(A) It shall be unlawful for any person to leave any vehicle or any other thing that may be a nuisance, obstruction, or hindrance in or on any street, alley, or sidewalk within the city either during the day or night.
(B) The provisions of these regulations prohibiting the stopping and parking of a vehicle shall apply at all times to those times herein specified or as indicated on official signs except when it is necessary to stop a vehicle to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or any other official acting in the interest of the public safety, such as firemen or similar officers.
(C) The City Commission shall determine on what streets or portions thereof stopping or parking shall be restricted or prohibited, designating the type or types of vehicles to which such restrictions or prohibitions are applicable such as automobiles, trucks, etc.
(D) Whenever under authority of or by these traffic regulations or any other ordinance any parking limit is imposed or parking is prohibited on designated streets, or parking areas are restricted to handicapped parking, appropriate signs shall be erected giving notice thereof. However, in lieu of erecting such signs or in conjunction therewith, the face and top of a curb at or adjacent to which parking is prohibited at all times may be painted a solid yellow color.
(E) No such regulations or restrictions shall be effective unless the signs have been erected and are in place or the curbs are painted yellow at the time of any alleged offense, except in the case of those parking restrictions which by their very nature would not require such signs and markings.
(F) When signs are erected in compliance with these traffic regulations, no person shall park a vehicle in violation of the restriction specified on such official signs.
(G) It shall be unlawful for anyone to park in any one place any vehicle on any of the public ways or streets of the city for a period of 24 hours or longer. Any vehicle left parked in any one place for a period of 24 hours or longer shall be deemed abandoned, and shall be subject to all existing regulations of the city pertaining to abandoned motor vehicles. Attempts will be made to notify owners if possible.
(H) Any city police officer may impound any vehicle abandoned or illegally parked in any place where the vehicle creates or constitutes a traffic hazard, blocks the use of any fire hydrant, or obstructs or may obstruct the movement of any emergency vehicle. An illegally parked vehicle may similarly be impounded where a citation for the illegal parking has been attached to the vehicle, and the vehicle has not been moved within two hours after issuance of the citation.
(I) Vehicles so impounded shall be removed and towed away by any commercial towing service. The vehicles shall be stored in a safe place and shall be restored to the owner or operator upon payment of the amount of the fine for illegal parking, plus such reasonable towing and storage charges which may be charged. All charges to be paid by the owner of the vehicle.
(J) If any vehicle is found illegally parked in violation of any provisions of these traffic regulations relating to stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles, and the identity of the driver cannot be determined, the owner or person in whose name the vehicle is registered shall he held prima facie responsible for the violation.
(K) Handicap parking permits issued by authorized officials shall be displayed on the inside rear view mirror of a vehicle, in such a fashion as to allow the expiration date of the permit to be read from the outside of the vehicle.
(L) All commercial establishments which designate handicap parking spaces shall identify same with a universal handicap parking sign prominently displayed for each space.
(Ord. 2010-009, passed 12-15-2010) Penalty, see § 72.99