As prepared for the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety in 1928, May 27-28-29, 1930 N3 1930 Associations cooperating with the Department of Commerce in organizing and financing the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION AMERICAN ELECTRIC RAILWAY ASSOCIATION AMERICAN MUTUAL ALLIANCE AMERICAN RAILWAY ASSOCIATION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES MOTOR AND EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TAXICAB OWNERS NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NATIONAL BUREAU OF CASUALTY & SURETY UNDERWRITERS NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL RUBBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION NO VINU The Automobile Club of Southern California made substantial contributions to the staff work on the Uniform Vehicle Code and Model Municipal Traffic Ordinance (1925-30). The National Research Council contributed substantially to financing the work of the Committee on Causes of Accidents (1925-26). The American Engineering Council conducted and financed the development of the Report on Street Traffic Signs, Signals and Markings (1927-30). The Model Municipal Traffic Ordinance is designed to supplement for municipal use the Uniform Vehicle Code of recommended state legislation. The Ordinance was first prepared in 1927-28 for the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety by a representative Committee. It was based on an analysis of the existing traffic ordinances of one hundred American cities and towns and of model ordinances then available in several states, while care was taken at the same time to make it in complete harmony with the Uniform Vehicle Code. Since the completion of the Ordinance in 1928, a substantial number of cities and towns have adopted it, and three states, New Jersey, New York and Wisconsin, have incorporated most of the Ordinance in their state laws, thus providing by state enactment for uniformity in municipal traffic regulations. There has thus been developed considerable experience in the actual operation of the Ordinance. During 1929 and 1930 the Committee on Uniform Traffic Regulation reviewed the Ordinance in the light of this experience and recommended certain changes to meet present conditions more fully, and to conform to the revisions recommended in the Uniform Vehicle Code. These proposals were given widespread distribution for the purpose of securing criticism and suggestions prior to the Third National Conference on Street and Highway Safety held on May 27-28-29, 1930. That Conference, which was participated in by delegates from nearly every State in the Union, including official representatives appointed by the Governors of forty-two states, considered the revised draft in detail and, after making certain further changes, unanimously approved the Ordinance and recommended it for adoption by municipalities. The revised text of Act IV of the Uniform Vehicle Code (Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways) as approved by the Conference contains many provisions formerly carried only in the Ordinance. However, to assist municipalities desiring complete ordinances in states which have not yet adopted the Code or in which it is necessary for purposes of local enforce 3 M17532 ment to repeat basic state law provisions, and to bring them to the attention of the public, most of these provisions are retained in the Ordinance. Thus the Ordinance as now revised contains both model provisions covering purely local traffic regulations and, in addition, certain provisions of the Code. These Code provisions are in two classes, those pertaining to city conditions which are embodied in the text of the Ordinance and those of both urban and rural application which are given in the appendix to the Ordi nance. For further assistance to municipalities the Third National Conference on Street and Highway Safety approved, with certain amendments, a Manual of Street Traffic Signs, Signals and Markings prepared for the Conference in 1927-30 by the American Engineering Council. This Manual affords technical standards for traffic control devices, the legal significance of which is prescribed in the Model Municipal Traffic Ordinance. The amended Ordinance with presented. Washington, D. C. explanatory notes is here ROBERT P. LAMONT, October 24, 1930. SECTION 3. 9 11 SECTION 4. (Board of Police Commissioners or Traffic 11 12 SECTION 5. SECTION 6. Public Employees to Obey Traffic Regulations 12 12 12 SECTION 12. SECTION 13. Interference with Signs and Signals Prohibited 15 (Traffic Authority) Authorized to Designate Crosswalks 15 SECTION 14. (Traffic Authority) Authorized to Designate 16 |