(a) No owner or operator of a railroad, or an abutting owner being served by spur railroad tracks, the tracks of which cross a street of the City at grade, shall fail to lay and maintain a suitable crossing at the street so crossed. Such crossing shall be paved with steel railroad rails laid parallel with the tracks for the full width of the street from curb line to curb line and extending between rails and two feet on either side of the rails, the spaces between such rails to be filled with bituminous concrete or other suitable material specified by the Engineering and Environmental Services Director, or in lieu thereof, there shall be installed removable, reinforced concrete slabs resting on the ties, or in lieu thereof, of bituminous concrete construction, the crossing rails and other material to be laid flush with the surface of the track rails so as to at all times afford a good smooth and level crossing to admit of safe and speedy travel over the same. However, where any existing crossing, in the opinion of the Director, is of suitable material and safe and satisfactory, such owner, operator or abutting owner of the railroad tracks shall be permitted to maintain such crossing until the same requires extensive repairs or rebuilding, when the same shall be rebuilt as herein provided. In addition, the Director is hereby authorized to designate the crossings of streets where little traffic exists, and when so designated it shall not be necessary to install such railroad crossings or concrete slabs, but the same shall be paved with other material and in a manner satisfactory to the Director. Wherever more than one track crosses a street and the nearest rails of the tracks are less than fifteen feet apart, the paving or material required shall extend between the tracks as well as between the rails and two feet outside the outermost rails. Such crossing shall be lighted by lights of a type acceptable to the Engineering and Environmental Services Director. The utility service for such lighting shall be paid by the owner or operator of the railroad, or by the abutting owner being served by spur railroad tracks.
(Ord. O82-74, passed 7-6-1982)
(b) No owner or operator of a railroad, or an abutting owner being served by spur railroad tracks, shall fail to also lay and provide safe sidewalks of concrete or bituminous concrete to be laid between the curb lines and property lines for the full width of the right of way, provided that the Director is hereby authorized to designate crossings with little pedestrian traffic at which it shall not be necessary to lay such sidewalks.
(Ord. 2782, passed 6-6-1951; Am. Ord. O2007-24, passed 3-20-2007)