[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Town of
Lonaconing as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Adopted at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
The following words and phrases when used in this article shall
for the purposes of this article have the meanings respectively ascribed
to them herein, as follows:
Any highway, thoroughfare, or land commonly without sidewalks
and used by the public, whether actually dedicated to and accepted
by the proper authorities or otherwise.
Vehicles of the Fire Department and Police Department and
such ambulances and emergency vehicles of municipal departments or
public services corporations as are designated or authorized by the
Chief of Police of the Town of Lonaconing.
The inner edge of a sidewalk or pedestrian walkway as measured
from the street upon which a vehicle is stopped to the nearest corner
of an intersecting street.
That portion of a roadway ordinarily included within the
prolongation or connection of the lateral lines of sidewalks at intersections,
or that portion of a roadway distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing
by lines or other markings on the surface.
That portion of the sidewalk usually raised from the roadway
and dividing the roadway from the sidewalk.
Every person who drives or is in actual physical control
of a vehicle.
Any draft animal or beast of burden.
The area embraced within the prolongation or connection of
the lateral curblines or, if none, then the lateral boundary lines
of the roadways of two highways which join one another at or approximately
at right angles, or the area within which vehicles traveling upon
different highways joining at any other angle may come in conflict.
Every vehicle which is self-propelled and every vehicle which
is propelled by electric power from overhead trolley wires but not
operated upon rails.
Any person in whose name a vehicle is titled or who professes
publicly to be the owner thereof.
The standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise
than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in
loading or unloading.
Any person afoot.
Every natural person, firm, copartnership, association, or
corporation.
Every officer of the Municipal Police Department or any officer
authorized to direct or regulate traffic or to make arrests for violations
of parking regulations.
Every way or place in private ownership and used for vehicular
travel by the owner and those having express or implied permission
from the owner, but not by other persons.
A carrier of persons or property upon cars, other than street
cars, operated upon stationary rails.
That portion of a street improved, designed, or ordinarily
used for vehicular travel.
That portion of a street between the curblines, or the lateral
lines of a roadway, and the adjacent property lines intended for the
use of pedestrians.
Any stopping of a vehicle, whether occupied or not.
When prohibited means any stopping of a vehicle except when
necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with
the direction of a police officer or of a traffic control sign or
signal.
The entire width between property lines of every way or place
of whatever nature when any part thereof is open to the use of the
public, as a matter of right, for purposes of vehicular traffic.
Every device in, upon, or by which any person or property
is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved
by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.
A.
It shall
be unlawful for any person to do any act forbidden or fail to perform
any act required by this article, as follows:
(1)
Required obedience to parking regulations.
(a)
No person shall fail or refuse to comply with any reasonable
order or direction of a police officer of the Town of Lonaconing.
(b)
The provisions of this article shall apply to the driver of
any vehicle owned by or used in the service of the United States government,
the State of Maryland, the County of Allegany, and the Town of Lonaconing,
when said use is had within the confines of the Town of Lonaconing,
and it shall be unlawful for any said driver to violate any of the
provisions of this article, except as otherwise permitted in this
article or by state statute.
(c)
The provisions of this article regulating the operating, parking
and standing of vehicles shall apply to authorized emergency vehicles,
as defined in this article, except as follows: a driver when operating
any such vehicle in an emergency, except when otherwise directed by
a police officer, may park or stand notwithstanding the provisions
of this article. The aforegoing exception shall not, however, protect
the driver of any such vehicle from the consequences of his reckless
disregard of the safety of others.
(2)
Display of unauthorized signs, signals or markings.
(a)
It shall be unlawful for any person to imitate any sign or standard,
or post or paint on the pavement, curb, or roadway any marks or lines
similar to those used by the Police Department to direct, control
or restrict traffic or parking of vehicles on the public highways
of the Town of Lonaconing.
(b)
It shall be unlawful for any person to imitate or display without
authority any sign or emblem commonly used by police officials, physicians,
municipal officials, municipal employees or others, on vehicles, which
carry with them any special privileges.
(3)
Parking in alleys. No person shall park a vehicle within an alley
in such a manner or under such conditions as to leave available less
than 10 feet of the width of the roadway for the free movement of
vehicular traffic.
(4)
All-night parking. No person shall permit a vehicle to stand in any
of the streets, alleys, or places of the Town all night without having
first obtained a permit from the Police Department so to do, upon
production of reasonable ground for said permit.
