[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village
of Alexandria Bay 12-14-1970. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to protect the public health,
welfare and safety by regulating the operation of snowmobiles on public
highways and places of the village of Alexandria Bay in a manner which
will be compatible with the use of such highways and places for vehicular
and pedestrian travel and other uses and which will promote the safe
and proper use of snowmobiles for recreation and commerce, and minimize
detrimental effects of such use on the environment, and for ingress
to and egress from the Village of Alexandria Bay.
For the purpose of this chapter, the following words, phrases
and terms shall have the following meanings:
- MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
- Includes a county, city, Town, village, school district, fire district and a special or improvement district of a county or Town.
- OPERATE
- To ride in or on, other than as a passenger, use or control the operation of a snowmobile in any manner, whether or not said snowmobile is under way.
- OPERATOR
- Every person who operates or is in actual physical control of a snowmobile.
- OWNER
- A person, other than a lien holder, having the property in or title to a snowmobile.
- PERSON
- Includes an individual, partnership, corporation, municipal corporation, the state and its agencies and subdivisions and any body of persons, whether incorporated or not.
- PUBLIC WAY
- Any public highway, road, street, avenue, alley, place or driveway.
- ROADWAY
- That portion of a highway improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel.
- SNOWMOBILE
- A self-propelled vehicle designed for travel on snow or ice, steered by skis or runners and supported in part by skis, belts or cleats.
- SPECIAL EVENT
- An organized race, exhibition or demonstration of limited duration which is conducted according to a prearranged schedule and in which general public interest is manifested.
- STREET OR HIGHWAY
- The entire width between boundary lines of any way or place when any part thereof is open to the use of the public, as a matter of right, for the purpose of vehicular traffic.
- VILLAGE
- The Village of Alexandria Bay.
A.
Uncongested highways. All village streets or highways, other than
those specifically excluded, are hereby designated as uncongested
and for use by snowmobiles for ingress to and egress from the village.
C.
Limited operation on excluded streets.
(1)
Emergency. When authorized or directed by a state or local police
officer, snowmobiles may be operated on any portion of the excluded
highways for the purpose of such an emergency as provided by Title
D of the Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law.[1]
(2)
Exception to operation on excluded streets. Owners and operators
with a personal residence on excluded streets shall be permitted to
use such streets for ingress to and egress from their residence to
uncongested streets.
The Catherine Avenue - Washington Avenue intersection on Church
Street is designated as a snowmobile crossing area.
Whenever the operation of a snowmobile is permitted on any village
street or highway or portion thereof as provided in this chapter or
on parks or public lands of the village, the following conditions
and restrictions are hereby imposed to all such snowmobile operations:
A.
Public or private lands. A snowmobile shall not be operated on any
lands owned, occupied by or under the jurisdiction of a governmental
agency or privately owned except with the permission of any such owner
or occupant.
B.
Sidewalks. It shall be unlawful to operate a snowmobile upon a public
sidewalk or walkway.
C.
Direction of travel. No person shall operate a snowmobile within
the street or highway right-of-way of the village between 7:00 a.m.
and 10:00 p.m. except on the right side of such right-of-way and in
the same direction as the highway traffic. Operation on other public
places shall be only in the direction, if any, marked by appropriate
route direction signs.
D.
Prohibited operating hours. No person shall operate snowmobiles on
any village streets between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
except to return to one's residence.
E.
Unnecessary noise. It shall be unlawful to operate a snowmobile,
except at special events sanctioned and approved by the Office of
Parks and Recreation, in any manner which creates loud, unnecessary
or unusual noise so as to disturb or interfere with the peace and
quiet of other persons or in any other manner which constitutes a
public nuisance or annoys, injures or endangers the health, safety,
comfort or repose of the public. No person shall use a muffler cutout,
bypass or other device to defeat the operation of a muffler in good
working condition.
F.
Financial security. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate
a snowmobile on any village highway or on public lands unless the
owner or operator of such snowmobile is insured against public liability
and carries with him proof of financial responsibility, such as a
certificate of liability insurance of the type, coverage and of the
minimum amount as defined and required of owners and operators of
motor vehicles by the Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New
York.
[Amended 9-15-1999 by L.L. No. 3-1999]
G.
Unattended snowmobiles. It shall be unlawful for any owner or operator
to leave or allow a snowmobile to be left unattended on any village
street while the motor is running or with any key for starting the
same left in the ignition or elsewhere in said snowmobile.
H.
Obedience to vehicular traffic controls. Each person operating a
snowmobile on any village street shall observe strictly all vehicular
traffic signs and signals and all other rules and regulations applicable
to vehicular traffic and shall obey the orders and directions of any
state or local police or other law enforcement officer authorized
to direct or regulate traffic.
I.
Age of operator. No one under the age of 16 years shall operate a
snowmobile on any village highway.
J.
Speed limit. No one shall operate a snowmobile on the streets or
highways of the village at a speed greater than 10 miles per hour.
[Amended 12-14-1993 by L.L. No. 3-1993]
Any person who shall violate any section of this chapter shall
be guilty of a violation which is punishable by a fine not to exceed
$250 and/or imprisonment for a period not to exceed 15 days, and/or
both such fine and imprisonment.
