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- Traffic Direction and Control, G.O. No. 3.4.15 Page 1 ALBANY, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT 165 HENRY JOHNSON BOULEVARD ALBANY, NEW YORK 12210 TRAFFIC DIRECTION AND CONTROL GENERAL ORDER: 3.4.15 Issue Date: August 24, 2016 Effective Date: March 1998 Revision Date: November 16, 2015 CALEA: 61.3.2, 61.3.4 Volume 3: Operations Chapter 4: Special Operations Distribution: All Personnel NYSLEAP: 47.3 Issuing Authority: Chief Eric Hawkins Page: 1 of 7 PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to contribute to the safe and efficient movement of vehicles and pedestrians in the City of Albany through the effective use of traffic control measures. POLICY: It is the policy of the Albany Police Department to ensure the safe and efficient movement of vehicles and pedestrians in the City of Albany. I. TRAFFIC ENGINEERING A. Traffic Engineering is a non-sworn unit of the Albany Police Department responsible for the design, maintenance, and construction of all traffic control devices within the City of Albany. B. The Chief Engineer of Traffic Engineering is responsible for the administration and operation of the unit under the direction of the Commander of Special Operations. C. Duties of Traffic Engineering: 1. Responsible for the design and review of all traffic control devices, work zone safety and a review of all construction projects within the City of Albany. 2. Maintenance responsibility of all the traffic signals and the signalized warning devices within the City. 3. Maintenance responsibility for all traffic signs and pavement markings. 4. Responsible for maintaining access to all Public Safety buildings in all weather conditions. D. Traffic Engineering shall be tasked with review and approval of the following: 1. Sidewalk and barricade permits submitted to the Division of Buildings and Codes; 2. Curb cut permits (permanent and temporary) submitted to the Department of General Services; Eric Hawkins Chief of Police 1789 ---PAGE BREAK--- - Traffic Direction and Control, G.O. No. 3.4.15 Page 2 3. All new construction sites within the City of Albany; 4. All over-sized and heavy loads passing through the City of Albany; 5. Coordination of all roadwork projects with the Department of General Services, New York State Department of Transportation, and the New York State Thruway Authority; 6. Safety review of all Albany Parking Authority parking meter installations, and coordination of all “bagging” of parking meters for various events, functions, moving, and construction needs; 7. Coordination and implementation of Emergency No Parking for special need parking restrictions; and 8. Coordination with Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA.) on bus routes and stops. E. Emergency No Parking (ENP) 1. Traffic Engineering will review all requests ENP and approve or deny said requests based on the need to reserve space on City streets for a legitimate purpose; 2. Upon approval of ENP the Albany Parking Authority will be notified to complete the posting of signs and the bagging of meters for the designated area; 3. The signs will clearly state the dates and times of emergency no parking and will be distributed in a manner that is clear to citizen where the area encompasses; 4. Communications will be provided with a list of all ENP so that it can be verified 24/7; 5. The requesting party will be charged a reasonable fee as follows: a. Up to 3 spaces is $25.00 b. 4 to 9 spaces is $50.00 c. Over 10 spaces is $100.00 6. The original charge will allow the spaces to be reserved for three days. Any posting that goes beyond 3 days will incur a cost of $15.00 per day. 7. The Chief of Police or his designee can waive all fees based upon a valid public purpose. II. TRAFFIC CONTROL PROCEDURES A. It is the responsibility of patrol officers to establish control of traffic, to facilitate vehicle movement, and to protect all persons at an emergency scene or a planned event. B. Many situations demanding traffic direction and control are predictable. Conditions and circumstances at a given location may be such that the kind of services needed, and the times at which they are required, can be identified with a high degree of precision. This permits the timely planning of traffic direction and the use of traffic control devices and the assignment of resources for implementing traffic control functions. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Traffic Direction and Control, G.O. No. 3.4.15 Page 3 C. The following identifies those situations requiring direct police action to allow for the safe direction and control of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. All personnel directing traffic, or in the roadway controlling traffic, shall wear reflective clothing at all times 1. Collision Scenes: a. Officers dispatched to a collision scene shall be responsible for safeguarding the scene and establishing traffic control. b. Traffic control should provide for the safe movement of all vehicles around the collision scene. c. Traffic control must ensure that vehicles do not obstruct emergency operations. 