

• Interim Measure: Where traffic control signals are justified, the multi-way stop is an interim measure that can be installed quickly to control traffic while arrangements are being made for the installation of the traffic control signal.
• Crashes: A crash problem, as indicated by 5 or more reported crashes in a 12-month period that are susceptible to correction by a multi-way stop installation. Such crashes include right- and left-turn collisions as well as right-angle collisions.
• Minimum volumes: The vehicular volume entering the intersection from the major street approaches averages at least 300 vehicles per hour for any 8 hours of an average day, and the combined vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle volume entering the intersection from the minor street approaches averages at least 200 units per hour for the same 8 hours, with an average delay to minor-street vehicular traffic of at least 30 seconds per vehicle during the highest hour.
• Posted Speed Limit: If posted speed of the major-street traffic exceeds 40 mph the minimum vehicular volume warrants are 70% of the above values.
• Multiple Warrants: Where no single warrant is satisfied, but where crash and volume warrants are all satisfied to 80% of the minimum values, a multi-way stop control may also be considered.

If there is an intersection that you think we should investigate for the installation of stop signs please contact Traffic Engineering at 543-3814.

What is a commercial vehicle prohibition?    back to top

Section 21101 of the California Vehicle Code allows local authorities, for those highways under their jurisdiction, to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution to prohibit the use of particular highways by certain vehicles.

Section 35701 of the California Vehicle Code authorizes cities to pass ordinances prohibiting the use of a street by any commercial vehicle or by any vehicle exceeding a maximum gross weight limit. The ordinance shall not be effective until appropriate signs are erected.

Section 35703 of the California Vehicle Code states that no ordinance adopted pursuant to Section 35701 shall prohibit any commercial vehicles from using a restricted street when necessary, for the purpose of making pickups or deliveries.

Commercial vehicle prohibitions around the City of Santa Rosa are designed to eliminate pass through commercial vehicle traffic. These prohibitions are not meant to prohibit commercial vehicles from making deliveries to private residences or businesses on the streets where the prohibition exists. There are several exemptions to the commercial vehicle prohibitions, which include:

• Emergency vehicles;
• Vehicles used in transporting passengers such as buses;
• Vehicles used in conjunction with building construction or delivery;
• Vehicles used for local pick-up or delivery; and
• Vehicles used by local businesses to gain access to and from the business.

Commercial vehicle prohibitions can only be installed after analysis by the Traffic Engineering Division showing a need for the prohibition and approval of an ordinance by City Council. If you have questions, requests, or suggestions regarding commercial vehicle prohibitions, please contact traffic engineering at 543-3814.

How can I get a radar speed feedback sign on my street?   back to top

Permanent radar speed feedback signs cost approximately $10,000 to install. They are only put on arterial streets (as defined in the General Plan) that have had a significant collision problem, with 50% of those collisions due to excessive speed.

The City of Santa Rosa Police Department also has a radar feedback trailer which can be moved onto certain streets throughout the City on a rotating basis.

These feedback signs are only a tool and are used best when drivers may not be aware that they are speeding. They are designed to let the drivers know how fast they are going in relation to the posted speed for the road segment they are on.

The speed trailer may not be used on certain road segments. The speed trailer cannot be parked on the sidewalk or in a bike lane. It is also not effective if other vehicles can be parked in front of it, blocking the radar function and the sign visibility for drivers.

If you think that a particular street might be a candidate for a permanent radar feedback sign please call Traffic Engineering at 543-3814.

If you would like to recommend a location for the speed trailer please contact Officer Perry Plattus of the Santa Rosa Police Department at 543-8341. 

How long can a car stay parked on the street?   back to top

Santa Rosa City Code section 11-20.100 limits on street parking to a maximum of 72 consecutive hours. Any vehicle exceeding that limit is subject removal by the Police or Fire Departments in accordance with sections 22651 and 22669 of the California Vehicle Code.

