Florida Senate - 2012 SB 590
By Senator Garcia
40-00552-12 2012590__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to traffic control signals; amending
3 s. 316.075, F.S.; requiring traffic control signals to
4 maintain certain signal intervals and display
5 durations based on approach speeds; providing that a
6 citation for specified violations shall be dismissed
7 if the traffic control signal does not meet specified
8 requirements; providing dates for intersections to
9 meet requirements of the act; providing an effective
10 date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Section 316.075, Florida Statutes, is amended to
15 read:
16 316.075 Traffic control signal devices.—
17 (1) Except for automatic warning signal lights installed or
18 to be installed at railroad crossings, whenever traffic,
19 including municipal traffic, is controlled by traffic control
20 signals exhibiting different colored lights, or colored lighted
21 arrows, successively one at a time or in combination, only the
22 colors green, red, and yellow shall be used, except for special
23 pedestrian signals carrying a word legend, and the lights shall
24 indicate and apply to drivers of vehicles and pedestrians as
25 follows:
26 (a) Green indication.—
27 1. Vehicular traffic facing a circular green signal may
28 proceed cautiously straight through or turn right or left unless
29 a sign at such place prohibits either such turn. But vehicular
30 traffic, including vehicles turning right or left, shall yield
31 the right-of-way to other vehicles and to pedestrians lawfully
32 within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk at the time
33 such signal is exhibited.
34 2. Vehicular traffic facing a green arrow signal, shown
35 alone or in combination with another indication, as directed by
36 the manual, may cautiously enter the intersection only to make
37 the movement indicated by such arrow, or such other movement as
38 is permitted by other indications shown at the same time, except
39 the driver of any vehicle may U-turn, so as to proceed in the
40 opposite direction unless such movement is prohibited by posted
41 traffic control signs. Such vehicular traffic shall yield the
42 right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent
43 crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully using the intersection.
44 3. Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian control signal
45 as provided in s. 316.0755, pedestrians facing any green signal,
46 except when the sole green signal is a turn arrow, may proceed
47 across the roadway within any marked or unmarked crosswalk.
48 (b) Steady yellow indication.—
49 1. Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow signal is
50 thereby warned that the related green movement is being
51 terminated or that a red indication will be exhibited
52 immediately thereafter when vehicular traffic shall not enter
53 the intersection.
54 2. Pedestrians facing a steady yellow signal, unless
55 otherwise directed by a pedestrian control signal as provided in
56 s. 316.0755, are thereby advised that there is insufficient time
57 to cross the roadway before a red indication is shown and no
58 pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway.
59 (c) Steady red indication.—
60 1. Vehicular traffic facing a steady red signal shall stop
61 before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the
62 intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection
63 and shall remain standing until a green indication is shown;
64 however:
65 a. The driver of a vehicle which is stopped at a clearly
66 marked stop line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on
67 the near side of the intersection, or, if none then at the point
68 nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of
69 approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering
70 the intersection in obedience to a steady red signal may make a
71 right turn, but shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and
72 other traffic proceeding as directed by the signal at the
73 intersection, except that municipal and county authorities may
74 prohibit any such right turn against a steady red signal at any
75 intersection, which prohibition shall be effective when a sign
76 giving notice thereof is erected in a location visible to
77 traffic approaching the intersection.
78 b. The driver of a vehicle on a one-way street that
79 intersects another one-way street on which traffic moves to the
80 left shall stop in obedience to a steady red signal, but may
81 then make a left turn into the one-way street, but shall yield
82 the right-of-way to pedestrians and other traffic proceeding as
83 directed by the signal at the intersection, except that
84 municipal and county authorities may prohibit any such left turn
85 as described, which prohibition shall be effective when a sign
86 giving notice thereof is attached to the traffic control signal
87 device at the intersection.
