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