If you think there is an abandoned car in your neighborhood please call the Santa Rosa Police Department at 543-3600. Any other questions relating to parking time limits and restrictions can be directed to the Transit and Parking Department at 543-3325.

How do I get a crosswalk installed on a particular street or at an intersection?   back to top

A crosswalk is defined in the California Vehicle Code, section 275, as the extension of sidewalks through intersections, or the portion of a roadway distinctly indicated by lines or other markings on the surface.

Therefore there does not need to be markings in the street for a legal crossing. Vehicles must yield to pedestrians if they are in a crosswalk whether it is marked or unmarked.

Pedestrians often feel more confident and secure within a painted crosswalk than in an unmarked crosswalk, even though the paint on the pavement provides no added safety or security from vehicles. Because of this false sense of security some pedestrians will pay less attention to vehicular traffic while crossing in a marked crosswalk than in an unmarked crosswalk. Due to this lack of attention, studies have found that in certain circumstances marked crosswalks can be less safe than unmarked crosswalks.

For example, on multi-lane, high speed arterial streets, crosswalks will be painted only at signalized intersections.

If you would like to recommend a location for a crosswalk, please contact Traffic Engineering at 543-3814.

How does a signal operate? Is a specific signal operating correctly?   back to top

There are many different types of traffic signals. Some are fixed-time, meaning each movement gets a preset amount of time. Some use detectors buried in the pavement or cameras mounted on street lights above the intersection, and time is allocated based on the volume of vehicles sensed by these detectors. At other intersections, some movements have detectors and other movements do not. At some intersections, where possible, the pedestrian movement is automatically recalled each cycle. At others pedestrians must push a button to bring up the walk signal. The proper operation of signals can be checked remotely by computer or in the field by traffic signal personnel. Those with specific questions about signal operations should contact the Traffic Engineering Division at 543-3814.

Why do I have to stop? Why are signals so poorly synchronized?   back to top

Intersection signals are coordinated, or synchronized with each other to reduce stops and delay for the major traffic movements. Coordinating signals require that all signals be programmed with a common cycle length, which is the amount of time it takes a signal to sequence through all traffic movements one time. The quality of movement through a series of traffic signals depends on the spacing between signals, the speed of traffic, the cycle length, and the amount of traffic. Signals along main arterial streets are generally coordinated with each other during the day, when there are heavy traffic flows. It is often not possible to progress traffic in both directions because of poor spacing between traffic signals. Sometimes it is necessary to choose one direction to progress. When two-way progression is not possible, the City often uses computerized traffic modeling to find coordinated timing plans that decrease the total delay and stops for all users of the system. Traffic turning onto or off of a side street is generally not progressed, and turning vehicles can usually expect to stop at the next signal. Specific questions about signal progression should be referred to the Traffic Engineering Division at 543-3814.

Why do I have to wait so long after I stop at a specific signal?   back to top

At most traffic signals several different timing plans are used throughout the day to account for varying levels of traffic demand. The length of the wait depends on the signal cycle length and amount of traffic. In general, a longer cycle length increases the amount of vehicles that can be moved through an intersection (capacity). Increasing cycle lengths also increases driver delay. Cycle lengths range from 60 seconds to 140 seconds in the City, depending on the size of the intersections and the amount of traffic. Cycle lengths must be longer at larger intersections to serve the greater number of separate traffic movements during the timing sequence, to accommodate much longer pedestrian crossing times, and to accommodate higher volumes of traffic. Requests for timing changes at individual intersections should be referred to the Traffic Department. Information needed for a signal technician to investigate a requested timing change is what day of the week and what time of day a problem occurs. Call the Traffic Engineering Division at 543-3814.

Why isn’t there enough green time to get the traffic through the signal for a specific movement?   back to top

The amount of green time programmed for each movement at a signal varies by time of day. Sometimes there is more traffic at a signal than the signal can handle, and the signal is over its capacity. In these situations, the Traffic Department attempts to time the signals to equalize delays for conflicting movements. At other times green time can be moved from one movement to a conflicting movement, realizing that improving one movement hurts another. Increasing green for one movement requires decreasing the amount of green time for another movement.

