City install street sign?

[lsoria1]

Yesterday I received a ticket for turning right on a red light. I asked the officer why and he said that they have put up a sign two months ago that says “No right on red between the hours of 11:00 am – 2:00 pm”. After receiving the ticket I drove around to see this sign it is on the right side and does not look like a legal street sign but looks like someone went to a sign store to have this made and when you are at the red light you cannot see this sign. The only way you can view this sign is by looking to the right when coming up to the red light, however I would be looking at the red light not the sign. My questions are how would I know if this sign was put up legally? And if not how would I fight this ticket?

Thanks in advance,

Louie Soria
California

 

[Zigner]

When you're AT the red, you would already have PASSED the sign...

 

[I_Got_Banned]

When you're AT the red, you would already have PASSED the sign...

Usually, "no Turn On Red" signs are posted in two locations. One at the light pole that is on the corner where the right turn is. The other would be posted at the pole straight ahead from where one make the turn.

The California Department of Transportation is responsible for developing standards and specifications for traffic signs. This is according to California Vehicle Code section 21400:
21400. The Department of Transportation shall, after consultation with local agencies and public hearings, adopt rules and regulations prescribing uniform standards and specifications for all official traffic control devices placed pursuant to this code, including, but not limited to, stop signs, yield right-of-way signs, speed restriction signs, railroad warning approach signs, street name signs, lines and markings on the roadway, and stock crossing signs placed pursuant to Section 21364.
The Department of Transportation shall, after notice and public hearing, determine and publicize the specifications for uniform types of warning signs, lights, and devices to be placed upon a highway by any person engaged in performing work which interferes with or
endangers the safe movement of traffic upon that highway.
Only those signs, lights, and devices as are provided for in this section shall be placed upon a highway to warn traffic of work which is being performed on the highway.
Any control devices or markings installed upon traffic barriers on or after January 1, 1984, shall conform to the uniform standards and specifications required by this section.

21401. (a) Except as provided in Section 21374, only those official traffic control devices that conform to the uniform standards and specifications promulgated by the Department of Transportation shall be placed upon a street or highway.
(b) Any traffic signal controller that is newly installed or upgraded by the Department of Transportation shall be of a standard traffic signal communication protocol capable of two-way communications. A local authority may follow this requirement.
(c) In recognition of the state and local interests served by the action made optional for a local authority in subdivision (b), the Legislature encourages local agencies to continue taking the action formerly mandated by this section. However nothing in this subdivision may be construed to impose any liability on a local agency that does not continue to take the formerly mandated action.

 

[Maestro64]

Do a search on MUTCD and CalTran MUTCD these are the requirement that a all traffic control devices must meet in order to be enforceable.

In those requirement it clear states what the sign must look like and how it should be placed. Look at that it says and see if the sign placement and design meets the requirements. If it does not then you might be correct they just went out and put up a sign which does not automatically make it legally placed.

 

[I_Got_Banned]

Here's the Califronia MUTDC manual: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/mutcdsupp/pdf/camutcd/CaliforniaMUTCD.pdf

Page 27 of the 1256 page (in the above linked document) shows that for a "No Turn On Red" sign, they are supposed to use the R10-11 format which is on page 141 of 182 in this link:
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/SHSm/regulatory.pdf

As for the "placement" of the sign(s)... it is probably in that first link somewhere, but I gotta get off of here for now...

Good luck.

 

[I_Got_Banned]

As for the "placement" of the sign(s)...

Oh, heck... here it is:

It is in Section 2B.45 which begins on page 153 in the document in this link:
http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/signtech/mutcdsupp/pdf/camutcd/CaliforniaMUTCD.pdf

Go get 'em!