The following words, when used in this article,
shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except in
those instances where the context clearly indicates otherwise:
METER
Meter(s) referred to in this chapter shall include but not
be limited to multispace meters (kiosks) and parking mobile payment
applications authorized by the City of Schenectady.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
OPERATOR
Every individual who shall operate a vehicle as the owner
thereof, or as the agent, employee or permittee of the owner, or who
is in actual physical control of a vehicle.
PARK, PARKING or PARKED
The stopping of a motor vehicle upon any public highway and
leaving such motor vehicle unattended, by a person capable of operating
it, for a period longer than necessary to load or unload passengers
or freight.
STREET
Any public street, avenue, road, boulevard, highway or other
public place located in the City and established for the use of vehicles.
TOKEN
A metallic piece, resembling a coin, issued by the City of
Schenectady for use in the City of Schenectady's parking meters.
[Added 10-30-1989 by Ord. No. 89-71]
VEHICLE
Any device in, upon or by which any person or property is
or may be transported upon a highway, except a device which is operated
upon rails or tracks.
[Added 6-27-2005 by Ord. No. 2005-10; amended 11-27-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-16; 6-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-09; 7-19-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-13; 10-28-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-26; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
Meters shall be calibrated to charge an hourly
rate, which rate shall be set by the Mayor or his or her designee.
It is hereby declared to be the purpose of the
City to use parking meters as a means, but not as an exclusive means,
for governing or restricting the parking or standing of vehicles in
the streets and public places of the City for the convenience, safety
and accommodation of the public and the relieving of traffic congestion.
[Amended 7-30-1979 by Ord. No. 79-76; 6-23-2014 by Ord. No.
2014-18; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
The City Engineer shall determine where to place kiosks on City streets in furtherance of the purpose set forth in §
248-64. Such determinations are subject to amendment or repeal in accordance with §
248-14 of this chapter.
[Amended 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-18; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
Parking meters installed in the parking meter zones established as provided in §
248-65. Kiosks shall be placed upon the sidewalk or curb in close vicinity to the individual parking places hereinafter described. Each parking meter shall indicate by a proper legend the legal parking or standing time established by the City and, when operated, shall indicate on and by its face or display a signal for the duration of the period of legal parking or standing and on the expiration of such period of legal parking or standing shall indicate illegal parking or standing by a signal on its face. Each kiosk shall dispense a receipt indicating the amount of time allotted.
[Added 12-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-79; amended 4-29-1991 by Ord. No. 91-18; 3-16-1992 by Ord. No. 92-06]
A. The Parking Division Supervisor is hereby granted
authority to:
(1) Appoint Citywide parking attendants.
(2) Supervise the Citywide parking attendants.
(3) Enforce all local parking rules in the downtown area.
(4) Initiate enforcement procedures against owners of
motor vehicles or their representatives pursuant to § 401
Subdivision 5a, of the State of New York Vehicle and Traffic Law and
any other enforcement procedures available to him under New York State
Law.
B. An administrative fee of $15 shall be due and payable for each group of summons charged to the vehicle whose registration was not renewed pursuant to § 401, Subdivision 5-a, of the Vehicle and Traffic Law or suspended pursuant to other New York State law and shall be in addition to fines provided for in §
248-3 of the Schenectady Code.
[Amended 9-5-1989 by Ord. No. 89-63; 6-23-2014 by Ord. No.
2014-18; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
When a parking space in any multispace parking
zone is parallel to the adjacent curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked
or standing in such parking space shall be parked or shall stand so
that such vehicle shall be as near to the parking kiosk as possible
that will allow other vehicles to park in close proximity to the kiosk
but also vehicles to exit without difficulty; when a parking space
in any parking zone is diagonal to the curb or sidewalk, any vehicle
parked or standing in such parking space shall be parked or shall
stand with the extreme front of such vehicle nearest to such curbline.
[Amended 6-1-1971 by Ord. No. 15517; 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 2-1986; 6-23-2014 by Ord. No. 2014-18; 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
A. When any vehicle shall occupy any space under control of a meter located in accordance with the provisions of this article, the operator shall, upon entering said parking space, immediately deposit or cause to be deposited in such meter monies of the United States to obtain such time period as indicated upon the meter. If the meter has the ability to accept credit or debit cards, they can be used in lieu of coinage. Failure to deposit such monies, as hereinbefore prescribed, shall constitute a breach of this article. Upon the deposit of such monies as hereinbefore prescribed and placing said meter in operation, the parking space may be lawfully occupied by such vehicle during the period of time prescribed hereinbefore in §
248-65. If said vehicle shall occupy such parking space beyond the period so prescribed, such vehicle shall be considered as parked or standing overtime and beyond the period of legal parking or standing time in any such part of a street where any such parking meter is located and shall be a violation of this article and punishable as hereinafter set forth.
