[Adopted 6-30-1986 by Ord. No. 597 (Ch. 25 of the 1971 Code)]
This article shall be known and may be cited
as the "Cruising Ordinance."
It is hereby found that a general public nuisance
and threat to the public safety results from the repetitive unnecessary
driving of motor vehicles, also known as "cruising," in the Borough
of Columbia. The purpose of this article is to reduce the noise of
loud radios, screeching tires, air pollution and congestion resulting
from cruising and to ensure access for safety vehicles to and through
the Borough of Columbia.
For the purpose of this article, the following
definitions shall apply:
Driving a motor vehicle on a street past a traffic control
point, designated by a police officer in the Borough of Columbia,
under conditions in which traffic is congested at or near the control
point, five or more times within any two-hour period, from 8:00 p.m.
to 5:00 a.m. Passing the control point a fifth time under the same
conditions stated herein shall constitute "cruising" and, therefore,
a violation of this article.
A reference point on a street in a designated area selected
by a police officer for the purpose of enforcing this article.
No person shall cruise. For the purposes of
this article, the person having care, custody or control of a motor
vehicle shall be considered the person cruising regardless of whether
that person was actually driving the motor vehicle. For the purposes
of this article, the "person having care, custody or control of a
motor vehicle" shall mean either the owner of said vehicle, if present
in the vehicle at the time of the violation, or, if the owner is not
so present, the person or persons having the owner's authority to
use the vehicle.
This section shall not apply to official emergency
or police vehicles, licensed taxicabs for hire, or other commercial
or passenger vehicles being driven for business purposes and for residents
of the Borough of Columbia traveling to a specific destination.
Any person violating the provisions of this
article shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $600, plus
costs of prosecution, and, in default of payment of such fine and
costs, be subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 30 days.
