Whenever there is any accumulation of snow,
ice and/or freezing rain upon the streets which shall be designated
as snow emergency routes by resolution of the Board of Supervisors, causing such streets to become
dangerous and hazardous to vehicular and pedestrian traffic, a snow
emergency shall be declared by the Supervisors of the Township. Whenever
a snow emergency exists on snow emergency routes, all parking shall
be prohibited on these routes. Such routes shall be designated by
official signs erected by the Township.
All vehicles traveling on a snow emergency route
during a snow emergency shall be equipped with chains or snow tires.
Any time a snow emergency shall be deemed to
be in effect by virtue of the foregoing provisions, such emergency
shall continue to exist until such time as the Township Supervisors
shall declare that the snow emergency has been terminated. Such declaration
shall be made in accordance with the rules and regulations hereinafter
established by the Township Supervisors.
[Amended 10-27-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-2]
A. Snow emergency
route; declared snow emergency.
(1) It
shall be unlawful for any vehicle to be left parked, stalled, incapable
of moving under its own power or unattended, or for objects (including
but not limited to basketball hoops and similar large objects) creating
obstruction to snow removal and activities of road crews and safety
personnel, in violation of this article, to be left upon any street
designated and marked as a snow emergency route in this Township during
a declared snow emergency.
(2) Any
vehicle parked, stalled, incapable of moving under its own power or
unattended, or large object creating obstruction left in the road,
in violation of this article, shall be removed from the Township roadway
to the owner's property or a place of safety or storage as determined
by the Township, upon notice by any authorized road employee or other
Township personnel, such notice to be placed on any such vehicle or
object in violation. Following notice of violation, any such vehicle
or object in violation of this section shall be removed to the owner'
s property or other designated location as determined by the Township
within 30 minutes. Should the vehicle or object not be removed within
30 minutes after due notice, the Township is authorized to remove
the vehicle from the roadway by towing or other means of removal and
storage.
(3) Any
costs incurred for the towing or storage of any vehicle or object
removed from the Township roadways pursuant to this article are the
responsibility of the owner of the vehicle or object. These costs
are in addition to any penalties for violation of Township ordinances.
B. Parking
or standing of vehicles or objects on all township roadways prohibited
upon accumulation of two inches or more of ice and/or snow.
(1) No vehicles shall be permitted to stand or park, and no large objects as described in Subsection
A of this section above, shall be permitted to remain, upon any Township road upon accumulation of two inches or more of ice and/or snow, regardless of whether there has been a declaration of snow emergency or the road is a designated snow emergency route. In the case of an accumulation of snow and/ or ice of more than two inches where there has not been a snow emergency declaration or the road is not a snow emergency route, any vehicle(s) or object(s) must be removed from the roadway until the snow and/or ice has been removed.
(2) Any
vehicle parked, stalled, incapable of moving under its own power or
unattended, or large object creating obstruction left in the road,
in violation of this article, shall be removed from the Township roadway
to the owner's property or a place of safety or storage as determined
by the Township, upon notice by any authorized road employee or other
Township personnel, such notice to be placed on any such vehicle or
object in violation. Following notice of violation, any such vehicle
or object in violation of this ordinance shall be removed to the owner'
s property or other designated location as determined by the Township
within 30 minutes. Should the vehicle or object not be removed within
30 minutes after due notice, the Township is authorized to remove
the vehicle from the roadway by towing or other means of removal and
storage.
(3) Any
costs incurred for the towing or storage of any vehicle or object
removed from the Township roadways pursuant to this article are the
responsibility of the owner of the vehicle or object. These costs
are in addition to any penalties for violation of Township ordinances.
In the event that vehicles are impounded under the authority of §
125-6 mentioned above, said vehicles shall be stored in such storage areas and garages as are approved from time to time by the Township Supervisors. Such storage areas or garages used as pounds for the storage of vehicles mentioned above shall be approved by the Township Supervisors only after the owners or operators of such storage areas or garages have provided bond in a sufficient and adequate amount for the indemnification of the owner of such impounded vehicle against the loss thereof or injury or damage thereto while in the custody of such poundkeeper and have provided, in writing, for the Board of Supervisors fixed, specific towing and storage charges to be assessed against the owner of the vehicle.
Within 12 hours from the time of the impounding
of such vehicle or ascertainment by the Township as to the identity
of the owner of such vehicle, notice of the fact that such vehicle
has been impounded shall be sent by the Township to the owner of record
of such vehicle designating the place from which said vehicle was
removed, the reason for its impounding and the place in which it has
been impounded.
[Amended 4-11-1991 by Ord. No. 1991-3]
The payment of such charges assessed above,
unless such payment shall be made under protest, shall be final and
conclusive and shall constitute a waiver of any right to recover the
money so paid by the owner of the motor vehicles so impounded. In
the event that the towing and impounding charges are paid under protest,
the offender shall be entitled to a hearing before a District Justice
or a court of record having jurisdiction.
No vehicle shall be removed under the terms
of this article it at the time of such intended removal, the owner
or person for the time being in charge of such vehicle is present
and expresses a willingness and intention to immediately remove said
vehicle.
All parking of vehicles during a snow emergency
shall be made in compliance with the rules and regulations adopted
herein by the Township Supervisors of the Township of Washington to
carry out the intent and purpose of this article. Such rules and regulations
shall be approved by resolution of the Township Supervisors and, when
so appropriated, shall have the same force and effect as the provisions
of this article. Said rules and regulations may be amended, modified
or repealed by resolution of the Township Supervisors.
Any owner, occupant or tenant of any property
in the Township shall not deposit or cause to be deposited any snow,
hail or sleet upon any plowed portion of any Township street or road.
Any person, firm or corporation guilty of violating
any of the provisions of this article, as defined herein, shall, upon
conviction before any District Justice by summary proceedings, be
fined not less than $10 nor more than $100, together with costs, and,
in default of payment thereof be committed to the Township lockup
for a period not exceeding five days or to the county jail for a permit
not exceeding five days.