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New Orleans City Code ch. 154, art. II
in effect

New Orleans City Code § 154-51 Traffic bureau—Establishment, duties.

Sec. 154-51. - Traffic bureau—Establishment, duties. (a) There is hereby established in the department of police of the city, a traffic bureau to be under the control of an officer of the police. (b) The traffic bureau, with such aid as may be rendered by other members of the department of police, are responsible for: (1) Enforcing the street traffic regulations of the city and all of the state vehicle laws applicable to street traffic in the city; (2) Investigating traffic accidents; (3) Co-operating with the city traffic engineer and other officers of the city in the administration of the traffic laws and in developing ways and means to improve traffic conditions; and (4) Carrying out those duties specially imposed upon the bureau by this chapter. (Code 1956, § 38-10; M.C.S., Ord. No. 27816, § 1, 7-26-18)

New Orleans City Code § 154-52 Same—Investigate accidents and conduct accident studies, analyses and evaluations.

Sec. 154-52. - Same—Investigate accidents and conduct accident studies, analyses and evaluations. (a) The traffic bureau, assisted by other police officers of the department of police, shall investigate traffic accidents and arrest and assist in the prosecution of those persons charged with violations of law causing or contributing to such accidents. (b) There shall be established in the traffic bureau's alcoholic and accident research unit a statistical office which should be directed by an evaluation specialist with at least a master's degree in urban studies or a related field or equivalent qualifications as determined by the civil service commission, whose primary duties will be to: (1) Conduct accident studies, analyses and evaluations with the assistance of the traffic engineer and other traffic related agencies, and determine remedial measures. (2) Coordinate and exchange traffic statistics and related information with other public and private agencies. (3) Seek funding for traffic related activities and coordinate these activities with other agencies. (Code 1956, § 38-11)

New Orleans City Code § 154-53 Same—Annual traffic safety record.

Sec. 154-53. - Same—Annual traffic safety record. The traffic bureau shall annually prepare a traffic report which shall be filed with the mayor. Such report shall contain information on traffic matters in the city as follows: (1) The number of traffic accidents, the number of persons killed, the number of persons injured and other pertinent traffic accident data; (2) The number of traffic accidents investigated and other pertinent traffic accident data on the safety activities of the police; and (3) The plans and recommendations of the bureau for future traffic safety activities. (Code 1956, § 38-14)

New Orleans City Code § 154-54 Records of traffic violations and traffic accident reports.

Sec. 154-54. - Records of traffic violations and traffic accident reports. (a) The department of police and/or the traffic court shall keep a record of all violations of traffic ordinances of the city or state vehicle laws of which any person has been charged together with a record of the final disposition of all such alleged offenses. Such records shall be so maintained as to show all types of violations and the total of each. The records shall accumulate during at least a five-year period and from that time on the records shall be maintained complete for at least the most recent five-year period. (b) All forms for records of violations and notices of violations shall be serially numbered. For each month and year a written record shall be kept available to the public showing the disposal of such forms. (c) All such records and reports shall be public records. (d) The department of police shall maintain a suitable system of filing traffic accident reports. Accident reports or cards referring to them shall be filed alphabetically by location. Such reports shall be available for the use and information of the city traffic engineer. The department of police shall receive and properly file all accident reports made to it under the state law or under any law of the city, and all such accident reports shall be for the use of the department of police, the city traffic engineer, and traffic court prosecutors. (Code 1956, § 38-12)

New Orleans City Code § 154-55 Drivers' files to be maintained.

Sec. 154-55. - Drivers' files to be maintained. (a) The department of police and/or the traffic court shall maintain a suitable record of all traffic accidents, arrests, convictions and affidavits which shall be filed alphabetically under the name of the driver concerned. (b) Such records shall accumulate during at least a five-year period and from that time on such records shall be maintained complete for at least the most recent five-year period. (Code 1956, § 38-13)

New Orleans City Code § 154-56 Division of city traffic engineering and duties thereof.

Sec. 154-56. - Division of city traffic engineering and duties thereof. (a) There is hereby created and established within the department of public works, under the supervision and direction of the director thereof, a division to be known and designated as the division of traffic engineering. The city traffic engineer shall be head of this division and shall be appointed by the director of the department of public works in accordance with civil service law. He shall be a graduate engineer and duly registered under the state. (b) The city traffic engineer shall exercise such powers and duties as are provided in this chapter or in state laws. In particular, the city traffic engineer shall: (1) Determine the installation and proper timing and maintenance of traffic control devices; (2) Conduct engineering analyses of traffic accidents and devise remedial measures; (3) Conduct engineering investigations of traffic conditions; (4) Determine the locations of loading zones, metered spaces and designate all other on-street parking spaces; (5) Cooperate with other city officials in ways and means to improve traffic and parking conditions; and (6) Carry out additional powers and duties imposed upon him by laws of the city. (Code 1956, § 38-15; M.C.S., Ord. No. 30653, § 2, 5-7-26, eff. 5-31-26)

New Orleans City Code § 154-57 Emergency and experimental regulations.

Sec. 154-57. - Emergency and experimental regulations. (a) The city traffic engineer may make regulations necessary to make effective the provisions of this article and make temporary or experimental regulations to cover emergencies or special conditions. He may further test traffic control devices under actual conditions of traffic. (b) The superintendent of police may make regulations necessary to make effective the provisions of the traffic laws of the city and make and enforce temporary or experimental regulations to cover emergencies or special conditions. (c) No emergency experimental regulations shall remain in effect for more than 190 days. (d) The superintendent of police shall have the authority to suspend any traffic regulations for a period not to exceed 24 hours. Official notice of any such suspension shall be given through the police communications system. Such notification shall specify the geographic areas affected and exact regulations suspended, and shall further specify the emergency regulations (if any) which will replace such suspended regulations. (Code 1956, § 38-16)

New Orleans City Code § 154-58 Power, authority of police and fire department officials.

Sec. 154-58. - Power, authority of police and fire department officials. (a) The officers of the department of police or such officers as are assigned by the superintendent of police to do so shall enforce all street ordinances of the city and all of the state vehicle and traffic laws applicable to street traffic in the city. Officers of the department or such officers as are assigned may direct all traffic by voice, hand or signal in conformance with traffic laws and in the event of a fire or other emergency or to expedite traffic or safeguard pedestrians, such officers may direct traffic as conditions may require notwithstanding the provisions of the traffic laws. (b) Officers of the fire department, when entering or leaving a fire station, or when at a scene of a fire, may direct or assist the police in directing traffic thereat or in the immediate vicinity. (c) It is a violation of this chapter for any person to do any act forbidden or to fail to perform any act required herein. (d) No person shall willfully fail or refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of a police officer or fire department official. (Code 1956, § 38-18)
Source: City of New Orleans, Code of Ordinances and Home Rule Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/la/new_orleans/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH154TRVE_ARTIIADFetched: 10/28/2026

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