[Amended 3-6-2002 by Ord. No. 2002-2[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided for the repeal of Ch. 60, Vehicles and Traffic, of the former Ithaca Municipal Code.
[Amended 10-3-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-9; 9-6-2017 by Ord. No. 2017-12; 5-2-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-05]
A. 
The words and phrases used in this chapter shall, for the purposes of this chapter, have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by Article 1 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York.
B. 
The following words and phrases, which are not defined by Article 1 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York, shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section for the purposes of this chapter:
BUSINESS DISTRICT
The territory contiguous to and including a roadway when within any 600 feet along such roadway there are buildings in use for business or industrial purposes, including but not limited to hotels, banks or office buildings, railroad stations, and public buildings which occupy at least 300 feet of frontage on one side or 300 feet collectively on both sides of the roadway.
CAR-SHARE VEHICLE
A vehicle used by members of a qualified car-sharing entity, which vehicle has been so identified to the City and which bears an affixed symbol issued by the City, indicating the same.
CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
All streets and portions of streets within the area bounded by both sides of the following streets:
(1) 
State Street from Plain Street to a point 600 feet west of Cayuga Street.
(2) 
Seneca Street from Aurora Street to Cayuga Street.
(3) 
Green Street from Tioga Street to a point 200 feet west of Cayuga Street.
(4) 
Aurora Street from Buffalo Street to Six Mile Creek.
(5) 
Tioga Street from Buffalo Street to Six Mile Creek.
(6) 
Cayuga Street from Seneca Street to a point 220 feet south of Clinton Street.
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
(Reserved)
CURBLINE
The prolongation of the lateral line of a curb or, in the absence of a curb, the lateral boundary line of the roadway.
GROSS WEIGHT
The weight of a vehicle without load plus the weight of any load thereon.
HOLIDAYS
New Year's Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
ITHACA COMMONS
Unless otherwise stated, "Ithaca Commons" or "Commons" shall mean both Primary and Secondary Commons as described below:
(1) 
PRIMARY COMMONSAll streets and portions of streets within the area described as follows: all that area bounded by the property between the south building lines on the north side and the north building lines on the south side of the former bed and associated sidewalks of East State Street between the east line of Cayuga Street and the west line of Aurora Street and that area of public property between the west building lines on the east side and the east building lines on the west side of the former bed and associated sidewalks of North Tioga Street between the north line of State Street and the south line of Seneca Street.
(2) 
SECONDARY COMMONSAll streets and portions of streets within the area described as follows: all that area bounded by the property between the south building lines on the north and north building lines on the south side of the 100 and 200 blocks of East Green Street, the 300 block of East State Street, the 100 block of West State Street and the 100 block and 200 blocks of North Aurora Street, the 100 block of South Aurora Street, the 200 block of North Tioga Street, the 100 block of South Cayuga Street and the 100 block of North Cayuga Street.
LOADING
The act of loading or unloading passengers, items, or merchandise into or from a vehicle in a manner such that the operator of the vehicle is in the vicinity of the vehicle and able to immediately move the vehicle upon the direction of a law or code enforcement officer.
OFFICIAL TIME STANDARD
Whenever certain hours are named herein or on traffic control devices, they shall mean the time standard which is in current use in this state.
PARKING METER
Any mechanical device or meter not inconsistent with this article placed or erected for the regulation of parking by authority of this article. Each parking meter installed shall indicate by proper legend the legal parking time established and, when operated, shall at all times indicate the balance of legal parking time and, at the expiration of such period, shall indicate illegal or overtime parking.
PARKING METER SPACE
Any space within a parking meter zone, which is adjacent to a parking meter and which is duly designated for the parking of a single vehicle by lines painted or otherwise durably marked on the curb or on the surface of the street or lot adjacent to or adjoining the parking meters.
PARKING METER ZONE
A designated on-street parking area or off-street parking lot location within which the parking of vehicles is regulated by parking meters.
PARKING PAY STATION
A machine that accepts payment and validates pay-parking access tickets without cashier assistance. These machines accept credit cards, bills, or coins.
QUALIFIED CAR-SHARING ENTITY
A corporation, cooperative or association, open to application (for membership and shared vehicle use) from the general public, and formed and maintained for the purpose of sharing the use of motor vehicles, which has submitted a proper application for qualification to the Transportation Engineer (including proof of sufficient insurance coverage specifically for such shared use, with the City named as a co-insured, and an agreement to indemnify and hold the City harmless), and which has been so qualified by the Transportation Engineer.
SCHOOL
Any public, private, or nonprofit educational institution providing preschool, elementary, or secondary educational instruction. For purposes of this chapter, the term "school" includes a facility designed to provide day care, nursery school or preschool in an institutional setting.
C. 
The following words and phrases, notwithstanding definitions contained in Article 1 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York, shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section for the purposes of this chapter:
TRUCK
A commercial motor vehicle with a weight in excess of 10,000 pounds, which motor vehicle is designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property. For purposes of this chapter, the applicable weight shall be either the registered weight, the gross weight, or the vehicle specification plate weight, whichever is higher.
[Amended 5-2-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-05]
The Transportation Engineer, in cooperation with the Department of Public Works, shall install and maintain traffic control devices when and as required under the provisions of this chapter, to make effective the provisions of this chapter, and may install and maintain such additional traffic control devices as he/she may deem necessary to regulate, warn or guide traffic under the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York, subject to the provisions of §§ 1682 and 1684 of that law.
