Chap. 306.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Section 52, as amended, of Chapter
342 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 1932, approved March 26, 1932,
and known, designated and cited as the Motor Vehicle Code of Virginia, said
section relating to powers of local authorities. [H B 336]

Approved March 26, 1946

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: —

1. That section fifty-two, as amended, of chapter three hundred
and forty-two of the Acts of the General Assembly of nineteen hun-
dred thirty-two, approved March twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred thirty-
two, and known, designated and cited as the Motor Vehicle Code of Vir-
ginia, be amended and re-enacted, as follows:

Section 52. Powers of local authorities—Local authorities in cities
or towns shall have no power or authority to decrease any speed limita-
tion declared in this chapter or to enact or enforce any ordinance, rule
and regulation contrary to the provisions of this chapter except that such
local authorities shall have power to provide by ordinance for the regu-
lation of traffic by means of traffic officers or semaphores or other signal-
ling devices on any portion of the highway where traffic is heavy or con-
tinuous, or where in their judgment conditions may require, and may
prohibit other than one way traffic upon certain highways and may regu-
late the use of the highways by processions or assemblages.

Such local authorities may also, when and where conditions re-
quire:

(a) Adopt any such ordinances, rules and regulations not in conflict
with the provisions of this chapter, as the proper local authority shall
deem advisable and necessary, and to repeal, amend or modify any such
ordinance, rule or regulation; provided, however, that such ordinances,
rules or regulations shall not be deemed to be violated if, at the time of
the alleged violation, the designation placed in conformity with this para-
graph was missing, effaced, mutilated, or defaced, so that an ordinary
observant person,. under the same circumstances, would not be appraised
of or aware’ of the existence of such rule. Such authority may also,
when and where conditions require, enact ordinances, or adopt police
regulations, requiring all vehicles to come to a full stop at any street in-
tersection other than a street which has been designated as a part of the
primary system of State Highways in any town having a population of
less than thirty-five hundred according to the United States census of
nineteen hundred and twenty.

(b) Officers of the law, authorized or permitted under this chapter,
shall, by voice, hand or signal, direct all traffic, but shall not forbid or
prevent any one from proceeding or standing in a manner permitted or
required by law.

(c) Signals by traffic officers shall be as follows:

(1) By hand, to stop traffic, stand with shoulders parallel with
moving traffic, and with arms raised forty-five degrees above shoulder
toward moving lines of traffic, hand extended, palm toward traffic to be
stopped. Repeat movement with other hand to stop traffic from opposite
direction. By hand, to move traffic, stand so that shoulders are parallel
to line of traffic to be moved. Extend right arm and hand full length,
height of shoulders toward said traffic, fingers extended and joined, palm
downward, bring hand sharply in direction traffic is to move. Face about
and repeat the same movement to move traffic proceeding from opposite
direction.

(2) By whistle, one blast—moving traffic to stop; two blasts, traf-
fic in opposite direction to move; three or more short blasts, to warn of
approach of fire apparatus, or of an emergency when all traffic shall im-
mediately clear the intersection and stop.

(d) Signals by lights or semaphores shall be as follows: Red in-
dicates that trafic then moving shall stop and remain stopped as long as
the red signal is shown. Green indicates that traffic shall then move in
the direction of the signal, and remain in motion as long as the green
signal is given.

Amber indicates that a change is about to be made in the direction
of the movement of traffic. When the amber signal is shown, traffic
which has not already entered the intersection, including the crosswalks,
shall stop, but, that which has entered the intersection shall continue to
move until the intersection has been entirely cleared.

When semaphores not in operation, the use of amber light indicates
need for caution.

(e) The authorities of counties, except as herein otherwise pro-
vided, in this State shall have no authority to adopt any ordinances,
rules and regulations concerning matters covered by this chapter of this
act. All ordinances, rules and regulations, except as herein otherwise
provided, adopted by the authorities of any county in conflict with the
provisions of this subsection of this section are hereby repealed. __

Provided, however, that nothing in this subsection shall apply to
the authorities or the ordinances, rules and regulations, adopted by the
authorities of any county which adjoins a city within or without this
State having a population of one hundred and twenty-five thousand or
more, provided such county has a trial justice, and, provided, further,
that the fines collected for the violation of such ordinances shall be paid
to the State when the arrest is made by an officer of any division of the
State government. |

({) Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, the board of
supervisors or other governing body of any county having, according
to the last preceding United States census, more than five hundred in-
habitants per square mile, may by ordinance prescribe maximum speed
limits for vehicles operated upon any highway in such county, or for
certain sections or zones thereof designated by the said board of super-
visors or other governing body of such county, and fix penalties for viola-
tions of such ordinances, which penalties, however, shall not exceed the
penalties prescribed for violations of the provisions of section sixty-two
of this act. Such maximum speed limits may parallel, reduce or increase
those prescribed by subsection (b) of section sixty-two of this act. When
the board of supervisors or other governing body of any such county
prescribes maximum speed limits, for any highway or highways in such
county, then appropriate markers or signs stating such maximum speed
shall be erected and maintained on or along those highways in such
county; such markers or signs on or along State Highways shall be
erected and maintained by the State Highway Commission; and such
markers or signs on or along other highways shall be erected and main-
tained by such county. The approval of any such ordinance by the cir-
cuit court of such county or the judge thereof in vacation is not required,
but a certified copy of each such ordinance affecting any one or more
State highways shall, promptly after adoption, be filed by the said board
or body of such county with the State Highway Commission. All fines
collected for the violation of any such ordinance shall be paid to the State
when the arrest is made by an officer of any division of the State govern-
ment.

(g) The governing bodies of cities and towns may by ordinance,
whenever, in their judgment conditions so require, (1) prohibit the use
of motor trucks, except for the purpose of receiving loads or making de-
liveries, on certain designated streets; (2) restrict the use of motor trucks
passing through the city or town to such street or streets, as may be
designated in such ordinance; (3) prohibit the use of certain designated
streets by private carriers for hire as well as common carriers, except for
the purpose of receiving passengers or goods or making deliveries.

2. An emergency exists and this act is in force from its passage.