The Board of Selectmen of the Town of Williamstown
acting by virtue of the power given to it by MGL c. 40, § 22,
and by virtue of any other power it hereto enabling, hereby adopts
and makes the rules and orders for the regulation of carriages and
vehicles used in the said Town for regulating traffic upon the streets
and highways of said Town which are hereto annexed, the same to be
known as the "Traffic Rules and Orders of the Town of Williamstown."
Insofar as the said rules and orders or any of them are the same as
the regulations, rules and orders now in force, they shall be deemed
to be a continuation thereof.
For the purpose of these rules and orders, the
words and phrases used herein have the following meanings, except
in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different
meaning:
An area in the roadway set aside for the boarding of or alighting
from and the parking of buses.
That portion of a roadway ordinarily included within the
prolongation or connection of curblines and property lines at intersections,
or at any portion of a roadway clearly indicated for pedestrian crossing
by lines on the road surface or by other marking or signs.
That portion of a curbing, the painting of which has been
authorized by the Board of Selectmen, and which has the written approval
of the Department of Public Works, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Vehicles of the Fire Department (Fire Patrol), police vehicles,
ambulances and emergency vehicles of federal, state and municipal
departments or public service corporations when the latter are responding
to an emergency in relation to the Police or Fire Department.
Any procession of mourners properly identified as such accompanying
the remains of a human body.
The area embraced within the extensions of the lateral curblines,
or if none, then the lateral boundary lines, of intersecting ways
as defined in MGL C. 90, § 1, including divided ways. The
rules and regulations herein contained governing and restricting the
movement of vehicles at and near intersecting ways shall apply at
any place along any way at which drivers are to be controlled by traffic
control signals whether or not such place is an intersection as herein
defined.
A longitudinal division of a roadway into a strip of sufficient
width to accommodate the passage of a single line of vehicles.
Any officer of the Town of Williamstown Police Department
or any officer authorized to direct or regulate traffic or to make
arrests for the violation of traffic regulations.
The standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise
than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in
loading or unloading, or in obedience to an officer or traffic signs
or signals, or while making emergency repairs or, if disabled, while
arrangements are being made to move such vehicle.
Any person afoot or riding on a conveyance moved by human
muscular power, except bicycles or tricycles, as defined in MGL C.
90, § 18A.
Any individual, firm, copartnership, association or corporation.
That portion of a street or highway between the regularly
established curblines or that part, exclusive of shoulders, improved
and intended to be used for vehicular traffic.
The counterclockwise operation of a vehicle around an object
or structure.
As referred to in MGL c. 90, § 17, shall be defined
as any area of roadway which is posted and marked in accordance with
the standards prescribed by the Department of Public Works, Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, and these regulations to indicate the applicability
of the statutory speed limit of 20 miles per hour (MPH) for all vehicles
within the zone.
[Added 3-14-2005]
An area in the roadway set aside for the accommodation of
commercial and transient vehicular traffic.
The entire width between property lines of every way open
to the use of the public for purposes of travel.
Any painted line, legend, marking or marker of any description
painted or placed upon any way which purports to direct or regulate
traffic and which has been authorized by the Board of Selectmen and
which has the written approval of the Department of Public Works,
Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
An area in the roadway in which certain taxicabs are authorized
and required to park while waiting to be engaged.
Pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, street cars
or other conveyances, either singly or together, while using any street
or highway for the purpose of travel.
Any area along any way, other than an intersecting way, at
which drivers are to be controlled by traffic control signals.
Any device using colored lights which conforms to the standards
as prescribed by the Department of Public Works of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, whether manually, electrically or mechanically operated,
by which traffic may be alternately directed to stop and to proceed.
Any area or space set aside within a roadway, which is not
intended for use by vehicular traffic.
All signs, markings and devices, other than signals, not
inconsistent with these rules and orders, and which conform to the
standards prescribed by the Department of Public Works of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts and placed or erected by authority of a public body
or official having jurisdiction for the purpose of guiding, directing,
warning or regulating traffic.
All signals, conforming to the standards as prescribed by
the Department of Public Works of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
not inconsistent with these rules and orders, placed or erected by
authority of a public body or official having jurisdiction, for the
purpose of directing or warning traffic.
The turning of a vehicle whereby the direction of such vehicle
is reversed.
Every device in, upon or by which any person or property
is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, including bicycles
when the provision of these rules are applicable to them, except other
devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails
or tracks and devices which derive their power for operation from
stationary overhead wires.
Any vehicle being used in the transportation of goods, wares
or merchandise for commercial purposes.
Any commercial vehicle of 2 1/2 tons capacity or over.
Every person operating a motor vehicle which
is in any manner involved in an accident in which any person is killed
or injured or, in which there is damage in excess of $1,000 to any
one vehicle or other property, shall report such accident within five
days to the Registrar and to the Police Department in accordance with
provisions of MGL C. 90, § 26.
A.
Any person violating any provision of any rule, regulation
or order regulating the parking of motor vehicles made by any body
authorized to make the same shall be dealt with as provided in MGL,
c. 90, § 20A, or any acts in amendment thereof, or in addition
thereto, and any person violating any of the rules and regulations
applicable to state highways made by the Department of Public Works,
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, under authority of MGL C. 85, § 2,
and acts in amendment thereof, and in addition thereto shall be subject
to the penalty provided in said rules and regulations.
B.
Any person convicted of a violation of any other rule,
regulation or order made hereunder, except as otherwise provided,
shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $25 for each offense.
[Amended 11-4-2019]
These rules are adopted with the intent that
each of them shall have force and effect separately and independently
of every other except insofar as by express reference or necessary
implication any rule or any part of a rule is made dependent upon
another rule or part thereof.
All official signs, lights, markings, signal
systems or devices erected or installed under prior rules or regulations
and necessary to the enforcement of these regulations shall be deemed
to have been lawfully erected or installed hereunder, provided that
the same were erected or installed with the permission and approval
of the Department of Public Works of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
and insofar as the same are necessary as aforesaid for the enforcement
of these regulations, they shall be deemed continuing hereunder, but
in all other respects all prior rules, orders and regulations made
by the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Williamstown for the regulation
of vehicles are hereby expressly repealed. This repeal, however, shall
not affect any punishment or penalty imposed or any complaint or prosecution
pending at the time of the passage hereof for any offense committed
under said prior rules, orders or regulations hereby repealed, nor
shall said repeal be effective unless and until these rules and regulations
have been approved and published as required by law.
If any section, subsection, sentence, clause
or phrase of these rules and orders is for any reason unconstitutional,
such decisions shall not affect the validity of the remaining portion
of these rules and orders. The Board of Selectmen hereby declares
that it would have passed these regulations and each section, subsection,
sentence, clause or phrase thereof irrespective of the fact that any
one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be
declared unconstitutional.
If any vehicle is found upon any street or highway
in violation of any provisions of these rules and orders and the identity
of the driver cannot be determined, the owner or the person in whose
name such a vehicle is registered shall be held prima facie responsible
for such violations.
