No person shall park any motor vehicle or other vehicle during any period of excessive snowfall:
(a) Whenever, during any period of twenty-four hours or less, there is an accumulation of snow, an average depth of four inches or more, an emergency is declared to exist in that such accumulation of snow constitutes a serious public health hazard impairing transportation, the movement of fuel and food supplies, medical care, fire, health, and police protection and other vital facilities of the City. Such emergency shall continue until an announcement by the Mayor or Director of Administration that snow removal operations have been completed.
(b) Whenever such an emergency, the Mayor or Director of Administration shall announce the emergency by local press and/or radio, and such emergency shall become effective at a time designated by the Mayor or Director of Administration, but not sooner than four hours following the first announcement on snow emergency routes, and twelve hours on residential streets. Such announcement shall constitute notice to the general public of the existence of the emergency, provided, however, that the owners and operators shall have full responsibility to determine existing weather conditions and to comply with emergency parking regulations.
(c) During the existence of the emergency, no person shall park or cause to be parked or permit to remain parked, or shall abandon or leave unattended, any vehicle on any street or portions thereof, located within the City except such person, resident, owner, or operator of a vehicle having a residence abutting any street, parklane, or alley having a width of twenty-five feet or less and providing no driveway.
(d) Vehicles may be parked for a period of not longer than fifteen minutes for actual loading or unloading of passengers or property and that snow equipment is not being operated on such street and that no other ordinance restricting parking is violated thereby.
(e) Any motor vehicle parked in violation of this section is hereby declared to be a public nuisance and may be removed from the street and impounded at such place as may be directed by the Mayor, Director of Administration or Police Chief at the cost and expense of the owner thereof.
(f) No liability shall attach to the City or to the officer ordering the removal and storage of such vehicle in violation of this section or for damage caused thereto or resulting therefrom, and any person towing or storing the vehicle at the request of any member of the Police Department, shall have a lien on the vehicle for towing and storage charges incurred. (Ord. 01-9298. Passed 2-21-01.)