CROSS REFERENCES
Tire chains — See 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 4525.
Power to regulate — See 75 Pa.C.S.A. § 6109(a)(7), (13).
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and enforcement of this article.
(a) 
STREET or HIGHWAY — The entire width between the boundary lines of every way publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.
(b) 
ROADWAY — That portion of a street or highway improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder.
(c) 
SNOW EMERGENCY ROUTES — Those streets marked as such in accordance with the provisions of this article.
(d) 
SNOW TIRES — 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 would be substantially impaired. The performance of a snow tire shall be considered substantially impaired, if such tires when measured in a major tread groove at two points of the circumference where the tread is thinnest, but not closer than 15 inches, the tread design depth measures not less than one-fourth of an inch at both locations.
(e) 
TIRE CHAINS — Any metal chains mounted on drive wheel tires of motor vehicles which cross the tread of each such tire laterally in at least three different places.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971; Ord. 54-2008, passed 11-19-2008]
(a) 
Whenever the Mayor or the Public Works Director or their duly designated and acting representative finds, on the basis of falling snow, sleet or freezing rain, that weather conditions will make it necessary that motor vehicle traffic be expedited and that parking on City streets be prohibited or restricted for snow plowing and other purposes, the Mayor or his duly designated and acting representative shall put into effect a parking prohibition on parts of or all snow emergency routes as necessary by declaring it in a manner prescribed by this article. The Mayor or the Director of Public Works or their duly designated and acting representative, when weather conditions make it necessary, may place into effect a parking restriction that extends the inner City posted odd-even parking regulations to include Saturday and Sunday.
(b) 
Once in effect, a prohibition under this section shall remain in effect until terminated by announcement of the Mayor or his duly designated and acting representative in accordance with this article, except that any street area which has become substantially clear of snow and ice from curb to curb for the length of the entire block shall be automatically excluded therefrom. While the prohibition is in effect, no person shall park or allow to remain parked any vehicle on any portion of a snow emergency route to which it applies. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to permit parking at any time or place where it is forbidden by any other provision of law.
[Ord. 54-2008, passed 11-19-2008]
(a) 
No person operating a motor vehicle on a snow emergency route or during an odd-even parking prohibition on which there is a covering of snow, sleet or ice shall allow such vehicle to become stalled wholly or partly because the drive wheels thereof are not equipped with effective tire chains or snow tires.
(b) 
No person operating a motor vehicle on a part of a snow emergency route or during an odd-even parking prohibition on which there is a covering of snow, sleet or ice or on which there is a parking prohibition in effect shall allow such vehicle to become stalled because the motor fuel is exhausted or the battery has become inoperative.
[Ord. 54-2008, passed 11-19-2008]
Whenever a vehicle becomes stalled for any reason, whether or not in violation of this article, on any part of a snow emergency route on which there is a covering of snow, sleet or ice or on which there is a parking prohibition in effect, the person operating such vehicle shall take immediate action to have the vehicle towed or pushed off the roadway of such snow emergency route, or during an odd-even parking prohibition, either into the first cross street which is not a snow emergency route, or under an odd-even parking prohibition, or onto the public space portion of a nearby driveway. No person shall abandon or leave his vehicle in the roadway of a snow emergency route or during an odd-even parking prohibition, regardless of whether he indicates, by raising the hood or otherwise, that the vehicle is stalled, except for the purpose of securing assistance and return without delay.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
(a) 
The Mayor or the Public Works Director or their duly designated and acting representative, shall cause each declaration made by him pursuant to this article to be publicly announced by means of broadcasts or telecasts from stations with a normal operating range covering the City, and he may cause such declaration to be further announced in newspapers of general circulation when feasible. Each announcement shall describe the action taken by the Mayor or the Public Works Director or their duly designated and acting representative, including the time it became or will become effective, and shall specify the streets or areas affected. A parking prohibition or advancement of quitting time-traffic regulations declared by the Mayor or the Public Works Director or his duly designated and acting representative shall not go into effect until at least two hours after it has been announced between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. in accordance with this section.
(b) 
The Mayor or the Public Works Director or their duly designated and acting representative 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.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
Whenever the Mayor or the Public Works Director or their duly designated and acting representative shall find that some or all of the conditions which give rise to a parking prohibition in effect pursuant to this article no longer exist, he may declare the prohibition terminated in whole or in part, in a manner prescribed by this article, effective immediately upon announcement.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
Any provisions of this article which becomes effective by declaration of the Mayor or the Public Works Director or their duly designated and acting representative or upon the occurrence of certain weather conditions shall, while temporarily in effect, take precedence over other conflicting provisions of law normally in effect, except that it shall not take precedence over provisions of law relating to traffic accidents, emergency travel of authorized emergency vehicles, or emergency traffic directions by a police officer.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
On each street designated by this article as a snow emergency route, the Bureau of Traffic Engineering shall post a special sign in every block with the wording: "Snow Emergency Route. No Parking During Emergency. Snow Tires or Chains Required. Tow-Away Zone". These signs shall be distinctive and uniform in appearance and shall be plainly readable to persons traveling on the street or highway.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971; Ord. 54-2008, passed 11-19-2008]
(a) 
Members of the Police Bureau are hereby authorized to remove or have removed a vehicle from a street to the nearest garage or other place of safety, including another place on the street, or to a garage designated or maintained by the Police Bureau, or otherwise maintained by this City, when:
(1) 
The vehicle is parked on a part of a snow emergency route on which a parking prohibition is in effect.