(5)
Parking prohibited in certain places. No person shall park or stop
a vehicle within an alley upon a street or highway in such a manner
or under such conditions as to block the free movement of vehicular
traffic. Vehicles when found so parked unattended shall be towed to
a public garage at the owner's expense.
(6)
Taxicabs, buses and transfer vehicles.
(a)
The driver of a bus or taxicab shall not stand or park upon
any street between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. at any place
other than at a bus stop or taxicab stand, respectively, except that
this provision shall not prevent the driver of any such vehicle from
temporarily stopping in accordance with other stopping or parking
regulations at any place for the purpose of and while actually engaged
in loading or unloading passengers, provided that the Chief of Police
may, with the consent and approval of the Mayor and Council, temporarily
designate and select other streets and public buildings for taxicab
stands, and provided further that permits for one taxi stand may be
obtained upon application to the Chief of Police, not to exceed two
vehicles in number, for any one stand, for special taxicab stands
or service, at such places other than those hereinbefore designated
as the Chief of Police may find convenient for the public service.
(b)
The Chief of Police may from time to time designate stands for
transfer vehicles at such places as will serve the greater public
convenience, and said transfer vehicles shall not stand at any other
place.
(c)
No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle other than a
bus in a bus stop, or other than a taxicab in a taxicab stand, or
other than a transfer vehicle in a transfer stand, when any such stop
or stand has been officially designated and appropriately signed,
except that the driver of a passenger vehicle may temporarily stop
therein for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or
unloading passengers when such stopping does not interfere with any
bus or transfer vehicle or taxicab waiting to enter or about to enter
such zone.
(7)
Method of parking vehicles. All vehicles, when not in motion, shall
stand with their right sides as near the right side of the highway
as practicable, except upon streets where traffic is permitted to
move in one direction only, in which case they shall stand with their
right side as near as practicable to the right side of the highway
or their left side as near as practicable to the left side of said
highway, but in any and all cases must be headed in the direction
of traffic.
(8)
Parking of vehicles at an angle. Upon those streets which have been
marked or signed for angle parking, vehicles shall be parked at the
angle to the curb indicated by such mark or signs, and each vehicle
shall stay entirely within the space allotted therefor.
(9)
(10)
Parking of vehicles for purpose of advertising. No person shall
park on any street any vehicle for the purpose of advertising or displaying
any sign of any kind thereon, (and the term "advertising" covers any
and all products, articles, or things usually held out for sale),
without first having secured a permit from the Chief of Police to
do so.
(11)
Parking of vehicles; lights upon the same.
(a)
Whenever a vehicle is lawfully parked on a street during the
time between 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise and
there is sufficient light to reveal any person within a distance of
500 feet upon such street, no lights need be displayed upon such parked
vehicle.
(b)
When, during said times or at any other time, there is not sufficient
light upon a street to reveal a person at a distance of 500 feet,
parked vehicles shall be equipped with one or more lamps which shall
exhibit a white light on the roadway side visible for a distance of
500 feet to the front of the vehicle and a red light visible from
a distance of 500 feet to the rear. Any lighted headlamps upon a parked
vehicle shall be depressed or dimmed.
(12)
Parking of vehicles unattended. No person driving or in charge
of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended without first
stopping the engine, locking the ignition, and removing the key, or
when standing upon any perceptible grade, without effectively setting
the brake thereon, and turning the front wheels to the curb or side
of the highway.
(13)
Collisions with unattended vehicles. The driver of any vehicle
which collides with any vehicle which is unattended shall immediately
stop and then and there either locate and notify the operator or owner
of such vehicle of the name and address of the driver and owner of
the vehicle striking the unattended vehicle or shall leave in a conspicuous
place in the vehicle struck a written notice giving the name and address
of the driver and of the owner of the vehicle doing the striking,
and a statement of the circumstances thereof.
(14)
Illegal parking or standing of vehicles; responsibility of owner.
No person shall allow, permit, or suffer any vehicle registered in
his name to stand or park in any street in this Town in violation
of any of the ordinances of this Town regulating the standing or parking
of vehicles.
(15)
Obstruction of crosswalks or driveways. No vehicle shall stand
in such a manner as to obstruct any crosswalk or public or private
driveway or interfere with entrance to any public building or thoroughfare,
nor shall any vehicle be left standing in any street, place or alley
where said vehicle shall prevent or interfere with the free passage
across or along said street, place or alley or interfere with the
ingress or egress of any other vehicle in or from any public or private
garage or driveway.
