Published: November 03, 2009 10:05 pm      

Amended city traffic law starts Nov. 12

EDMOND — Edmond Police soon will stop motorists who violate a clarified city ordinance regarding unsafe turns.

City Attorney Steve Murdock said the changes, requested by Edmond Police Sgt. Acey Hopper, will take effect Nov. 12, one month after they were approved by the City Council. Murdock said the revised ordinance is similar to state law and was needed to more effectively enforce turning violations.

Hopper said the change is nothing new. Motorists know they should clear and yield to traffic before turning. The city just did not have an ordinance to directly reflect the violation of making sure it’s reasonably safe prior to turning, he said.

Also, existing law does not cover some of the large intersections with private drives, Hopper said. Currently, if a motorist is turning into a private drive and street intersection the city does not have an ordinance that directly met the offense, he said.

“I'm referring to areas like the Target area and Walmart area,” Hopper said. “Our current failure to yield ordinance only applies when two highways or streets intersect.”

The existing improper left turn ordinance speaks only to turning from the left lane to the left lane of the street being entered, Hopper said. And it does not address the issue of yielding either, he said.

“Officers were having to try to apply ordinances that were insufficient to the circumstances at hand,” he said.

Edmond’s new ordinance states: “10.32.020 Unsafe Turns. No person shall turn a vehicle at an intersection, a public or private road or a driveway unless the vehicle is in proper position upon the roadway as required in Section 10.32.010 of this Chapter, or move right or left upon a roadway unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety.

“No person shall so turn any vehicle without giving an appropriate signal as provided in Section 10.32.060 of this Chapter, in the event any other traffic may be affected by such movement.”

Hopper said he was inspired to propose this ordinance by the officers who would ask what ordinance best fits on fail to yield while turning issues.

Hopper said Edmond’s streets already are safe. Since this ordinance isn’t a new law but just a clarification and it’s more specific than older ordinances, the city’s streets will continue to be safe.



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