1997 Minnesota Statutes

     169.06 Signs, signals, markings. 

    Subdivision 1.    Uniform system.  The commissioner 
 shall adopt a manual and specifications for a uniform system of 
 traffic-control devices consistent with the provisions of this 
 chapter for use upon highways within this state.  Such uniform 
 system shall correlate with and so far as possible conform to 
 the system then current as approved by the American Association 
 of State Highway Officials.  The manual and specifications must 
 include the design and wording of minimum-maintenance road 
 signs.  The adoption of the manual and specifications by the 
 commissioner as herein provided is specifically exempted from 
 chapter 14, including section 14.386. 

    Subd. 2.    Placement and maintenance on trunk highways.  
  The commissioner shall place and maintain such 
 traffic-control devices, conforming to the manual and 
 specifications, upon all state trunk highways as the 
 commissioner shall deem necessary to indicate and to carry out 
 the provisions of this chapter or to regulate, warn, or guide 
 traffic.  The commissioner may construct and maintain signs at 
 the entrance of each city, which sign shall have placed thereon 
 the name of the city and the population thereof.  The 
 commissioner may construct and maintain other directional signs 
 upon the trunk highways and such signs shall be uniform.  The 
 commissioner may authorize variations from the manual and 
 specifications for the purpose of investigation and research 
 into the use and development of traffic control devices.  When 
 such authorized variation pertains to the regulation of traffic, 
 notice of the intended regulatory purpose shall be published in 
 a qualified newspaper of general circulation in the area where 
 the research is being conducted.  

    No other authority shall place or maintain any traffic 
 control device upon any highway under the jurisdiction of the 
 commissioner except by the latter's permission.  

    Subd. 3.    Placement and maintenance by local 
 authorities.  Local authorities in their respective 
 jurisdictions shall place and maintain such traffic-control 
 devices upon highways under their jurisdiction as they may deem 
 necessary to indicate and to carry out the provisions of this 
 chapter or local traffic ordinances, or to regulate, warn, or 
 guide traffic.  All such traffic-control devices hereafter 
 erected shall conform to the state manual and specifications.  

    Subd. 4.    Obedience to and required traffic-control 
 devices.  (a) The driver of any vehicle shall obey the 
 instructions of any official traffic-control device applicable 
 thereto placed in accordance with the provisions of this 
 chapter, unless otherwise directed by a traffic or police 
 officer, subject to the exceptions granted the driver of an 
 authorized emergency vehicle in this chapter.  

    (b) No provision of this chapter for which official 
 traffic-control devices are required shall be enforced against 
 an alleged violator if at the time and place of the alleged 
 violation an official device is not in proper position and 
 sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinarily observant 
 person.  Whenever a particular section does not state that 
 official traffic-control devices are required, such section 
 shall be effective even though no devices are erected or in 
 place.  

    (c) Whenever official traffic-control devices are placed in 
 position approximately conforming to the requirements of this 
 chapter, such devices shall be presumed to have been so placed 
 by the official act or direction of lawful authority, unless the 
 contrary shall be established by competent evidence.  

    (d) Any official traffic-control device placed pursuant to 
 the provisions of this chapter and purporting to conform to the 
 lawful requirements pertaining to such devices shall be presumed 
 to comply with the requirements of this chapter, unless the 
 contrary shall be established by competent evidence.  

    (e) A flagger in a designated work zone may stop vehicles 
 and hold vehicles in place until it is safe for the vehicles to 
 proceed.  A person operating a motor vehicle that has been 
 stopped by a flagger in a designated work zone may proceed after 
 stopping only on instruction by the flagger. 

