(a) Whenever, during any period of twenty-four hours or less, snow falls in the City, or in any section thereof, to a depth of two inches or more, an emergency is declared to exist in that such a heavy snow storm constitutes a serious public hazard impairing transportation, the movement of food and fuel
supplies, medical care, fire, health and police protection and other vital services of the City. Such emergency shall continue until an announcement by the Director of Public Safety that snow plowing operations have been completed, which announcement shall be made in the same manner as is outlined in subsection (b) hereof.
(b) Whenever such a snow emergency exists, the Director of Public Safety shall request the cooperation of the local press and radio and television stations to announce the emergency and the time that the emergency parking regulations become effective, which time shall be no sooner than one hour after the first announcement. Such announcement, by two local or area radio stations or two local or area television stations or in a daily newspaper of general circulation published in the City, shall constitute notice to the general public of the existence of the emergency. However, the owners and operators of motor vehicles shall have full responsibility to determine existing weather conditions and to comply with the emergency parking regulations.
(c) During the period of the emergency, the Director of Public Safety may prohibit the parking of any vehicles upon any or all of the City streets designated as through streets or highways by law. During the emergency no person shall park, or cause or permit to be parked or abandon or leave unattended, any vehicle of any kind or description upon such specified streets. However, vehicles may be parked for a period of not longer than three minutes for actual loading or unloading of passengers or thirty minutes for actual loading or unloading of property, provided that no other ordinance restricting parking as to place or time is violated thereby.
(d) Where the Director of Public Safety believes it necessary, he or she shall cause appropriate signs to be posted accordingly as herein designated and curbing to be painted yellow where necessary, and shall make any other necessary changes not inconsistent with this section to provide notice or warning to the public of an existing snowfall emergency.
(Ord. 1994-93. Passed 7-5-94.)