[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council
of the City of Hagerstown 11-4-1974. Amendments noted where applicable.]
This chapter shall be known and may be cited
as the "Snow Emergency Ordinance of the City of Hagerstown."
The following definitions shall apply in the
interpretation and enforcement of this chapter:
The Chief of Police and/or Manager, Public Ways and Recreation,
as designated by the Mayor and Council, or, in their absence, their
duly designated and acting representative.
[Amended 1-11-1983]
That portion of a street or highway improved, designed or
ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder.
Any streets which are not marked as snow emergency routes.
Those streets marked as such in accordance with the provisions
of this chapter.
Those tires in a good state of repair which are normally
designed by the manufacturer as snow tires or such tires as may be
approved by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles of the State of Maryland
as meeting the standards of effectiveness required of normally designated
snow tires or tires which have anti-skid patterns cut into the treaded
surface to form bars, buttons or blocks especially designed to give
effective traction on snow- or ice-covered streets and highways.
The entire width between the boundary lines of every way
publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the
public for purposes of vehicular travel.
Any metal chains mounted on drive-wheel tires of motor vehicles,
which cross the tread of each such tire laterally in at least three
different places.
[Amended 1-11-1983]
A.
Whenever the Director finds, on the basis of falling snow, sleet or freezing rain or on the basis of a forecast by the United States Weather Bureau of snow, sleet or freezing rain, that weather conditions will make it necessary that motor vehicle traffic be expedited for chemical spreading purposes, for snowplowing and for other purposes, the Director shall put into effect a snow emergency declaration in accordance with § 207-7. In addition thereto, but not in derogation thereof, when it is determined by the State of Maryland that a snow emergency exists in Washington County or the City of Hagerstown, the snow emergency program and provisions of this chapter shall automatically become effective. In either event, the snow emergency plan shall remain in full force and effect and the provisions of this chapter shall be applicable until the Director determines that said plan is no longer necessary and so declares.
B.
Whenever the Director finds, on the basis of falling
snow, sleet or freezing rain or on the basis of a forecast by the
United States Weather Bureau of snow, sleet or freezing rain, that
weather conditions will make it necessary that motor vehicle traffic
be expedited and that parking on City streets be prohibited or restricted
for snowplowing and other purposes, the Director shall put into effect
a parking prohibition on parts of or all snow emergency routes as
necessary by declaring it in a manner prescribed in this chapter.
C.
Once in effect, a prohibition under this section shall
remain in effect until terminated by an announcement of the Director
in accordance with this chapter. While the prohibition is in effect,
no person shall park or allow to remain parked any vehicle on any
portion of a snow emergency route to which it applies. However, nothing
in this section shall be construed to permit parking at any time or
place where it is forbidden by any other provision of law.
D.
Whenever the Director finds, on the basis of falling
snow, sleet or freezing rain or on the basis of a forecast by the
United States Weather Bureau of snow, sleet or freezing rain, that
the weather conditions will make it necessary that motor vehicle traffic
be expedited and that parking on City streets be prohibited or restricted
for snowplowing and other purposes, the Director shall put into effect
a parking prohibition on parts of or all secondary streets by this
chapter. The prohibition shall remain in effect until terminated by
an announcement of the Director in accordance with this chapter.
Whenever the Director finds, on the basis of
falling snow, sleet or freezing rain or on the basis of a forecast
by the United States Weather Bureau of snow, sleet or freezing rain,
that weather conditions will make it necessary that motor vehicle
traffic be expedited, and whenever he finds additionally that large
numbers of employees within the City are to be dismissed from duty
in advance of their normal quitting time because of weather conditions
and that such dismissal will advance the beginning of heavy quitting-time
traffic, he shall, by making a declaration in a manner prescribed
by this chapter, appropriately advance the effective time of those
traffic regulations which normally go into effect just before quitting
time for the working day, such as, for example (and not by way of
limitation), those relating to standing, parking, one-way streets,
unbalanced lanes and left turns. The regulations as so advanced in
their operation shall remain in effect until their normal termination
or otherwise, as may be indicated at specific locations. However,
nothing in this section shall be construed to permit parking at any
time or place where it is forbidden by any other section of this chapter.
No person operating a motor vehicle on a snow
emergency route on which there is a covering of snow, sleet or ice
shall allow such vehicle to become stalled wholly or partly because
the drive wheels thereof are not equipped with effective tire chains
or snow tires.
Whenever a vehicle becomes stalled for any reason,
whether or not in violation of this chapter, on any part of a snow
emergency route on which there is a covering of snow, sleet or ice
or on which there is parking prohibition in effect, the person operating
such vehicle shall take immediate action to have the vehicle towed
or pushed off the roadway of such snow emergency route or onto the
public space portion of a nearby driveway. No person shall abandon
or leave his vehicle unattended in the roadway of a snow emergency
route, except for the purpose of securing assistance within a reasonable
time.
A.
The Director shall cause each declaration made by
him pursuant to this chapter to be publicly announced by means of
broadcasts or telecasts from stations with a normal operating range
covering the City, and he may cause such declaration to be further
announced in newspapers of general circulation when feasible. Each
announcement shall describe the action taken by the Director, including
the time it became or will become effective, and shall specify the
streets or areas affected. A parking prohibition or advancement of
quitting-time traffic regulations declared by the Director shall not
go into effect until at least two hours after it has been announced.
B.