    Subd. 5.    Traffic-control signals.  Whenever traffic 
 is controlled by traffic-control signals exhibiting different 
 colored lights, or colored lighted arrows, successively one at a 
 time or in combination, only the colors Green, Red, and Yellow 
 shall be used, except for special pedestrian signals carrying a 
 word legend, and said lights shall indicate and apply to drivers 
 of vehicles and pedestrians as follows: 

    (a) Green indication: 

    (1) Vehicular traffic facing a circular green signal may 
 proceed straight through or turn right or left unless a sign at 
 such place prohibits either such turn.  But vehicular traffic, 
 including vehicles turning right or left, shall yield the 
 right-of-way to other vehicles and to pedestrians lawfully 
 within the intersection or adjacent crosswalk at the time such 
 signal is exhibited.  

    (2) Vehicular traffic facing a green arrow signal, shown 
 alone or in combination with another indication, may cautiously 
 enter the intersection only to make the movement indicated by 
 such arrow, or such other movement as is permitted by other 
 indications shown at the same time.  Such vehicular traffic 
 shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an 
 adjacent crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully using the 
 intersection.  

    (3) Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian-control 
 signal as provided in subdivision 6, pedestrians facing any 
 green signal, except when the sole green signal is a turn arrow, 
 may proceed across the roadway within any marked or unmarked 
 crosswalk.  

    (b) Steady yellow indication: 

    (1) Vehicular traffic facing a circular yellow signal is 
 thereby warned that the related green movement is being 
 terminated or that a red indication will be exhibited 
 immediately thereafter when vehicular traffic shall not enter 
 the intersection, except for the continued movement allowed by 
 any green arrow indication simultaneously exhibited.  

    (2) Pedestrians facing a circular yellow signal, unless 
 otherwise directed by a pedestrian control signal as provided in 
 subdivision 6, are thereby advised that there is insufficient 
 time to cross the roadway before a red indication is shown and 
 no pedestrian shall then start to cross the roadway.  

    (3) Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow arrow signal 
 is thereby warned that the protected vehicular movement 
 permitted by the corresponding prior green arrow indication is 
 being terminated.  

    (c) Steady red indication: 

    (1) Vehicular traffic facing a circular red signal alone 
 shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, before 
 entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or 
 if none, then before entering the intersection and shall remain 
 standing until a green indication is shown, except as follows:  
 (i) the driver of a vehicle which is stopped as close as 
 practicable at the entrance to the crosswalk on the near side of 
 the intersection or, if none, then at the entrance to the 
 intersection in obedience to a red or stop signal, and with the 
 intention of making a right turn may make such right turn, after 
 stopping, unless an official sign has been erected prohibiting 
 such movement, but shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians 
 and other traffic lawfully proceeding as directed by the signal 
 at said intersection; or (ii) the driver of a vehicle on a 
 one-way street which intersects another one-way street on which 
 traffic moves to the left shall stop in obedience to a red or 
 stop signal and may then make a left turn into said one-way 
 street, unless an official sign has been erected prohibiting the 
 movement, but shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and 
 other traffic proceeding as directed by the signal at said 
 intersection.  

    (2) Unless otherwise directed by a pedestrian-control 
 signal as provided in subdivision 6, pedestrians facing a steady 
 red signal alone shall not enter the roadway.  

    (3) Vehicular traffic facing a steady red arrow signal, 
 with the intention of making a movement indicated by the arrow, 
 shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, before 
 entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or 
 if none, then before entering the intersection and shall remain 
 standing until a permissive signal indication is displayed.  

    (d) In the event an official traffic-control signal is 
 erected and maintained at a place other than an intersection, 
 the provisions of this section are applicable except those which 
 can have no application.  Any stop required shall be made at a 
 sign or marking on the pavement indicating where the stop shall 
 be made, but in the absence of any such sign or marking the stop 
 shall be made at the signal. 

    (e) When a traffic-control signal indication or indications 
 placed to control a certain movement or lane are so identified 
 by placing a sign near the indication or indications, no other 
 traffic-control signal indication or indications within the 
 intersection shall control vehicular traffic for such movement 
 or lane. 