2. Manual Traffic Direction: a. Manual traffic direction shall be performed by uniformed officers in situations where existing traffic control signals or devices may be malfunctioning or lacking. b. In addition, the manual direction of traffic may be dictated by emergency situations, such as accidents, fires, downed wires, or planned events, such as road construction or parades. c. Manual direction of traffic will be conducted in a manner that will enable vehicle operators and pedestrians to recognize and respond to verbal commands and hand gestured motions. d. Manual direction of traffic procedures: i To stop traffic, officers shall use full extension of the arm outward with the palm directed toward the vehicle or person to be stopped. Officers may use verbal or whistle commands to accentuate the hand gesture. ii To start traffic from the stop position, officers shall move their arm at the elbow in a manner to indicate that traffic may proceed. Officers shall raise their forearm upwards and in the direction in which traffic is to move. iii To direct right turns, the officer will gesture to the operator of a vehicle desiring to turn right to perform the maneuver by extending their arm toward the direction in which movement is to be made. iv Left turns are to be permitted only when there is a gap in oncoming traffic sufficient to safely allow such a turn or when oncoming traffic has been stopped. The officer will point in the direction of the turn when such movement can be made safely. v Officers will remain calm and professional at all times while directing traffic. There will be occasions when motorists or pedestrians do not understand the officer’s directions or may attempt to avoid compliance. Officers should respond in these situations with courtesy and professionalism. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Traffic Direction and Control, G.O. No. 3.4.15 Page 4 3. Fire Scenes and Other Critical Incidents: a. The primary duty and responsibility of officers dispatched to a fire scene is to establish traffic control. b. Vehicular traffic will not be allowed into an area where an active critical incident is occurring, or where fire hoses or other specialized equipment are across roadways. c. Traffic will be diverted from the area and a perimeter established which is close enough to the scene to control access but distant enough to prevent injuries and damage to equipment. d. The traffic control must ensure that all vehicles, including fire vehicles, do not obstruct emergency operations. e. In the event of the failure of existing traffic control signals during severe accidents, fires, natural disasters or other critical incident, traffic engineering and available personnel may place temporary traffic control devices, such as portable stop signs, detour signs, warning signs, etc. f. The traffic control should provide for the safe movement of all vehicles. 4. Adverse Road and Weather Conditions: a. Officers will be cognizant of changing weather conditions during their tour of duty and the effect of the weather on road conditions. b. Adverse road conditions may also arise out of situations including roadway depressions, construction, or downed power lines. These conditions may require the placement of temporary traffic control devices. c. Communications should be kept informed of adverse conditions so a determination can be made to notify the Department of General Services to reduce or remove the hazards. i When applicable, the Public Information Officer (PIO) shall relay information regarding adverse road conditions and/or road closures via Nixel, as well as department social media sites (Facebook, Twitter). d. Officers may be used to provide on scene traffic direction, when necessary. 5. Traffic Control Signals Manual Operation: a. On some occasions, when a traffic control signal is malfunctioning the control signal may be put on the “flash” mode, provided such action does not result in the creation of a more hazardous situation. 6. Temporary Traffic Control Devices: a. Temporary traffic control devices will normally be placed by Traffic ---PAGE BREAK--- - Traffic Direction and Control, G.O. No. 3.4.15 Page 5 Engineering during normal working hours. b. After normal working hours Traffic Engineering can be authorized by the Patrol or Traffic Safety Supervisor to be brought in and set up as necessary. D. Special Events/Traffic: 1. Special events are those planned activities involving a large volume of vehicular or pedestrian traffic, such as parades, sporting events, picketing demonstrations, and road construction. 