B. In the event that any person parks a vehicle at a meter and overstays
that limit indicated at that meter or the printed receipt, such person
shall be subject to an additional ticket or tickets for any period
of time that they violate the time limit indicated at the meter and
shall be punishable as herein set forth.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
Commercial vehicles may occupy parking meter
spaces for a reasonable length of time for the purpose of loading
or unloading of their vehicles without depositing such monies as herein
before prescribed in the parking meter. Commercial vehicles parked
or standing in such parking meter areas and not engaged in loading
or unloading shall be required to deposit such monies as hereinbefore
prescribed in the same manner as other vehicles.
It shall be unlawful for any person or operator
to cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle registered in the name
of or operated by such person to be parked or to stand overtime or
beyond the period of legal parking or standing time established for
any parking meter zone as herein described.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit
or cause to be deposited in a parking meter a coin, a credit card,
or other form of payment for the purpose of increasing or extending
the parking or standing time of any vehicle beyond the period herein
before prescribed.
[Amended 9-5-1989 by Ord. No. 89-64]
It shall be unlawful to deposit or cause to
be deposited in any parking meter any slug, device or metallic substitutes
for legal coins of the United States except those authorized by the
City.
[Amended 9-28-1992 by Ord. No. 92-48]
A. It shall be unlawful for any person to deface, injure,
tamper with, open or willfully break, destroy or impair the usefulness
of any parking meter installed under the provisions of this article.
[Amended 9-5-1989 by Ord. No. 89-61; 12-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-78]
A. The following people shall be authorized to report
violations of this article:
(1) Police officers of the City of Schenectady and such
other designated and appointed personnel acting in accordance with
instructions issued by the Chief of Police.
(2) Any designated and appointed personnel, including
but not limited to meter attendants, acting in accordance with the
instructions and under the supervision of the Parking Division Supervisor.
B. Any person authorized by this section to report a
violation of the article shall set forth the following:
(1) The state license number of such vehicle.
(2) The time, date and location at which such vehicle
was found to be in violation of any of the provisions of this article.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
(3) Any other facts, a knowledge of which is necessary
for a thorough understanding of the circumstances attending such violation.
[Amended 6-2-1986 by L.L. No. 2-1986; 9-5-1989 by Ord. No. 89-62]
Each police officer and such designated and
appointed personnel shall also place on such vehicle a notice to the
owner thereof that such vehicle has been parked or has been standing
in violation of the provisions of this article.
In any prosecution or proceeding
hereunder, the registration plate displayed on a motor vehicle shall
raise in evidence a prima facie presumption that the owner of such
vehicle was the person who parked or stood such vehicle at the place
where such violation occurred.
[Amended 7-30-1979 by Ord. No. 79-76; 12-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-80]
A. The Parking Division Supervisor shall provide for
the maintenance of parking meters.
B. The Director of Finance shall provide for the collection
of coins from parking meters.
[Amended 7-30-1979 by Ord. No. 79-76]
The City Engineer may temporarily suspend the
provisions of this article or may issue such temporary rules or regulations
under this article as may be required.
[Amended 7-30-1979 by Ord. No. 79-76]
Nothing in this article is to be construed to limit the powers granted to the City Engineer under §§
248-11 and
248-12 of this chapter.
Any person, whether as principal or agent, violating or assisting in the violation of any of the provisions set forth in §§
248-73 and
248-74 shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $50 and in default of the payment of such fine shall be imprisoned for a period not exceeding five days.
[Amended 8-10-2020 by Ord. No. 2020-10]
The monies deposited in parking meters, as provided
herein, are hereby levied and assessed as fees to provide for the
proper regulation and control of traffic upon the public streets and
also for the cost of supervising and regulating the parking or standing
of vehicles in the parking meter zones created hereby and to cover
the cost of the purchase, supervision, protection, inspection, installation,
operation, maintenance, control and use of the parking meters described
herein.