    Subd. 5a.    Traffic control signals; override system.  
 All electronic traffic control signals installed by a road 
 authority on and after January 1, 1995, must be prewired to 
 facilitate a later addition of a system that allows the operator 
 of an authorized emergency vehicle to activate a green traffic 
 signal for the vehicle. 

    Subd. 6.    Pedestrian control signals.  Whenever 
 special pedestrian-control signals exhibiting the words "Walk" 
 or "Don't Walk" are in place such signals shall indicate as 
 follows: 

    (a) "Walk", flashing or steady.  Pedestrians facing such 
 signals may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the 
 signal. 

    (b) "Don't Walk", flashing or steady.  No pedestrian shall 
 start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signals, but 
 any pedestrian who has partially crossed on the "Walk" signal 
 shall proceed to a sidewalk or safety island while the "Don't 
 Walk" signal is showing. 

    (c) A pedestrian crossing a roadway in conformity with this 
 section is lawfully within the intersection and, when in a 
 crosswalk, is lawfully within the crosswalk. 

    Subd. 7.    Flashing signals.  When flashing red or 
 yellow signals are used they shall require obedience by 
 vehicular traffic as follows: 

    (1) When a circular red lens is illuminated with rapid 
 intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles shall stop at a 
 clearly marked stop line, but if none, before entering the 
 crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or if none, then 
 at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver 
 has a view of approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway 
 before entering the intersection, and the right to proceed shall 
 be subject to the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop 
 sign.  

    (2) When a red arrow lens is illuminated with rapid 
 intermittent flashes drivers of vehicles with the intention of 
 making a movement indicated by the arrow shall stop at a clearly 
 marked stop line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on 
 the near side of the intersection, or if none, then at the point 
 nearest the intersecting roadway where the driver has a view of 
 approaching traffic on the intersecting roadway before entering 
 the intersection, and the right to proceed shall be subject to 
 the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop sign.  

    (3) When a circular yellow lens is illuminated with rapid 
 intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles may proceed through 
 the intersection or past the signals only with caution.  

    (4) When a yellow arrow indication is illuminated with 
 rapid intermittent flashes, drivers of vehicles with the 
 intention of making a movement indicated by the arrow may 
 proceed through the intersection or past the signals only with 
 caution.  

    Subd. 8.    Lane-direction-control signals.  When 
 lane-direction-control signals are placed over individual lanes 
 of a street or highway, vehicular traffic may travel in lanes as 
 follows: 

    (a) Vehicular traffic facing a green arrow indication is 
 permitted to drive in the lane over which the arrow signal is 
 located.  

    (b) Vehicular traffic facing a red "X" indication shall not 
 drive in the lane over which the signal is located.  

    (c) Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow "X" indication 
 is thereby warned that use of the lane over which the signal is 
 located is being terminated, or that a red "X" indication will 
 be exhibited immediately thereafter when vehicular traffic shall 
 not drive in the lane.  

    (d) Vehicular traffic facing a yellow "X" indication 
 illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes is permitted to use 
 a lane over which the signal is located for a left turn or for a 
 passing maneuver, using proper caution.  

    HIST: (2720-160, 2720-161, 2720-162, 2720-163, 2720-164, 
 2720-165) 1937 c 464 s 10-15; 1939 c 413; 1941 c 419; 1947 c 
 428 s 5,6; 1955 c 325 s 1; 1957 c 369 s 1; 1961 c 31 s 1; 1963 c 
 357 s 2-4; 1965 c 31 s 1; 1965 c 51 s 23; 1965 c 133 s 1; 1969 c 
 876 s 1-6; 1971 c 17 s 1; 1973 c 123 art 5 s 7; 1975 c 49 s 1; 
 1982 c 424 s 130; 1985 c 215 s 2; 1986 c 444; 1993 c 115 s 1; 
 1994 c 635 art 1 s 11; 1995 c 233 art 2 s 56; 1997 c 159 art 2 s 
 19; 1997 c 187 art 5 s 24