88 2.a. The driver of a vehicle facing a steady red signal
89 shall stop before entering the crosswalk and remain stopped to
90 allow a pedestrian, with a permitted signal, to cross a roadway
91 when the pedestrian is in the crosswalk or steps into the
92 crosswalk and is upon the half of the roadway upon which the
93 vehicle is traveling or when the pedestrian is approaching so
94 closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in
95 danger.
96 b. Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian control signal
97 as provided in s. 316.0755, pedestrians facing a steady red
98 signal shall not enter the roadway.
99 (2) In the event an official traffic control signal is
100 erected and maintained at a place other than an intersection,
101 the provisions of this section shall be applicable except as to
102 those provisions which by their nature can have no application.
103 Any stop required shall be made at a sign or marking on the
104 pavement indicating where the stop shall be made, but in the
105 absence of any such sign or marking the stop shall be made at
106 the signal.
107 (3)(a) A No traffic control signal device may not shall be
108 used unless it exhibits which does not exhibit a yellow or
109 “caution” light between the green or “go” signal and the red or
110 “stop” signal. Whenever an engineering analysis is undertaken
111 for the purpose of evaluating or reevaluating yellow and red
112 signal display durations of a new or existing traffic control
113 signal, the department and local authorities shall adhere to the
114 following:
115 1. The minimum yellow signal display duration on traffic
116 control signals shall be based on the posted speed limit plus 10
117 percent along with the standards set forth in the Institute of
118 Transportation Engineers Traffic Engineering Handbook, sixth
119 edition, published in March, 2009. The minimum yellow signal
120 display duration shall be 3 seconds for traffic control signals
121 on streets with a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour or
122 less. The minimum yellow signal display duration found after the
123 evaluation or reevaluation under this paragraph shall be raised
124 to the nearest half second not to exceed 6 seconds.
125 2. Intersections with a posted speed limit greater than 55
126 miles per hour shall have, on approach, a sign posted in
127 accordance with the Department of Transportation’s manual of
128 uniform traffic control devices to alert drivers to the traffic
129 control signal.
130 (b) A No traffic control signal device may not shall
131 display other than the color red at the top of the vertical
132 signal, nor may shall it display other than the color red at the
133 extreme left of the horizontal signal.
134 (c) To provide additional time before conflicting traffic
135 movements proceed, the yellow signal display shall be followed
136 by an all red clearance interval delaying the change of opposing
137 red light signals. The duration of the clearance interval shall
138 be determined by engineering practices as provided for in the
139 Department of Transportation’s manual of uniform traffic control
140 devices required under s. 316.0745. The duration of a red
141 clearance interval may be extended from its predetermined value
142 for a given cycle based upon the detection of a vehicle that is
143 predicted to violate the red signal indication.
144 (4) A violation of subsection (1) or subsection (2) this
145 section is a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable pursuant
146 to chapter 318 as either a pedestrian violation or, if the
147 infraction resulted from the operation of a vehicle, as a moving
148 violation. However, a citation for a violation of subparagraph
149 (1)(c)1. committed at an intersection where the traffic signal
150 device does not meet all requirements under subsection (3) is
151 unenforceable and the court, clerk of the court, designated
152 official, or authorized operator of a traffic violations bureau
153 shall dismiss the citation without penalty or assessment of
154 points against the license of the person cited. Dismissal of the
155 citation under this subsection does not affect the validity of
156 any other citation or charge for a violation of law and the
157 dismissal may not be used as evidence in any other civil or
158 criminal proceeding. Intersections with traffic infraction
159 detectors must meet the requirements in this section by December
160 31, 2012, or any citations issued at the intersections that do
161 not meet the requirements in this section shall be dismissed
162 under this subsection. All other intersections must meet the
163 requirements in this section by December 31, 2013, or any
164 citations issued at the intersections that do not meet the
165 requirements in this section shall be dismissed under this
166 subsection. One-third of the total number of intersections must
167 be examined and brought into compliance each year until all
168 intersections are in compliance.
169 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.