2. The Special Operations Lieutenant will assist in planning to meet traffic direction and control needs for such events, including the provisions for: a. Ingress and egress of vehicles and pedestrians. b. Parking and spectator control. c. Relief of officers assigned point control duties. d. News media. e. Alternate routes for through traffic. f. Temporary traffic controls and parking prohibitions. g. Emergency vehicle access. h. Getting information to the media, in a timely manner, concerning changes affecting traffic and/or parking. III. SCHOOLCROSSING GUARDS A. Authority and Responsibilities 1. The School Crossing Guard Program is a function of Special Operations under the supervision of the Traffic Safety Sergeant. a. A Crossing Guard Coordinator assists the Traffic Safety Sergeant with the administration of the program. 2. School Crossing Guards are part time civilian employees, and as such, do not have any law enforcement authority. 3. School Crossing Guards are responsible for facilitating students safely crossing roadways at designated locations and times. B. Selection Criteria: 1. Applicants for school crossing guard positions shall submit an application to the Crossing Guard Coordinator for review and filing. 2. The Crossing Guard Coordinator will then review the applications and schedules applicants for interviews. 3. Applicants must be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the start of the school year and be of good character and reputation. 4. Each applicant must have the ability to cope with traffic situations firmly, courteously and tactfully. A school crossing officer must exhibit the ability to treat the public in a courteous and tactful manner and remain alert at all times to act quickly and judiciously in emergencies. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Traffic Direction and Control, G.O. No. 3.4.15 Page 6 5. The applicant must have the ability to understand and carry out simple oral and/or written instructions. A school crossing officer also must be able to work during inclement weather. 6. Applicants who are selected for employment must fill out all necessary department paperwork and receive training prior to assignment to a school crossing post. C. Uniforms and Appearance: 1. School crossing guards shall be clean and neat in appearance and wear the full school crossing officer uniform, so as to be distinctively identified by the motoring public. 2. School crossing guard uniforms shall consist of a reflective vest and reflective stop sign, which shall be worn and utilized at all times while on post. D. School Crossing Guard Posts 1. School Crossing Guards will be deployed at locations where students require assistance to safely cross roadways. 2. School crossing guards will only be assigned to those crossings which have been approved by E. Annual Review: 1. Annually, the Traffic Safety Sergeant, in conjunction with the School Crossing Guard Coordinator will conduct a documented review of proposed school crossing guard posts to determine if a need still exists for a school crossing guard at the current locations. a. If it is determined that, due to a lack of student pedestrian traffic, the need no longer exists at a given location, the school crossing guard will be reassigned to another location where needed. IV. STUDENT SAFETY PATROL PATROL/SCHOOL DISMISSAL A. The Student Safety Patrol Program is operated by the police department in conjunction with City of Albany schools to ensure the safety of students traveling to and from school. B. The Albany Police Department details patrol and specialized units to assist in school dismissal to ensure the safety of all students, school employees, and the public, and are not charged with the responsibility of directing vehicular traffic. C. The Student Safety patrols are not charged with the responsibility of directing vehicular traffic, nor do they assist the School Crossing Guards in the direction of vehicular traffic. ---PAGE BREAK--- - Traffic Direction and Control, G.O. No. 3.4.15 Page 7 V. LOCAL/REGIONAL PLANNING COMMITTEES A. The Albany Police Department, through Traffic Safety and Traffic Engineering, shall maintain liaison with local or regional transportation planning committees to ensure the safe and efficient flow of traffic and pedestrians on all its roadways. 1. Local/Regional Transportation Planning Committees, may include but are not limited to the following: a. Albany County Stop DWI; b. Albany County Traffic Safety Awareness Committee; c. New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC); d. Operation Safe Stop Education and Enforcement Day; e. New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC); f. Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS); g. Albany Police Traffic Safety Committee; and h. Police Traffic Services (PTS) Grant Program. i. The former Buckle Up New York (BUNY) seat belt enforcement program and the former Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) of previous years have now been integrated into a new Police Traffic Services (PTS) Grant Program.