From how long a vehicle may remain parked on a residential street to where large commercial trucks may travel, Crandall’s Code of Ordinances contains a number of traffic and vehicle rules that residents may encounter in everyday driving.
Chapter 12 of the city code covers traffic-control devices, vehicle operation, speed limits, school zones, parking and designated truck routes. Texas motor vehicle laws also apply on Crandall streets.
The general speed limit is 30 mph
Unless signs establish a different limit, Crandall’s ordinance sets the maximum speed on city streets at 30 mph. The maximum speed in an alley is 15 mph.
Drivers are also required to travel at a reasonable and prudent speed for existing conditions. That means a posted limit does not eliminate a driver’s responsibility to slow down when traffic, pedestrians, weather or other hazards require additional caution.
Driving so slowly that it unnecessarily impedes the normal and reasonable movement of traffic is also prohibited unless the slower speed is necessary for safety, required by law or directed by a police officer.
Drivers must obey official traffic-control devices
Crandall requires drivers to follow official traffic signs, signals and pavement or curb markings unless a police officer directs otherwise.
Residents also may not install signs or devices that imitate official traffic-control equipment, attempt to direct traffic or interfere with the visibility or effectiveness of an official sign or signal.
Altering, damaging, knocking down or removing traffic-control devices, railroad signals or street-name signs without legal authority is prohibited.
Give emergency vehicles plenty of room
Crandall’s code specifically prohibits drivers from following or pursuing a fire department vehicle or other emergency vehicle at a distance of less than 600 feet.
Drivers also may not park within the block where fire department vehicles or apparatus are positioned while responding to a fire alarm.
Another provision makes it unlawful to drive across an unprotected fire hose being used along a street, alley or private driveway unless permission or direction is given by the fire chief, police chief or another authorized fire or police official.
Wireless-device rules apply in school crossing zones
Crandall’s ordinance prohibits motorists from using wireless communication devices while driving through a school crossing zone on official school days when the zone is active and the required signs are posted.
The city ordinance provides exceptions when the vehicle is stopped or the device is being used hands-free. It also contains defenses and exemptions for certain emergency communications and official emergency personnel.
A violation of the city’s school-zone wireless-device provisions is classified as a Class C misdemeanor and carries a fine of up to $200.
Residential street parking has a 76-hour limit
A vehicle, boat or trailer cannot remain parked, stopped or standing on a public street, parkway, boulevard or thoroughfare in a residentially zoned district for more than 76 hours.
A violation of that provision is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $200.
Parking in the yard requires an approved surface
Parking a vehicle in the front, side or rear yard of a residential property is also regulated.
The ordinance requires motor vehicles and trailers parked or stored in those areas to be on an impermeable surface such as concrete or asphalt, or on an all-weather surface consisting at minimum of gravel or crushed rock.
The parking area must be contiguous to the existing driveway and comply with other applicable city requirements.
Do not block cluster mailboxes
Crandall added specific restrictions for parking near cluster mailbox units.
From 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, a vehicle may not stand or park on a public street within 15 feet of a cluster mailbox.
The ordinance allows motorists to stop momentarily to pick up or drop off passengers or to load or unload merchandise.
Fire lanes must remain clear
Parking is prohibited on streets, alleys or portions of those areas that have been officially designated as fire lanes and identified through signs or painted curbs.
The restriction does not apply to emergency vehicles being used in connection with fire department operations.
Large commercial vehicles must use designated truck routes
Crandall generally prohibits qualifying commercial motor vehicles from operating or parking on public streets other than designated truck routes.
For this section of the code, the definition generally includes certain trucks, tractors, trailers and combinations with a gross registered carrying capacity of more than 28,000 pounds. Passenger buses, passenger cars, motorcycles, panel delivery trucks and pickup trucks are excluded from that definition.
The designated routes are Loop 219; Main Street from Loop 219 to Lewis Street; Gleason Street from Main Street to Meadow Creek Drive; FM 148; and FM 3039.
Commercial vehicles may leave those routes when necessary to make deliveries, load or unload, provide certain services or reach a destination covered by the ordinance. In those situations, drivers are required to use the shortest practicable route between the destination and a designated truck route.
Emergency vehicles, certain public-utility vehicles and public-service vehicles such as garbage trucks, street-repair vehicles and water-service or maintenance vehicles are also exempt from the truck-route restriction under specified circumstances.
Violations can carry fines
When the Crandall Code of Ordinances makes an action unlawful but does not establish a specific penalty, the city’s general penalty provision allows a fine of up to $500, subject to limitations imposed by state law.
Unless another provision states otherwise, each day a violation continues may constitute a separate offense.
