Village of Alexandria Bay, NY Chapter 124 Snowmobiles

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Alexandria Bay 12-14-1970. Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 124-1 Purpose.

The purpose of this chapter is to protect the public health, welfare and safety by regulating the operation of snowmobiles on public highways and places of the Village of Alexandria Bay in a manner which will be compatible with the use of such highways and places for vehicular and pedestrian travel and other uses and which will promote the safe and proper use of snowmobiles for recreation and commerce, and minimize detrimental effects of such use on the environment, and for ingress to and egress from the Village of Alexandria Bay.

§ 124-2 Definitions.

For the purpose of this chapter, the following words, phrases and terms shall have the following meanings:

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

Includes a county, city, town, village, school district, fire district and a special or improvement district of a county or town.

OPERATE

To ride in or on, other than as a passenger, use or control the operation of a snowmobile in any manner, whether or not said snowmobile is under way.

OPERATOR

Every person who operates or is in actual physical control of a snowmobile.

OWNER

A person, other than a lien holder, having the property in or title to a snowmobile.

PERSON

Includes an individual, partnership, corporation, municipal corporation, the state and its agencies and subdivisions and any body of persons, whether incorporated or not.

PUBLIC WAY

Any public highway, road, street, avenue, alley, place or driveway.

ROADWAY

That portion of a highway improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel.

SNOWMOBILE

A self-propelled vehicle designed for travel on snow or ice, steered by skis or runners and supported in part by skis, belts or cleats.

SPECIAL EVENT

An organized race, exhibition or demonstration of limited duration which is conducted according to a prearranged schedule and in which general public interest is manifested.

STREET OR HIGHWAY

The entire width between boundary lines of any way or place when any part thereof is open to the use of the public, as a matter of right, for the purpose of vehicular traffic.

VILLAGE

The Village of Alexandria Bay.

§ 124-3 Streets designated for operation.

A. Uncongested highways. All Village streets or highways, other than those specifically excluded, are hereby designated as uncongested and for use by snowmobiles for ingress to and egress from the Village.

B. The following Village streets are hereby excluded from snowmobile use and are designated as congested:

(1) James Street, Market Street, Fuller Street, Sisson Street and Church Street.

(2) Walton Street, from Church Street intersection to Second Street intersection.

C. Limited operation on excluded streets.

(1) Emergency. When authorized or directed by a state or local police officer, snowmobiles may be operated on any portion of the excluded highways for the purpose of such an emergency as provided by Title D of the Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law.

[Amended 12-14-1993 by L.L. No. 3-1993]

(2) Exception to operation on excluded streets. Owners and operators with a personal residence on excluded streets shall be permitted to use such streets for ingress to and egress from their residence to uncongested streets.

§ 124-4 Parks and public places other than highways.

A. Subject to the restrictions and conditions in § 124-5 and the rules and regulations of the Office of Parks and Recreation, snowmobiles may be operated only on or along designated and marked trails of the following public parks and places of the Village:

(1) Recreation Center parking lot (for crossing said lot and parking therein only).

(2) Golf course: when the ground surface is frozen.

B. Except as provided in Subsection A of this section, operation of snowmobiles on any public parks and places of the Village, including the putting greens of the golf course, is hereby expressly prohibited.

§ 124-5 State highway crossing designated.

The Catherine Avenue - Washington Avenue intersection on Church Street is designated as a snowmobile crossing area.

§ 124-6 Restrictions on operation.

Whenever the operation of a snowmobile is permitted on any Village street or highway or portion thereof as provided in this chapter or on parks or public lands of the Village, the following conditions and restrictions are hereby imposed to all such snowmobile operations:

A. Public or private lands. A snowmobile shall not be operated on any lands owned, occupied by or under the jurisdiction of a governmental agency or privately owned except with the permission of any such owner or occupant.

B. Sidewalks. It shall be unlawful to operate a snowmobile upon a public sidewalk or walkway.

C. Direction of travel. No person shall operate a snowmobile within the street or highway right-of-way of the Village between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. except on the right side of such right-of-way and in the same direction as the highway traffic. Operation on other public places shall be only in the direction, if any, marked by appropriate route direction signs.

D. Prohibited operating hours. No person shall operate snowmobiles on any Village streets between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. except to return to one's residence.

E. Unnecessary noise. It shall be unlawful to operate a snowmobile, except at special events sanctioned and approved by the Office of Parks and Recreation, in any manner which creates loud, unnecessary or unusual noise so as to disturb or interfere with the peace and quiet of other persons or in any other manner which constitutes a public nuisance or annoys, injures or endangers the health, safety, comfort or repose of the public. No person shall use a muffler cutout, bypass or other device to defeat the operation of a muffler in good working condition.

F. Financial security. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a snowmobile on any Village highway or on public lands unless the owner or operator of such snowmobile is insured against public liability and carries with him proof of financial responsibility, such as a certificate of liability insurance of the type, coverage and of the minimum amount as defined and required of owners and operators of motor vehicles by the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York.

[Amended 9-15-1999 by L.L. No. 3-1999]

G. Unattended snowmobiles. It shall be unlawful for any owner or operator to leave or allow a snowmobile to be left unattended on any Village street while the motor is running or with any key for starting the same left in the ignition or elsewhere in said snowmobile.

H. Obedience to vehicular traffic controls. Each person operating a snowmobile on any Village street shall observe strictly all vehicular traffic signs and signals and all other rules and regulations applicable to vehicular traffic and shall obey the orders and directions of any state or local police or other law enforcement officer authorized to direct or regulate traffic.

I. Age of operator. No one under the age of 16 years shall operate a snowmobile on any Village highway.

J. Speed limit. No one shall operate a snowmobile on the streets or highways of the Village at a speed greater than 10 miles per hour.

§ 124-7 Penalties for offenses.

[Amended 12-14-1993 by L.L. No. 3-1993]

Any person who shall violate any section of this chapter shall be guilty of a violation which is punishable by a fine not to exceed $250 and/or imprisonment for a period not to exceed 15 days, and/or both such fine and imprisonment.