Attachment B
“KEEP CLEAR” Pavement Marking Policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide a consistent method of granting “Keep Clear” pavement marking requests in the City of Santa Maria. It is the intent of the City to limit the number of “Keep Clear” markings in the City and at the same time, keep traffic flow efficient.
Criteria
To qualify for a “Keep Clear” pavement legend, the requested location must meet ALL five of the following criteria:
1. Markings must help alleviate the problem for left turns only, ingress and egress into and out of the side street or driveway. Markings will not be considered for right turns into and out of side street or driveway.
2. Requested location must be on a City Arterial or Collector Road, as designated in the City of Santa Maria General Plan.
3. The number of left turns that ingress and egress from the side street or driveway must exceed 30 vehicles during the peak hour of the street on which markings are requested.
4. The affected vehicles from criteria number 3 must have at least 100 seconds of average vehicle delay to proceed through the intersection
(or)
Collision data must show more than 3 broadside (right -angle) collisions within a 3 -year period at the requested intersection.
5. To maintain driver awareness and avoid visual clutter, “Keep Clear” pavement markings shall be spaced a minimum of 500 feet apart from other “Keep Clear” markings.
The location must not be impacted by tempo rary changes in traffic patterns due to roadway improvement projects (e.g. Detours, closures, etc.) Exemptions and Special Circumstances
Locations that are exempt from meeting the above Policy Criteria are as follows:
• Fire Stations
• School Crossings
• Police and Emergency Service Driveways Senior Centers and Senior Housing • Requests for “Keep Clear” markings at driveways related to businesses or commercial use will be further evaluated on a case -by-case basis after meeting the above Policy Criteria.
• Requests f or spacing exceptions will be further evaluated on a case -by-case Attachment B
basis after meeting the above Policy Criteria.
Criteria for Removal
At the discretion of the City Engineer , “Keep Clear” pavement markings may be removed under any of the following criteria:
1. The volume of left -turning vehicles falls below 30 vehicles per peak hour for 6 consecutive months.
2. The average vehicle delay decreases to below 100 seconds for 6 consecutive months.
3. The roadway classification is downgraded or adjacent land use changes significantly, altering traffic patterns.
4. If field observation indicates the marking is not being respected by drivers, poses confusion, or has degraded to the point of being unreadable and is not justified for reapplication.
This City of Santa Maria “Keep Clear” Pavement Marking Policy was accepted by the Traffic Committee on April 23rd, 2025, and by the City of Santa Maria City Council on June 3rd , 2025.