Whenever in this title the following terms are used, they shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section:
"Alley"
means every way set apart for public travel except streets, bridle paths and foot paths.
"Authorized emergency vehicle"
means a vehicle of any of the following types:
(1) 
A vehicle publicly owned and operated by a police or fire department or traffic law enforcement officer in responding to emergency calls or in traffic patrol duty. Also, vehicles publicly owned and operated by members of the sheriff's or district attorney's office and subject to emergency calls;
(2) 
A motorcycle, either publicly or privately owned, operated by a police or traffic law enforcement officer in enforcing the provisions of this chapter;
(3) 
A motor vehicle, either publicly or privately owned, operated by a state or county forest ranger, a fire warden on salary and directly in charge of fire protection work upon behalf of the State or in any county, or the chief or assistant chief of an organized fire department in responding to emergency fire calls;
(4) 
Any firefighting equipment designed and operated exclusively as such by an oil company and used in responding to emergency fire calls and in combating fires;
(5) 
When used in responding to emergency calls, any privately owned ambulance authorized by permit issued by the Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles and any publicly owned ambulance;
(6) 
Any firefighting equipment, emergency wrecking equipment, emergency repair equipment owned and operated by a bridge and highway district for the purpose of extinguishing fires, removing wrecked motor vehicles, caring for injured persons or repairing damaged lighting or electrical equipment of such bridge and highway district when such vehicles are responding to emergency calls.
"Catering vehicle"
means any self-propelled vehicle used, designed or outfitted to prepare or dispense ready-to-eat food or beverages to patrons. "Catering vehicle" includes, but is not limited to, those vehicles which prepare or dispense hot food and those which prepare or dispense unheated food including produce. "Catering vehicle" does not include:
(1) 
Vehicles used solely to deliver food or beverages previously requested by a patron home or business establishment (such as "meals on wheels" or milk delivery trucks);
(2) 
Vehicles used for display, sale or dispersal of food or beverages as part of an organized community event.
(3) 
Vehicles used solely for sale of frozen novelties (individual ice-cream bars and the like), provided however, that the operator of such a vehicle may stop for no more than five minutes at one location on a public street and shall otherwise comply with Section 7-5.04 and State law when doing business.
(4) 
Vehicles and other wheeled vending equipment which are not self-propelled and which are used, designed or outfitted to dispense ready-to-eat food or beverages to patrons; provided however, that the operator of such a vehicle may stop for no more than five minutes at one location on a public street or sidewalk and shall otherwise comply with Section 7-5.04 and State law when doing business.
"Business district"
means that portion of a highway and the property contiguous thereto upon one side of which highway for a distance of 600 feet 50% or more of the contiguous property fronting thereon is occupied by buildings in use for business, or upon both sides of which highway collectively, for a distance of 300 feet, 50% or more of the contiguous property fronting thereon is so occupied. A business district may be longer than the distance specified in this subsection if the ratio of buildings in use for business to the length of highway exists as set forth in this subsection.
"Chauffeur"
means a person who is employed by another for the principal purpose of driving a motor vehicle on the highways and receives compensation therefor.
"Crosswalk"
means either:
(1) 
That portion of a roadway ordinarily included within the prolongation or connection of the boundary lines of sidewalks at intersections where the intersecting roadways meet at approximately right angles, except the prolongation of any such lines from an alley across a street;
(2) 
Any portion of a roadway distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossings by lines or other markings on the surface.
"Intersection"
means the area embraced within the prolongation of the lateral curblines or, if none, then the lateral boundary lines of the roadways of two highways which join one another at approximately right angles or the area within which vehicles traveling on different highways joining at any other angle may come in conflict.
"Loading zone"
means that space adjacent to a curb reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles during the loading or unloading of passengers or materials.
"Motorcycle"
means a motor vehicle other than a tractor, designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground.
"Motor vehicle"
means a vehicle which is self-propelled.
"Official warning and directional signs and signals"
means all warning and directional signs and signals not inconsistent with this title heretofore or hereafter placed or erected under this title or by authority of the board of councilmembers.
"Operator"
means a person, other than a chauffeur, who drives or is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle on a highway.
"Pedestrian"
means any person afoot.
"Private road or driveway"
means a way or place in private ownership and used for vehicular travel by the owner and those having express or implied permission from the owner, but not by other members of the public.
"Residence district"
means that portion of a highway and the property contiguous thereto, other than a business district, upon one side of which highway, within a distance of a quarter of a mile, the contiguous property fronting thereon is occupied by 13 or more separate dwelling houses or business structures, or upon both sides of which highway collectively, within a distance of 1/4 of a mile the contiguous property fronting thereon is occupied by 16 or more separate dwelling houses or business structures. A residence district may be longer than 1/4 of a mile if the ratio set out in this subsection of separate dwelling houses or business structures to the length of the highway exists.
"Right-of-way"
means the privilege of the immediate use of the street or highway.
