[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Northampton as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 7-7-1977 by Ord. No. 908 (Ch. 6, Part 2, of the 1993 Code of Ordinances)]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
LOITERING
Remaining idle essentially in one location and shall include the concepts of spending time idly, loafing or walking about aimlessly, and shall also include the colloquial expression "hanging around."
PUBLIC PLACE
Any place to which the public has access and shall include any public street or public sidewalk, as well as the front of and the area immediately adjacent to any school, parking lot, store, restaurant, tavern, or other place of business.
No person shall loiter in a public place in such manner as to:
A. 
Create or cause to be created a danger of a breach of the peace.
B. 
Create or cause to be created any disturbance or annoyance to the comfort and repose of any person.
C. 
Obstruct the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles.
D. 
Obstruct, molest or interfere with any person lawfully in any public place as defined in § 171-1. This subsection shall include the making of unsolicited remarks of an offensive, disgusting or insulting nature or which are calculated to annoy or disturb the person to, or in whose hearing, they are made.
Whenever any police officer shall, in the exercise of reasonable judgment, decide that the presence of any person in any public place is causing or is likely to cause any of the conditions enumerated in § 171-2, he may, if he deems it necessary for the preservation of the public peace and safety, order that person to leave that place. Any person who shall refuse to leave after being ordered to do so by a police officer shall be guilty of a violation of this article.
[Amended 7-15-1993 by Ord. No. 1048]
Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $600 and costs, and in default of payment, to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days.
[Adopted 9-3-1992 by Ord. No. 1041 (Ch. 6, Part 5, of the 1993 Code of Ordinances)]
It is hereby found that with consistency, at certain times, a threat to the public health, safety and welfare arises from the congestion created by repetitive unnecessary driving of motor vehicles on thoroughfares within the Borough of Northampton. The purpose of this article is to reduce the dangerous traffic congestion, as well as the excessive noise and pollution resulting from such unnecessary repetitive driving, and to insure sufficient access from emergency vehicles to and through the Borough thoroughfares now hampered by this repetitive driving of motor vehicles.
For the purpose of this article, the following definitions shall apply:
CRUISING
Driving a motor vehicle on a street past a traffic control point, as designated by a Northampton Borough Police Officer, more than twice in any two-hour period, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. The passing of a designated control point a third time under the aforesaid conditions shall constitute unnecessary repetitive driving and therefore a violation of this article.
DESIGNATED AREA
The entire Borough of Northampton.
TRAFFIC CONTROL POINT
A reference point on the street within the Borough of Northampton selected by a Northampton Police Officer for the purpose of imposing this article.
No person shall engage in unnecessary repetitive driving, also known, for purposes of this article, as "cruising." For purposes of this article, the person having control and/or ownership of a motor vehicle shall be considered the person cruising, without regard as to whether that person was actually driving the motor vehicle each time it passed the traffic control point. Having control or ownership of a motor vehicle shall mean either the owner of the vehicle as stated on the vehicle registration if present in the vehicle at the time of the violation, or if the owner is not present in the vehicle, the person operating the vehicle at the time of the violation of this article.
This article shall not apply to any municipal, emergency, police, fire, ambulance, or other governmental vehicle when same is being operated in an official capacity. In addition, this article shall not apply to any duly licensed public transportation vehicle nor to any vehicle utilized for business and/or commercial purposes.
[Amended 7-15-1993 by Ord. No. 1048]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $600 plus costs and, in default of payment of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues shall constitute a separate offense.