(a) No railroad company shall order, allow or permit the operation of, or operate its system so that a train with engines propelled by steam, electricity, diesel fuel, or by any other power, blocks or obstructs the passage of vehicular traffic over any public street crossing within the City by allowing railroad engines, railroad cars or electronic crossing gates, in the down position, whether in motion to obstruct such crossings for a period of:
(1) Ten minutes or longer during the hours from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
(2) Fifteen minutes or longer during the hours from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
(3) Twenty minutes or longer during the hours from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., Monday through Friday.
(4) Fifteen minutes or longer from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
(5) Twenty minutes or longer from 11:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
(b) It shall be the duty of the conductor in charge of the operation of such trains to cut the train into sections when passing through the City if the entire train cannot pass through the City at a safe rate of speed without blocking each crossing within the City for the time period set forth in subsection (a) hereof.
(e) It shall be the duty of the conductor or any other railroad company employees on a train to pass through the City to see that such trains are cut, separated or uncoupled into sections so that part of such train is on one side of the cross street, and part on the other side of the cross street, when it becomes necessary for such engine, engines, car or cars to remain not in motion beyond the time periods set forth in subsection (a) hereof, due to the making, rearranging, or switching of cars, engine or engines, car or cars to remain not in motion beyond the time periods set forth in subsection (a) hereof, due to the making, rearranging, or switching of cars, engine or engines on tracks within the City. This section shall be deemed to require separation, cutting or uncoupling to be such as to not allow the electronic crossing gates to remain in the down position beyond the time periods set forth in subsection (a) hereof, even though no actual car, cars, engine or engines may be upon the tracks at any of the cross streets.
(d) Proof that any such street crossing or crossings were so blocked beyond or in excess of the time periods set forth in subsection (a) hereof shall be prima facie evidence of a violation of this section.
(Ord. 81-15. Passed 5-4-81.)