"Roadway"
means that portion of a highway improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel.
"Safety zone"
means the area or space lawfully set apart within a roadway for the exclusive use of pedestrians and which is protected or which is marked or indicated by vertical signs, raised markers or raised buttons in order to make such area or space plainly visible at all times while the same is set apart as a safety zone.
"Sidewalk"
means that portion of a highway, other than the roadway, set apart for pedestrian travel.
"Street" or "highway"
means a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.
"Traffic"
means pedestrians and vehicles, either singly or together, while using any street or highway for purposes of travel.
"Vehicle"
means a device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be propelled, moved or drawn on a highway, except a device moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. For the purpose of this title, a bicycle shall be deemed a vehicle.
"Multi-purpose trail"
means a completely separated joint-use facility designed for shared pedestrian and bicycle use, A multi-purpose trail shall be a minimum of eight feet (8′) in width. These facilities may be located along rivers, abandoned and existing railroads, utility rights-of-way and between regional parks. They may also replace sidewalks in any residential district, if posted at each trail entrance with a sign reading substantially as follows:
Multi-purpose Trail
Pedestrian/Bicycles Facility
Santa Maria Municipal Code Section 7-10.08
(Prior Code § 16-1; Ord. 92-11 § 1, eff. 7/7/92; Ord. 88-17 § 1, eff. 10/20/88; Ord. 88-4 § 2, eff. 6/2/88; Ord. 2001-01, eff. 3/08/01)
(a) 
The City Council shall have the power, by order duly entered in the minutes of a regular meeting, to provide that any particular street or alley, or any portion thereof, shall be a one-way street; that is to say, the passage of vehicles over any particular street or alley, or any portion thereof, shall be limited to one direction only. Any such one-way street shall be posted with signs in such a manner as to clearly indicate that such street is a one-way street and in such a manner as to clearly indicate the direction which traffic is permitted to take.
(b) 
It is unlawful for any person to operate any vehicle over any one-way street posted as provided in this section in a direction other than the one permitted.
(Prior Code § 16-11)
Officers of the Police Department are authorized to direct all traffic by means of visible or audible signal, and it is unlawful for any person to refuse or fail to comply with any lawful order, signal or direction of a traffic or Police Officer.
(Prior Code § 16-12)
The provisions of this title regulating the movement, parking and standing of vehicles shall not apply to authorized emergency vehicles.
(Prior Code § 16-9)
The City Council finds and declares that there are privately owned and maintained roads within the City, as described in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, that are generally held open for use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel and which so connect with highways that the public cannot determine that such roads are not highways. From and after the effective date of the ordinance from which this section derives, the provisions of the Vehicle Code, pursuant to Section 21107.5 thereof, shall apply to the privately owned and maintained roads hereinafter described:
(a) 
All roads open to public vehicular traffic within the boundaries of the Santa Maria Public Airport and within Santa Barbara County Park Tract 5057;
(b) 
Those roads or portions of roads open to public vehicular traffic and known as Dal Porto Lane, West Street, Lincoln Street and Thornburg Street, not dedicated as public streets within the area bounded by Carmen Lane on the north, Broadway on the east, Betteravia on the south, and the Santa Maria Valley Railroad right-of-way on the west.
(Prior Code § 16-70)
The Council finds and declares that there are privately owned and maintained off-street parking facilities, as described in subsection (a) of this section, that are generally held open for use of the public for purposes of vehicular parking. From and after the effective date of the ordinance from which this section derives, the provisions of the Vehicle Code of the State, pursuant to Section 21107.8 thereof, and the provisions of Chapters 7-1 through 7-9, 7-11 and 7-12 of this Code, shall apply to the privately owned and maintained off-street parking facilities hereinafter described:
(a) 
All parking and vehicular ingress and egress within the area bounded by South Broadway on the west, East Main Street on the north, South Miller Street on the east, and East Cook Street on the south.
(Prior Code § 16-71)
The Council finds and declares that there are privately owned and maintained roads, as described in subsection (a) of this section, which are generally held open to the public for purposes of vehicular travel to serve commercial establishments. From and after the effective date of the ordinance from which this section derives, the provisions of the Vehicle Code, pursuant to Section 21107.6 thereof, shall apply to the private roads servicing commercial establishments hereinafter described:
(a) 
Public access easements, as shown on Lots 1, 3, 5 and 13 on the central City final map, Tract 5133.
(Prior Code § 16-72)
Pursuant to Vehicle Code Section 21101, subsection (e), the City Manager, or designee thereof, with the written concurrence of the Director of Public Works, Fire Chief and Chief of Police, may temporarily close a portion of any street, except a State highway, for celebrations, parades, local special events and other purposes when, in the opinion of the City Manager, or a designee thereof, the closing is necessary for the safety and protection of persons who are to use that portion of the street during the temporary closing.
(Ord. 84-1085 § 1, eff. 11/15/84)