HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Bill 1.A-Memo 08/23/20041'o
City of eta�lu a, Ca ifornia A.
u u 23, 200
Me
Cit y Manager's Off ce, II El-zglish ;,Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
(707) 778 -4345 Fai,(707). 778 -4419 Email. citymza.e .petaluma-ca.us
DATE: August` 20',;2`004
TO: Mayor and .Members of the City Council
FROM: Michael A J3 City Manager
SUBJECT:' Justi c Ordinance Regarding' ficatign „ b „ y g g the R6-Establishment/Amendment of
for Uraen
Speed Limits' "on Various Arterial and Collectot Streets Within the City of Petaluma
Speed limit studies, to be valid for radar enforcement per California State Vehicle Code 22354,
22357, 22358, 22358.3 must'be reviewed and adjusted by ordinance every five years from the date
of the study.
The definition for a speed trap,,per Vehicle Code Section: 408 02(2) states, in part: "....speed limit
that is provided by this code or by local ordinance —or established under Section 223
. 22358, or 22358:3, if .that p rrrmafacie speed limit is .not.justifiedby an engineering and traffic
survey conducted within five years tprior to the date. of the .alleged violation (emphasis added)
The last speed survey, conducted on,August '16, 1 expired` on August 16, 2004. Ordinance No.
2098, adopted pursuant to that speed survey, ecember 1, 1999. Under the California
Vehicle,
ve s us
Code an ar urnent exists that s ee peed limits d sur y ed to upporlimits are valid for only
g P
e ec i
five years, rather than five years from the effective date"' Ordinances adopted pursuant to such
speed surveys.
The, City,:conducted the most recent traffic survey between July 14-20,2004 (Phase 1). Ordinance
No. 2189 was introduced at the August 16 2004 Council me
eting;; However, following a routine
second "reading and 30 day wait period, it would',not become effective until mid- 2004.
Police Chief Steve Hoo''
Traffic Court that our" Soriomai e
Co� es of • to Sonoma County
ice De liaison
_ , _ _ ty ] g int this section of the Vehicle Code literally,
o
meaning-thatthey wiltusetthe date of the speed survey, not the date of Ordinance adoption or date it
is effective, gas the date, in which to validate any traffic citations issued by the City of Petaluma.
Unanimous approval of the urgency ordinance will do ;seveial' things:
surveyed streets;
' ® amend and re es p .�a o c t radar
enforcementeed zo
m e' validi
y of tho e t ons speeding violations;
assure the-
®. assure that an ci
Y tations issued by the City of Petaluma will be upheld by the Traffic Court
In addition to the streets identified in Phase 1, the survey or Phase12 has been completed as of
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August 20, 2004 and is. also included for urgency adoption.