The Director shall make or cause to be made a record
of each time and date when any declaration is announced to the public
in accordance with this section.
Whenever the Director shall find that some or
all of the conditions which give rise to a parking prohibition in
effect pursuant to this chapter no longer exist, he may declare the
prohibition terminated in whole or in part, in a manner prescribed
by this chapter, effective immediately upon announcement.
Any provision of this chapter which becomes
effective by a declaration of the Director or upon the occurrence
of certain weather conditions shall, while temporarily in effect,
take precedence over other conflicting provisions of law normally
in effect, except that it shall not take precedence over provisions
of law relating to traffic accidents, emergency travel of authorized
emergency vehicles or emergency traffic directions by a police officer,
nor shall it take precedence over provisions of the Code of Public
General Laws of the State of Maryland, where applicable.
On each street designated by this chapter as
a snow emergency route, the Director shall post special signs at intervals
not exceeding 300 feet with the wording: "Snow Emergency Route. No
Parking During Emergency. Tow Away Zone." These signs shall be distinctive
and uniform in appearance and shall be plainly readable to persons
traveling on the street or highway.
A.
Members of the Police Department are hereby authorized
to remove or have removed a vehicle from a street to the nearest garage
or other place of safety, including another place on a street, or
to a garage designated or maintained by the Police Department or otherwise
maintained by this City, when:
(1)
The vehicle is parked on a part of a snow emergency
route on which a parking prohibition is in effect.
(2)
The vehicle is stalled on a part of a snow emergency
route on which there is a covering of snow, sleet or ice or on which
there is a parking prohibition in effect and the person who was operating
such vehicle does not appear to be removing it in accordance with
the provisions of this chapter.
(3)
The vehicle is parked in violation of any parking
ordinance or provision of law and is interfering or about to interfere
with snow removal operations.
B.
Whenever an officer removes or has removed a vehicle
from a street as authorized in this section and the officer knows
or is able to ascertain from the registration records in the vehicle
the name and address of the owner thereof, such officer shall immediately
give or cause to be given notice, in writing, within 24 hours to such
owner of the fact of such removal and the reasons therefor and of
the place to which such vehicle has been removed. In the event that
any such vehicle is stored in a public garage, a copy of such notice
shall be given to the proprietor of such garage.
C.
No person shall recover any vehicle removed in accordance
with this section except as provided herein. Before the owner or person
in charge of such vehicle shall be allowed to recover it from the
place where it has been placed or impounded, he shall present to a
member of the Police Department evidence of his identity and right
to possession of the vehicle, shall sign a receipt for its return,
shall pay the cost of removal and shall pay any cost of storage accrued.
D.
It shall be duty of the Police Department to keep
a record of each vehicle removed in accordance with this section.
The record shall include a description of the vehicle, its license
number, the date and time of its removal, where it was removed from,
its location, the name and address of its owner and last operator,
if known, its final disposition and the parking violation, if any.
E.
This section shall be supplemental to any other provisions
of law granting members of the Police Department the authority to
remove vehicles.
[Amended 10-6-1975]
Whenever any motor vehicle without a driver
is found parked or left in violation of any provision of this chapter,
the officer finding such vehicle shall take its registration number
and any other information displayed on the vehicle which may identify
its user and shall conspicuously affix to such vehicle a traffic citation,
on a form provided by the Police Department, for the driver to answer
to the charge against him within 14 days during the hours and at a
place specified in the citation.
In any prosecution with regard to a vehicle
parked or left in a place or in a condition in violation of any provision
of this chapter, proof that the particular vehicle described in the
complaint was parked or left in violation of a provision of this chapter,
together with proof that the defendant named in the complaint was
at the time the registered owner of such vehicle, shall constitute
prima facie evidence that the defendant was the person who parked
or left the vehicle in violation of this chapter. Said presumption
shall be rebuttable.
[Amended 10-6-1975]
A.
The following streets or portions of streets within
the City are hereby designated as snow emergency routes:
[Amended 12-6-1994 by Ord. No. 1994-37]
(1)
U.S. Route 40:
(a)
Westbound, which includes the Dual Highway from
Colonial Drive to Franklin Street, Franklin Street west to the City
limits.
(b)
Eastbound, which includes Washington Avenue
from the City limits near I-81, Washington Street from Washington
Avenue to the Dual Highway and the Dual Highway to Colonial Drive.
(2)
U.S. Route 11, which includes Virginia Avenue to South
Burhans Boulevard, to North Burhans Boulevard, to Pennsylvania Avenue,
to the City limits.
(3)
Virginia Avenue from South Burhans Boulevard to Park
Circle.
(4)
All of North and South Potomac Streets and Potomac
Avenue.
(5)
Locust Street, north and south from Locust Point to
Fairground Avenue.
(6)
Fairground Avenue from Locust Street to Potomac Avenue.
(7)
East and West Wilson Boulevard, from Summit Avenue
to Frederick Street.
(8)
East and West Memorial Boulevard, from Park Circle
to Eastern Boulevard.
(9)
Frederick Street, from the City line to Eastern Boulevard.
(10)
Northern Avenue, from Pennsylvania Avenue to
Potomac Avenue.
(11)
All of Eastern Boulevard within the City limits.
(12)
Wesel Boulevard.
Every person convicted of a violation of any
provision of this chapter shall be punished by a fine of $10, in addition
to the other costs provided herein.
