EMERGENCY WEATHER REGULATIONS

§ 72.20 WHEN EMERGENCY DEEMED TO EXIST.

   Whenever during any period of 24 hours or less, snow, sleet, ice or any other similar conditions exist within the corporate limits of the town or in any section thereof which, in the opinion of the Chief of Police, or in the absence of the Chief of Police, the Manager or, in the absence of the Manager, ranking police officer on duty, makes traveling of any public street or road within the corporate limits of the town, dangerous to the safety of any person traveling on such streets, then an emergency is declared to exist in that such conditions constitutes a serious public hazard impairing transportation, the movement of food and fuel supplies, medical care, fire, health and police protection and other vital facilities of the town. Such emergency shall continue until the Chief of Police or, in the absence of the Chief of Police, the Manager or, in the absence of the Manager, the ranking police officer on duty shall announce that the emergency has ended, which announcement shall be made in the same manner as set forth in § 72.21(A) of this chapter.

(Prior Code, § 72.25)

§ 72.21 ANNOUNCEMENT OF EMERGENCY; COMPLIANCE WITH PARKING BAN.

   (A)   Whenever such an emergency exists, the Chief of Police or, in the absence of the Chief of Police, the Manager or, in the absence of the Manager, the ranking police offer on duty, shall request the cooperation of the local press and radio stations, to announce the emergency, and the streets within the town upon which the emergency regulations are to be imposed and the time that the emergency regulations are hereinafter set forth shall become effective which time shall be no sooner than one hour after the first announcement by the appropriate town official to the news media. Such announcement by the appropriate town official to the news media shall constitute notice to the general public of the existence of the emergency. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Chief of Police or, in the absence of the Chief of Police, the Manager or, in the absence of the Manager, the ranking police officer on duty, shall cause to be posted upon the streets which are affected by these regulations, a sign which sign shall read: “Emergency; no parking or abandonment of vehicles allowed. Four wheel drive, chains or studded snow tires required.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, the owners and operators of motor vehicles shall have full responsibility to determine existing weather conditions and to comply with the emergency regulations and the failure of the news media to make such announcement or the failure of the town officials to properly post such announcement or the failure of any owner or operation of a motor vehicle to hear or learn of the announcement of the existence of the emergency or of the time that the emergency regulations shall become effective or of the streets within the town upon which the emergency regulations are to be imposed shall not excuse such owner or operator from complying with such emergency regulations, nor shall any such failure be a defense to any action brought against such owner or operator for violation of this division (A).

   (B)   During the emergency, it shall be unlawful for any person to travel on any street upon which the emergency regulations have been imposed without a four wheel drive vehicle or a vehicle which has chains or studded snow tires on the drive wheels of such vehicle during the period beginning one hour after the first announcement of the emergency to the news media by the appropriate town official and continuing until such time as the announcement shall have been made to the news media by the appropriate town official or until such time as the appropriate town official shall have caused to be removed, the notice from the affected street of the emergency, whichever event occurs first.

   (C)   During the emergency, it shall be unlawful for any person to park or cause to be parked, or to abandon or leave unattended any vehicle of any kind or description upon any street upon which the emergency parking regulations have been imposed during the period beginning one hour after the first announcement of emergency to the news media by the appropriate town official and continuing until such time as snow plowing operations shall have been completed on any particular street upon which it is proposed to park, abandon or leave unattended such vehicle, or until such time as the announcement shall have been made to the news media, by the appropriate town official that snow plowing operations have been completed, whichever event occurs first. If snow plowing operations shall have been completed upon any street upon which the emergency parking regulations have been imposed, and if additional snow in any amounts shall later fall on any such street, and if additional snow shall fall during the period of such emergency, and before the announcement to the news media by the appropriate town official that such snow plowing operations have been completed, it shall be unlawful for any person to park, or cause to be parked, or to abandon or to leave unattended any vehicle of any kind or description upon such street until such snow plowing operations shall have been completed upon such street or until such announcement to the news media by the appropriate town official that snow plowing operations have been completed, whichever event occurs first.

(Prior Code, § 72.26) Penalty, see § 72.99

§ 72.22 EXCEPTIONS TO SUBCHAPTER.

   Notwithstanding the foregoing, vehicles may be parked for a period of no longer than three minutes for loading or unloading of passengers; 30 minutes for actual loading or unloading of personal property; provided that, no other ordinance restricting parking as to the place or time is thereby violated.

(Prior Code, § 72.27)

§ 72.23 TOWING AND STORAGE.

   (A)   It shall be the duty of the law enforcement officers of the town to see that the provisions of this subchapter are enforced within the town, and any such officer(s) shall have power to arrest on sight, or upon warrant, any person found violating the provisions of this subchapter. Such officer(s) shall have the power to stop any motor vehicle upon the roads and streets of the town, for the purpose of determining whether the same is being operated in violation of the provisions of this subchapter.

   (B)   In addition to the general penalty for violation of this chapter, any vehicle found parked on any street in the town in violation of this provision may be removed, on order of any police officer of the town, to a place of storage and shall there remain until redeemed by its owner or operator. Before redeeming such vehicle, the owner or operator thereof shall pay to the person towing such vehicle to the place of storage at the request of the police officer, all sums due for removing such vehicle from the street to the place of storage and all further sums due to the party storing such vehicle, for storing such vehicle until redeemed by the owner or operator. All such sums due are declared as liens against the motor vehicle involved in favor of the party rendering the towing or storage service as the case may be.

(Prior Code, § 72.28)