[Amended 10-3-2007 by Ord. No. 2007-9; 5-2-2018 by Ord. No. 2018-05]
A. 
Emergency and experimental regulations. The Chief of Police, by and with the approval of the Transportation Engineer, is hereby empowered to make regulations to make effective the provisions of this chapter and to make and enforce temporary or experimental regulations to cover emergency or special conditions. No such temporary or experimental regulations shall remain in effect for more than 90 days without formal enactment by the Common Council.
B. 
Stop and yield signs. The Transportation Engineer shall be authorized to determine and designate intersections where a particular hazard exists upon other than through streets, and to determine whether vehicles shall stop or yield at one or more entrances to any such intersection, and shall erect a stop or yield sign at every such place where a stop or yield is respectively required.
C. 
Traffic and turning lanes. The Transportation Engineer is authorized to place markers, buttons or signs within or approaching intersections indicating the course or lanes to be traveled by vehicles turning at such intersections, and such course or lane to be traveled as so indicated shall conform to this chapter or as the Transportation Engineer shall prescribe.
D. 
Restricted turning. The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to determine those intersections at which drivers of vehicles shall not make a right, left or U-turn, and shall place proper signs at such intersections. The making of such turns may be prohibited between certain hours of any day and permitted at other hours, in which event the same shall be plainly indicated on the signs, or the signs may be removed when such turns are permitted.
E. 
Crosswalks, safety zones and traffic lanes. The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to:
(1) 
Designate and maintain, by appropriate devices, marks or lines upon the surface of the roadway, crosswalks at intersections where, in his/her opinion, there is particular danger to pedestrians crossing the roadway and at such other places as he/she may deem necessary.
(2) 
Establish safety zones of such kind and character and at such places as may be deemed necessary for the protection of pedestrians.
(3) 
Mark lanes for traffic on street pavements at such places as may be deemed advisable, consistent with the traffic regulations of the City.
F. 
Play streets. The Transportation Engineer shall have authority to declare any street or part thereof a play street and to place appropriate signs or devices in the roadway indicating and helping to protect the same.
G. 
Parking adjacent to schools. The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to erect signs indicating no parking upon that side of any street adjacent to any school property when such parking would, in his/her opinion, interfere with traffic or create a hazardous situation.
H. 
Parking on narrow streets. The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to erect "No Parking" signs:
(1) 
On both sides of any two-way street where the width of the roadway does not exceed 26 feet.
(2) 
On one side of any two-way street where the width of the roadway does not exceed 32 feet.
(3) 
On both sides of any one-way street where the width of the roadway does not exceed 20 feet.
(4) 
On one side of any one-way street where the width of the roadway does not exceed 26 feet.
I. 
Parking or standing on one-way streets. The Transportation Engineer is authorized to prohibit parking or standing upon the left-hand side of any one-way street.
J. 
Divided highways. In the event that a highway includes two or more separate roadways and traffic is restricted to one direction upon any such roadway, the Transportation Engineer may prohibit parking or standing upon the left-hand side of such one-way roadway.
K. 
Stopping, standing or parking in hazardous places. The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to determine and designate places open to vehicular traffic not exceeding 100 feet in length in which the stopping, standing or parking of vehicles would create an especially hazardous condition or would cause unusual delay to traffic.
L. 
Passenger and freight loading zones. The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to determine the location of passenger and freight curb loading zones and the hours during which such zone shall be operable.
M. 
Bus stops, taxicab stands and car-sharing locations.
(1) 
The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to establish bus stops, taxicab stands, parking locations exclusively for use by car-share vehicles, and stands for other passenger common-carrier motor vehicles on such public streets, in such places and in such number as he/she shall determine to be of the greatest benefit and convenience to the public. The Board of Public Works shall be the body for appeals of the Transportation Engineer's decisions regarding such locations or the qualifications of any applicants therefor.
(2) 
Before the Transportation Engineer may authorize or renew a parking location for use by car-share vehicles, the car-sharing entity that seeks such authorization must submit a proper written request for the same (including proof of insurance coverage for the car-sharing arrangement, naming the City as a co-insured, and indemnification of the City), and must show that the entity qualifies under the definition of a "car-sharing entity" which is contained herein.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See definition of "qualified car-sharing entity" in § 346-1B.
N. 
Application of pavement markings. The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to apply or cause to be applied pavement markings in accordance with the standards and specifications established by the Department of Transportation on such highways or portions of highway as shall be determined to be necessary or appropriate.
O. 
Traffic control signals. The Transportation Engineer is hereby authorized to regulate traffic by means of traffic control signals.
A. 
The Board of Public Works is hereby authorized to adopt, and from time to time to amend, appropriate regulations for the effective administration of the provisions of this chapter. Such regulations shall be kept in the office of the Ithaca City Clerk.
B. 
Except as provided in § 346-3 above, Common Council delegates to the Board of Public Works the authority to adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of General City Law, and the Vehicle and Traffic Law, § 1603.
C. 
For the purpose of maintaining an accurate record of all regulations adopted under the provisions of this chapter, there is hereby established a system of schedules, appearing as regulations of the Board of Public Works.[1] Such schedules shall be deemed a part of the section to which they refer. All regulations shall be adopted with reference to the appropriate schedule as indicated in the various sections of this chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Part 2 of this chapter.