The Town Board of the Town of Riverhead does hereby find that
there exists a threat to public safety any time that snow, freezing
rain, sleet, or ice is permitted to accumulate on Town highways and
roadways. The parking or abandonment of vehicles along the highways
and roadways during snow and other winter-weather-related events prohibits
and/or restricts the Town's ability to remediate the hazardous conditions
on the highways and impedes the ability of fire, police, and ambulance
vehicles and personnel to provide necessary services to Town residents.
For the above reasons, the Town Board of the Town of Riverhead finds
it necessary to enact legislation prohibiting parking and standing
of vehicles on Town highways and roadways in anticipation of and during
major snow or winter weather events and such other restrictions related
to highway safety during snow and other related winter weather events,
including travel ban for nonemergency vehicles and/or temporary closure
of highways/roads. Pursuant to and consistent with Executive Law § 24,
a snow or winter storm emergency declaration and local emergency proclamations
shall be made by the Supervisor or his/her designee. Such declaration
shall be made at the discretion of the Supervisor when weather conditions
are forecasted or exist such that the accumulation of snow, freezing
rain, sleet, or ice on any roadway will imperil the public safety,
render vehicle travel potentially hazardous and necessitate snow removal
operation or such other remediation efforts to address a winter storm
by the Town.
No parking is permitted on either side of any roadway during a snow or winter storm emergency declaration pursuant to §
289-46 of this article.
The declaration of a snow or winter storm or local emergency
orders may designate and declare certain highways and roads closed
such that vehicular travel is prohibited during the snow or winter
storm emergency or for such other period of time recited in the declaration
of snow or winter emergency or local emergency orders. The only vehicles
allowed on the highways and roads declared closed are emergency vehicles
(police and designated police tow vehicles, fire, ambulance), highway
department vehicles and other essential public service vehicles.
It is prohibited to shovel, plow or otherwise deposit snow onto
any roadway in the Town of Riverhead.