(a) Purpose.
(1) The purpose of this section is to regulate the orderly operation of trucks on the streets of the City of Reed City. The primary objectives are to facilitate the transfer of goods and services by trucks to businesses and to preserve the quality of life of the neighborhoods. Prime considerations involved with the purpose of this section are:
A. The safety of our citizens;
B. Avoidance of unreasonable or unnecessary disturbance or reduction in property values due to truck noise, vibration, and/or air pollution;
C. Protection against the deterioration of those streets not designated for truck traffic, and
D. Adequate truck service to business and residences in an expeditious manner, having due regard for economical vehicle operation.
(2) Where density of traffic, protection of life and property, construction and condition of the roadway, or any hazardous condition make it advisable, the direction of traffic flow, parking and routing of buses, trucks and heavy vehicles, may be made by the City Manager or the Chief of Police, by duly posted traffic-control devices and it shall be unlawful to drive or cause to be driven, any vehicle in violation of such direction, parking and/or routing.
(b) Definitions.
(1) As used in this section "truck" shall mean "truck", "truck tractor", "trailer", "semitrailer", and/or any combination thereof, as defined in Act 300, Public Acts of Michigan of 1949 as amended.
(2) As used in this section a "school bus" is defined in Act 300, Public Acts of Michigan of 1949 as amended.
(c) Prohibitions.
(1) No person shall operate, stand or park any truck exceeding twenty feet in length and/or four tons gross weight, including operator and cargo, and/or any school bus on any street, alley, yard, lot, public or private, or any combination thereof in the City of Reed City except upon posted and/or designated truck mutes as determined by the City Manager or Chief of Police and approved by resolution of the City Council.
(2) Travel into or out of the City. Vehicles restricted by this section which do not have a pickup, delivery or service within the City of Reed City are required to enter and exit the City of Reed City and travel upon designated truck routes only.
(3) Travel within the City. Vehicles restricted by this section, while in the City of Reed City, are required to travel upon designated truck routes, provided however, no provision of this section shall prohibit:
A. The operation of emergency vehicles upon any street in the City.
B. The operations of tracks owned by or operated by the City of Reed City, any contractor or material hauler while engaged in the repair, maintenance or construction of streets, street improvements, or street utilities within the City.
C. The operation of a truck and/or restricted vehicle upon any officially established detour in the case where the designated truck route or portions thereof are under repair or otherwise temporarily out of use. Restricted vehicles shall use such other temporary truck routes (detours) as may be designated by the City of Reed City.
D. Any truck which is biking departure from or proceeding to a destination on a prohibited street from operating on such prohibited streets as may be reasonably necessary in traveling, to or from, as the case may be, from the nearest street intersection on a street wherein such trucks are permitted to operate.
E. Any truck while engaged in one or more local pickups or deliveries from using such prohibited streets as may be reasonably necessary in doing so, provided that such truck shall upon completion of the last pickup or delivery, return by the shortest route to the nearest street upon which it is permitted to operate.
F. It shall be the duty of any person who shall be driving or in charge or control of any truck and/or restricted vehicle which may at that time be upon any street in the City upon which truck travel is limited or restricted, upon the demand of any police officer, to stop and answer any questions regarding the weight of the truck, its destination, and its point of origin, and such person shall also present their log book, weight slips, delivery slips and other written evidence of destination or point of origin, for the officer's examination as well as to proceed to any public or private scale available for the purpose of weighing and determining whether the weight thereof is in excess of the weight limit permitted upon such street.
(d) Signage.
(1) The roadways designated as truck routes shall be posted with signs at reasonable intervals and at intersections where the truck route turns. Such signs shall, at the least, consist of the words "truck route" below which shall be place an appropriate type arrow indicating the direction of the route.
(2) Non-truck route streets may be posted with signs at reasonable intervals where appropriate. Such signs shall indicate "No Trucks", "No Through Trucks Local Delivery Only", "Not a Truck Route", or other such language deemed by the City Manager or Chief of Police to give reasonable notice to drivers.
(e) Exemption. Notwithstanding any provisions contained herein to the contrary, the City Manager or Chief of Police, upon written application, may exempt any truck from the provisions of this ordinance for any reasonable period of time.
(f) Designated Truck Routes. The City Manager or Chief of Police shall recommend truck routes and the City Council shall approve them.
(g) Separability. If any subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this section is, for any reason, held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a separate, distinct and independent provision and such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions thereof.
(h) Ordinances Repealed. Any and all ordinances and/or parts of ordinances inconsistent with this section are hereby repealed.
(I) Penalty.
(1) A person who violates any provision of this section shall be deemed to have committed a civil infraction and be subject to a penalty of not less than two hundred dollars ($200.00) and not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) at the discretion of the court of competent jurisdiction applied to for its enforcement.
(2) Placing a copy of the civil infraction on a parked and/or unoccupied restricted vehicle found to be in violation of this section shall constitute service of the civil infraction.
(Ord. 09-003. Passed 12-21-09.)