(16)
Privileged parking. Physicians only are permitted to park their
vehicles unattended, provided that they do not obstruct the traffic
lane, on any highway in front of their residence, near to any house
or hospital, or any other place of abode where any patient may be
located who is being visited by them.
(17)
Parking of vehicles by fire hydrants. No vehicle shall be parked
within 15 feet of any fire hydrant, unless occupied by the operator
of said vehicle, and then only in case of emergency.
(18)
Noncompliance with signs, signals, parking, lights, etc. It
shall be unlawful for any person to fail, neglect, or refuse to comply
with any instruction or direction on any post, standard, sign, or
other device created by the authority of this article, or with any
directional lines or marks painted on the roadway or upon any curb
or pavement by authority of this article, for the regulation of and
direction of parking on said public roadway, by said curbs and pavements,
and in and upon any street or thoroughfare.
(19)
Defacement of parking signs, signals, markings, lights, etc.
It shall be unlawful for any person to wilfully deface, injure, displace,
drive into, mark, conceal from public view, move or interfere with
any sign, standard, post, safety zone, light, lantern, semaphore,
tower, automatic signal, parking meter, or any other parking or directing
device erected, placed or constructed under this article or with any
lines or marks painted by authority of this article on any pavement,
curb, railing, pole, roadway, etc., for the purpose of directing parking
of vehicles or the movement of pedestrian traffic in connection therewith.
(20)
Special "No Parking" spaces; red and yellow curbs. Special "No
Parking" spaces may be provided in front of shipping or receiving
entrances to business houses and establishments and in front of any
hotel, office building, department store, apartment house, club, theater,
physician's office, or public building of any kind and description
whatsoever, by compliance with the following provisions:
(a)
The owner or occupant of a building as herein described desiring
"No Parking" space in front of such shipping or receiving entrances,
etc., shall make application to the Chief of Police, in writing, setting
forth all relevant information and stating the number of feet desired
for such purpose. The Chief of Police shall have authority to grant
or fail to grant such application within his discretion, or he may
grant the same with such restrictions and limitations as he may see
fit to fix. In case such application is granted, the Chief of Police
shall issue to the applicant a permit or certificate setting forth
the location of such "No Parking" space, the number of frontage feet
fixed, and such other limitation as may be pertinent. Such permit
may at any time be revoked or limited further by the Chief of Police.
(b)
The holder of such permit shall have the right to place "No Parking"
signs on the curb, building, pole, etc., marking the limits of such
"No Parking" space. Such signs shall be of such size, character and
description as required by the Chief of Police, and there shall also
be painted, either on the curb, pavement, or roadway, a red or yellow
line showing the limit of said "No Parking" space, as granted, but
such signs and painting of the curb, pavement, or roadway shall be
provided under the direction of the Chief of Police at the expense
of the holder of said "No Parking" permit. The sign as herein provided
for shall bear the number of the permit issued therefor by the Chief
of Police; provided, however, that no vehicle shall be permitted to
remain in any such special "No Parking" space, designated by the Chief
of Police, longer than may be reasonably necessary to load and unload
passengers, baggage, freight, or merchandise, provided further that
physicians shall be exempt from the time limit hereinabove set in
said "No Parking" spaces.
(21)
(22)
Standing. No vehicle shall be permitted to stand at any curb
within 20 feet of the nearest building line of an intersecting street,
within 20 feet of any stop sign, within 20 feet of any caution or
slow sign, and within 20 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing.
(23)
Parallel to curb. Two vehicles shall not be permitted to stand
side by side parallel to the curb unless a special police permit is
first obtained.
(24)
Where proper markings are not present. No provision of this
article for which signs or markings are required shall be enforced
against an alleged violator if at the time and place of the alleged
violation an official sign or proper markings are not in proper position
and sufficiently legible to be seen by an ordinary observant person.
(25)
Failure to obey notice or summons.
(a)
Any person who violates his promise to appear given to an officer
upon an arrest for any parking violation is guilty of a violation
of this article regardless of the disposition of the charge on which
he was originally arrested.
(b)
Any driver of a motor vehicle who wilfully neglects to answer
to the charge set forth in a notice affixed to such motor vehicle
by a police officer, as provided by an ordinance of this Town, shall
be presumed to be guilty of the charge for which the notice was originally
issued and any collateral posted as a result of such violation shall
be immediately forfeited.
(26)
Parking meters.
