[Adopted 11-21-1977 by Ord. No. 508]
This article shall hereafter be referred to
as the "Snow Emergency Ordinance."
It is hereby declared to be in the best interest
of the public policy and the public safety of the Township of Tinicum
to regulate and restrict the parking of vehicles on public streets
during snow emergencies.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
Full chains, strap chains or other types of chains so mounted
as to give motor vehicles traction in snow.
Any precipitation depositing any accumulation on the streets
of the Township, including snow, sleet, hail, ice or freezing rain.
A state, declared as herein described, under which highway
conditions are hazardous and dangerous to the vehicular and pedestrian
traffic.
All streets within the Township of Tinicum so designated
and marked as hereinafter set forth.
Tires having treads designed for use in mud or snow and being
in such condition as to serve the purpose for which they are designated.
All motor vehicles using Township streets, including all
public and private transportation conveyances, trucks and other powered
vehicles.
The Commissioner of Highways, with the approval
of the Police Commissioner, shall designate streets which are heavily
traveled and are necessary thoroughfares for the movement of vehicular
traffic through the Township as snow emergency routes. Such designation
shall take into consideration state highway routes, fire apparatus
emergency routes and other commonly traveled streets. Each of such
routes shall be posted with suitable signs or markers, not less frequently
than once in each direction in one block, which signs shall bear the
words "snow emergency route" and may prohibit parking on such streets.
A map of such snow emergency routes shall be filed with the Township
Secretary, and other copies thereof shall be available for public
examination in the Police Department. The Commissioner of Highways
and the Police Commissioner may change said map from time to time,
copies of such changes being entered as aforesaid.
When, in the opinion of the President of the
Township Commissioners, the actual or expected precipitation of snow
will create hazardous or dangerous highway conditions for vehicular
or pedestrian traffic, he is hereby authorized to declare a snow emergency.
He shall immediately inform the public by issuing press releases to
all news media. Such snow emergency shall continue in force until
the President shall declare that the emergency no longer exists by
press releases in the same fashion.
Two hours after a snow emergency has been declared
and during its existence:
A.
No vehicle shall be parked on a snow emergency route unless signs, posted in accordance with § 360-48 hereof, permit certain parking.
B.
Any person who operates a vehicle without chains or
snow tires upon any street designated as a snow emergency route and
such vehicle becomes stalled or incapable of moving under its own
power, or any person who leaves such vehicle unattended, shall be
in violation of this article and subject to the penalties herein set
forth.
C.
Any vehicle parked, stalled, incapable of moving under
its own power or left unattended upon, any snow emergency route, may
be removed or towed away, at the owner's expense, to any other location
by the Bureau of Police or by persons authorized by such Bureau so
to do.
It shall be unlawful for any person to throw,
shovel, cast or otherwise move, place, pile, deposit or dump snow
or ice removed from sidewalks, driveways or other areas into the street
or public highway, or for any person, when the cartway of the street
or highway shall be cleared or partially cleared, to throw or place
any snow or other accumulation in the cleared cartway or passageway
area.
Any person violating any of the provisions of
this article shall, upon conviction thereof before a Magisterial District
Judge, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $25 and costs of
prosecution and, in default of payment of said fine and costs of prosecution,
shall undergo imprisonment for not more than 30 days.
