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Public Works - Traffic Engineering

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1. How are speed limits established and how can I reduce or increase the speed limit on a particular street?

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.

Additional information may be found on the Speed Limit page.

2. Can the City install "Children at Play" or "SLOW" signs on my street?

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 miles per hour, whether posted or not. If the City posted such streets at 10 miles per hour, 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.

3. Can the City install a deer crossing sign at a particular location?

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 707-543-3814.

4. Can I get red curb painted in front of the fire hydrant by my house?

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 707-543-3325. 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 707-528-5222. If there is a fire emergency, call 911 immediately.

5. Can the City paint red curb so I can see getting out of a driveway, street or parking lot?

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 707-543-3814.

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

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.

For more information, visit this page about traffic control devices.

7. What is a commercial vehicle prohibition?

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
- 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 707-543-3814.

8. How can I get a radar speed feedback sign on my street?

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 707-543-3814.

If you would like to recommend a location for the speed trailer please contact Officer Perry Plattus of the Santa Rosa Police Department at 707-543-8341.

9. How long can a car stay parked on the street?

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 707-543-3325.

10. How does a signal operate? Is a specific signal operating correctly?

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 707-543-3814.

11. How does a signal operate? Is a specific signal operating correctly?

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 707-543-3814.

12. Why do I have to stop? Why are signals so poorly synchronized?

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 707-543-3814.

13. Why do I have to wait so long after I stop at a specific signal?

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 707-543-3814.

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

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 707-543-3814.

15. How do I get a new signal installed?

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 fulfillment 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 707-543-3814.

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

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 707-543-3814. Requests for intersection collision reports should be directed to the Police Department at 707-543-3600.

17. How do I find how a signal was operating at a specific time and date, and if it was operating correctly?

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 707-543-3814.

18. How does a pedestrian signal work?

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 707-543-3814.