(a)
Installation. The Chief of Police is hereby directed to provide for
the installation, regulation, control, operation and use of the parking
meters provided for in this article and to maintain said meters in
good workable condition, after approval of the terms and conditions
thereof by the Mayor and Council for the purchase and/or installation
of parking meters, the payment for such meters and/or installation
to be provided for solely from the receipts, funds and revenues obtained
from the operation of said parking meters, without in any manner obligating
the Town to pay for the same from any other source.
(b)
Location. Parking meters installed in the parking meter zones shall
be placed upon the curb immediately adjacent to the individual parking
places hereinafter described. Each parking meter shall be placed or
set in such manner as to show or display by a signal that the parking
space adjacent to such meter is or is not legally in use. Each parking
meter installed shall indicate by a proper legend the legal parking
time established by the Mayor and Council and when operated shall
indicate on and by its dial and pointer the duration of the period
of legal parking and, on the expiration of such period, shall indicate
illegal or over parking.
(c)
Indication of zones. The Chief of Police is hereby instructed to
have lines or markings painted or placed upon the curb and/or upon
the street adjacent to each parking meter for the purpose of designating
the parking space for which said meter is to be used, and each vehicle
parked adjacent or next to any parking meter shall park within the
lines or markings so established. It shall be unlawful and a violation
of this article to park any vehicle across any such line or marking
or to park said vehicle in such position that the same shall not be
entirely within the area so designated by such lines or markings.
(d)
Parking. When a parking space in any parking meter zone is parallel
with the adjacent curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked in such parking
space shall be parked so that the foremost part of such vehicle shall
be nearest to the parking meter; when a parking space in any parking
meter zone is diagonal to the curb or sidewalk, any vehicle parked
in such parking space shall be parked with the foremost part of such
vehicle nearest to such meter.
(e)
Deposit of coin. When any vehicle shall be located in any space adjacent
to which a parking meter is located in accordance with the provisions
of this article, the operator of said vehicle shall, upon entering
said parking space, immediately deposit, or cause to be deposited,
a coin of the United States in such parking meter, and failure to
deposit such coin shall constitute a violation of this article. Upon
the deposit of such coin and placing said meter in operation, the
parking space may be lawfully occupied by such vehicle during the
period of parking time which has been prescribed for the part of the
street in which said parking space is located. If said vehicle shall
remain parked in any such parking space beyond the parking time limit
fixed for such parking space, the parking meter shall have its dial
and pointer indicate such illegal parking, and in that event such
vehicle shall be considered as parked overtime and beyond the period
of legal parking time and the parking of a vehicle overtime or beyond
the period of legal parking time in any such part of a street where
any such meter is located shall be in violation of this article.
(f)
Extension of time beyond legal limit. It shall be unlawful and a
violation of this article for any person to deposit or cause to be
deposited in a parking meter a coin for the purpose of increasing
or extending the parking time of any vehicle beyond the legal parking
time which has been established for the parking space adjacent to
which said parking meter is placed.
(g)
Occupancy of space beyond legal limit. It shall be unlawful and a
violation of this article for any person to permit a vehicle to remain
or be placed in any parking space adjacent to any parking meter while
said meter is displaying a signal indicating that the vehicle occupying
such parking space has already been parked beyond the period of time
prescribed for such parking space.
(h)
Use by commercial vehicles restricted. No truck or commercial vehicle
shall occupy any space for which a parking meter has been installed,
under any circumstances, except to immediately load or unload the
same.
(i)
Deposit of slug, device, or metallic substitute for coin. It shall
be unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this article to deposit
or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any slug, device, or
metallic substitute for a coin of the United States.
(j)
Coins deposited therein levied as fees. The coins required to be
deposited in parking meters as provided herein are hereby levied and
assessed as fees to provide for the proper regulation and control
of traffic upon the public streets, and also the cost of supervising
and regulating the parking of vehicles in the parking meter zones
erected hereby, and to cover the cost of the purchase, supervision,
protection, inspection, installation, operation, maintenance, control
and use of the parking meters described herein.
(k)
Time limit. No person shall park any vehicle in any metered parking
zone for a period in excess of 60 minutes between the hours of 8:00
a.m. and 7:00 p.m. upon the following days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday. Nor shall any person park any vehicle in any
such zone in excess of 60 minutes between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and
9:00 p.m. on Saturday, provided that this subsection shall have no
application to any legal holidays or Sunday.
Locations within the Town limits not mentioned in this article
or set out in any written regulations of the Police Department but
where the parking of vehicles is prohibited or limited by properly
marked signs, posters, signals, or other devices, by the Police Department,
shall be construed as coming under the general regulatory powers of
this article and shall be subject to a penalty not to exceed $100.
