[Adopted 8-23-2000 by Ord. No. 5469]
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Snow Emergency
Ordinance of the City of Altoona."
The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation
and enforcement of this article:
That portion of a street or highway improved, designed or
ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder
or sidewalk consisting of the area from curb to curb.
The City Manager is the Chief Executive Officer of the City
and shall have the power in his/her sole judgment to declare a snow
emergency or appoint his/her designee to do the same.
Person, partnership, corporation, association or any legal
entity.
Property owned by one or more persons regardless of their
respective interest in said ownership.
Those streets marked as such in accordance with the provisions of this article and listed in § 700-48, Schedule I: Through Streets and Snow Emergency Routes, of this chapter.
Any tires mounted on drive wheels of motor vehicles which
are especially designed to give effective traction on snow, mud, or
ice covered streets by means of extra heavy-duty treads with special
high-traction patterns, except that no tire so defined shall be construed
to be a snow tire if it is damaged or worn to the extent that its
performance is substantially impaired. The performance of snow tires
shall be considered substantially impaired if the tread design depth
of such tires, when measured in tread groove at two points of the
circumference where the tread is thinnest, but not closer than 15
inches, measures not less than one-fourth of an inch at both locations.
The entire width between the boundary lines of a way publicly
maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the public
for purposes of vehicular travel.
A.
Whenever the City Manager finds, on the basis of falling snow or existing weather conditions, or on the basis of a forecast by the National Weather Service, that weather conditions will make it necessary that parking on certain City streets be prohibited or restricted for snow plowing and other purposes, the City Manager shall put into effect a parking prohibition on all snow emergency routes as hereinafter detailed in § 700-48, Schedule I: Through Streets and Snow Emergency Routes, of this chapter by declaring it in a manner prescribed by this article. The parking ban heretofore described shall become enforced within one hour after the snow emergency is declared by the City Manager and the prohibiting of parking shall remain in effect until terminated by announcement of the City Manager in accordance with this article.
B.
No person shall operate any vehicle on a snow removal street or snow
emergency route in such manner or in such condition as to allow or
permit such vehicle to become stalled or incapable of moving under
its own power, either by reason of the fact that the driving wheels
of such vehicle are not equipped with chains, snow tires, or all-weather
radials or by reason of the fact that the motor fuel supply of such
vehicle has been allowed to become exhausted.
On every street designated by this chapter as a snow emergency
route, the City shall post a sign on every block with wording reasonably
designed to give notice such as the following
|
SNOW EMERGENCY ROUTE
SNOW TIRES OR CHAINS REQUIRED
NO PARKING DURING EMERGENCY
VEHICLES TOWED AWAY
|
A.
No person shall park or allow to remain parked any vehicle on any street to which this chapter applies except as permitted below with regard to all residential areas of the City of Altoona as designated in Chapter 535, Part 3, Zoning, of Code of the City of Altoona if and when weather conditions as determined by the City Manager or his/her designee make it necessary that parking on certain City streets be prohibited or restricted for snow plowing or other purposes:
(1)
Vehicles may be parked on odd-numbered sides of the streets and avenues
on odd-numbered days of the month beginning at 7:00 a.m. of that same
day and continuing on for a twenty-four-hour period until the following
day at 6:59 a.m.
(2)
Vehicles may be parked on even-numbered days of the month beginning
at 7:00 a.m. of that same day and continuing on for a twenty-four-hour
period until the following day at 6:59 a.m.
B.
The above prohibitions regarding parking shall not apply with restrictions
to the streets or avenues contained in said residential zones which
have been declared snow emergency routes or to streets or avenues
where there is parking only on one side of the street if and when
the City Manager has determined a snow emergency to exist under the
provisions of this article. The provision of this article shall apply
upon a separate declaration of the City Manager or his/her designee.
A.
The City Manager shall attempt to cause each declaration made by
him/her pursuant to this article to be publicly announced by means
of broadcast from a radio station, TV station or public access channel
with a normal operating range covering the City, and he/she may cause
such declaration to be further announced in newspapers of general
circulation when feasible. Each announcement shall describe the action
taken by the City Manager, including the time it became or will become
effective.
B.
The City Manager shall make or cause to be made a record of each
time and date when any declaration is announced to the public in accordance
with this section.
C.
Whenever the City Manager shall find that the conditions which give
rise to a parking prohibition in effect pursuant to this article no
longer exist, he/she may declare the parking prohibition terminated
in whole or in part.
The City Manager, acting through the City of Altoona Police
Department, is hereby authorized to remove or have removed a vehicle
from a street when the vehicle is parked in violation of any parking
ordinance or provision of law and is interfering or about to interfere
with snow plowing, salting, or cindering, or snow removal operations.
In any prosecution with regard to a vehicle parked or left in
a place in violation of this chapter, proof that the particular vehicle
described in the complaint or information was parked or left in violation
of a provision of this chapter, together with proof that the defendant
named in the complaint or information was, at the time, the registered
owner of such vehicle, shall constitute prima facie evidence that
the defendant was the person who parked or left the vehicle in violation
of this chapter.
It shall be illegal and unlawful for any person to remove any
snow from any portion of the cartway and pile the same on any other
area of said cartway for any purposes whatsoever. No person shall
remove snow, ice or sleet from private property, sidewalk areas, or
driveways and deposit the same on the cartways of the City.
Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall
face a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $1,000 and costs of
prosecution or shall face imprisonment for not more than 90 days,
or both.