Requests for timing changes at individual intersections should be referred to the Traffic Engineering Division. Here too, information needed for a signal technician to investigate a requested change is what day of the week and at what time of day a problem occurs. Call the Traffic Engineering Division at 543-3814.

How do I get a new signal installed?   back to top

Installing a new traffic signal first requires determining if a signal is needed. If a signal is needed, then a method of funding and constructing the signal must be found. Evaluating the need for a traffic signal requires careful analysis of the accident history, the intersection geometry, and amount of traffic. The number of traffic accidents almost always increases when a signal is installed, as interruption of free flow results in an increased number of rear-end type accidents. Certain types of accidents that tend to be more severe can often be reduced by installing a signal. The analyst must weigh the different types of accidents and compare them to federal guidelines. There are certain requirements mandated by the Federal government that must be met before a signal can be installed.  These requirements are called Warrants and are outlined in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA-MUTCD).

If a signal meets the warrants outlined in the CA-MUTCD, the next challenge is to find a method of funding construction and maintenance of the signal. One way this is done is conditioning new development to install a signal on a street that leads to a major subdivision. A new signal usually costs more than $250,000 to construct, and then additional dollars will be needed for annual maintenance. All intersections that meet signal warrants are put in a database and ranked corresponding to their fulfillments of warrants. Those intersections are signalized as funds become available, at a maximum of one per year. Requests for new traffic signals can be referred to the Traffic Engineering Division at 543-3814.

How do I find how much traffic there is at a specific location, or how many accidents there have been?   back to top

The Traffic Engineering Division counts traffic at all major intersections in the City once every three years. Traffic at smaller intersections will be counted as needed, due to special projects or investigations. These counts are stored in a database that is maintained by the Traffic Engineering Division. All intersection related collisions for which police respond or accident reports are filled out are also tracked and summarized in a computer database. This allows the City to identify safety problems that arise at specific intersections. Requests for traffic volume should be submitted to the Traffic Engineering Division at 543-3814. Requests for intersection collision reports should be directed to the Police Department at 543-3600.

How do I find how a signal was operating at a specific time and date, and if it was operating correctly?   back to top

The Traffic Engineering Division cannot say exactly how a signal was operating on a specific date and time due to field variables such as traffic demand. However, we can determine how a signal was programmed to operate, and if there were any malfunctions such as burned out light bulbs or power outages on a specific date.

Records of all programming changes and all maintenance responses are maintained at the Traffic Engineering Division. Requests for historical records concerning traffic operations should be referred to the Traffic Engineering Division. Requests must be made in writing on a Request for Documents form. All requests will be answered in 10 days. The Traffic Engineering Division does not interpret any timing sheets. To obtain a Request for Documents form, call the Traffic Engineering Division at 543-3814.

How does a pedestrian signal work?   back to top

Where possible, pedestrian signals are programmed to automatically be served each signal cycle, so that pedestrians do not have to push the pedestrian button. This is often not possible due to site-specific constraints, and it is a good idea to push the button if there is one available.

Once a pedestrian indication starts, there can be some confusion as to the meaning of the signal indications. The first indication is a white walking person. This symbol means the pedestrian can start walking in the direction of the signal. This is followed by a flashing orange hand symbol. The flashing hand does not mean that the pedestrian should stop crossing the street. When this flashing symbol is shown, any pedestrians who have started to cross the street should continue crossing, but pedestrians that have not yet started to cross should not begin crossing. At certain intersections there is also a countdown timer associated with the flashing hand that lets the pedestrian know how much time is left to continue crossing the street.

The length of the flashing hand indication can be quite long. It is calculated based on the length of the crosswalk and the nationally recognized average walking speed of pedestrians. A flashing hand terminates with a solid orange hand symbol. Pedestrians should not be in the crosswalk when the solid hand symbol is being shown. Questions about pedestrian signals should be referred to the Traffic Engineering Division at 543-3814.