(2) 
The vehicle is stalled on a part of a snow emergency route on which there is a covering of snow, sleet or ice or on which there is a parking prohibition in effect and the person who was operating such vehicle does not appear to be removing it in accordance with the provisions of this article.
(3) 
The vehicle is parked in violation of any parking ordinance or provision of law and is interfering or about to interfere with snow removal operations.
(4) 
The vehicle is parked in violation of a parking restriction based on a declaration of snow emergency.
(b) 
Whenever an officer removes or has removed a vehicle from a street as authorized in this section and the officer knows or is able to ascertain from the registration records in the vehicle the name and address of the owner thereof, such officer shall immediately give or cause to be given notice in writing to such owner of the fact of such removal and the reasons therefor and of the place to which such vehicle has been removed. In the event any such vehicle is stored in a public garage, a copy of such notice shall be given to the proprietor of such garage.
(c) 
Whenever an officer removes or has removed a vehicle from a street under this section and does not know and is not able to ascertain the name of the owner, or for any other reason is unable to give the notice to the owner as hereinbefore provided, and in the event the vehicle is not returned to the owner within a period of three days, then and in that event the officer shall immediately send or cause to be sent a written report of such removal by mail to the State department whose duty it is to register motor vehicles, and shall file a copy of such notice with the proprietor of any public garage in which the vehicle may be stored. Such notice shall include a complete description of the vehicle; the date, time and place from which removed, the reasons for such removal and the name of the garage or place where the vehicle is stored.
(d) 
No person shall recover any vehicle removed in accordance with this section except as provided herein. Before the owner or person in charge of such vehicle shall be allowed to recover it from the place where it has been placed or impounded, he shall present to a member of the Police Bureau evidence of his identity and right to possession of the vehicle, shall sign a receipt for its return, shall pay the cost of removal and shall pay any cost of storage accrued. Until paid these charges constitute a lien on the vehicle which may be enforced in the same manner as a garage keeper's lien.
(e) 
It shall be the duty of the Police Bureau to keep a record of each vehicle removed in accordance with this section. The record shall include a description of the vehicle, its license number, the date and time of its removal, where it was removed from, its location, the name and address of its owner and last operator, if known, its final disposition and parking violation involved.
(f) 
This section shall be supplemental to any other provisions of law granting members of the Police Bureau authority to remove vehicles.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
Whenever any motor vehicle without a driver is found parked or left in violation of any provisions of this article and is not removed and impounded as provided for in this article, the officer finding such vehicle shall take its registration number and any other information displayed on the vehicle which may identify its user, and shall conspicuously affix to such vehicle a traffic citation, on a form provided by the Traffic Bureau, for the driver to answer the charge against him within 10 days during the hours and at a place specified in the citation.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
If a violator of this article does not appear in response to a traffic citation affixed to such motor vehicle in accordance with this article within a period of 10 days the Clerk of the Traffic Court or other appropriate person shall send the owner of the motor vehicle to which the traffic citation was affixed, a letter informing him of the violation and warning him that in the event such letter is disregarded for a period of 10 days a warrant of arrest will be issued.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
In any prosecution with regard to a vehicle parked or left in a place or in a condition in violation of any provision of this article, proof that the particular vehicle described in the complaint was parked or left in violation of a provision of this article, together with proof that the defendant named in the complaint 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 article.
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
The following streets or portions of streets within the City are designated as snow emergency routes:
Street
From
To
Ash Street
18th Street
12th Street
Broad Street
Elm Street
Buffalo Road
Brown Avenue
26th Street
Cherry Street
Buffalo Road
Perry Street
Bird Drive
Cherry Street
38th Street
6th Street
East 21st Street
State Street
East Avenue
East 28th Street
Parade Street
Elm Street
East and West 12th Street
Pittsburgh Avenue
Franklin Avenue
East and West 15th Street
Raspberry Street
Perry Street
East and West 26th Streets
Pittsburgh Avenue
Elm Street
East and West 38th Streets
Pittsburgh Avenue
East City line
East and West 6th Street
Pittsburgh Avenue
East Avenue and including Park Avenue North, Park Avenue South, North Park Row and South Park Row
East Avenue
East Lake Road
38th Street
East Lake Road
East Avenue
Franklin Avenue
Elm Street
26th Street
28th Street
Franklin Avenue
East Lake Road
Buffalo Road
French Street
26th Street
4th Street
Greengarden Road
38th Street
8th Street
Liberty Street
Peach Street
5th Street
McClelland Avenue
Buffalo Road
38th Street
Old French Road
South City line
28th Street
Parade Street
28th Street
6th Street
Peach Street
South City line
North Park Row
Pine Avenue
South City line
28th Street
Raspberry Street
38th Street
12th Street
Sassafras
26th Street
6th Street
Seminole
West 8th Street
West 6th Street
State Street
38th Street
Front Street
West 32nd Street
Pittsburgh Avenue
Cherry Street
West 8th Street
Pittsburgh Avenue
Greengarden Road
[Ord. 75-1971, passed 11-24-1971]
The provisions of this article are not enforceable against a motorist operating a motor vehicle equipped with a front wheel or four wheel drive only if such vehicle is able to travel on a snow emergency route without becoming stalled, wholly or partly because the drive wheels are not equipped with effective tire chains or snow tires.
[Ord. 6-2005, passed 1-26-2005]
Whoever violates any provisions of this article shall be subject to a fine of $10.