HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrd1917-084
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ORDINANCE NO. 84
AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE USE OF THE PUBLIC HIGHNAYS AND REGULATION OF
VEHICLE TRAFFIC, IN THE TOWN OF SEWARD, PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR THE VIOLATION
THEREOF, AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES AND PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT
THEREWITH, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF SEWARD:
Section 1. This Ordinance shall constitute the traffic code of the Town
of Seward and may be cited as such. It comprises all general regulations re-
lating to travel and traffic and parking and standing upon the public highways
and all other places of said Town open to the public for the use of vehicles,
and the rights, duties and restraints of persons as the same pertain thereto.
Section 2. This Ordinance is hereby declared to be an exercise of the
police power of the Town of Seward for the public safety and its provisions
shall be liberally construed for the accomplishment of that purpose.
Section 3. OPERATOR'S LICENSE. It shall be unlawful for any person to
operate or drive a motor vehicle upon the public streets of the Town of Seward
unless licensed by the City Clerk as hereinafter provided. Before operating a
motor vehicle upon the public streets, application for a license to operate
such vehicle shall be made in person to the City Clerk upon a blank to be
prepared and furnished on request by said City Clerk. The fee for the issuancel
of the license shall accompany the application. To each person shall be as-
signed some distinguishing number and the City Clerk shall issue to the licen-
see a certificate in such form as the City Clerk shall determine. Every perso
licensed to operate motor vehicles as afrresaid, shall indorse his or her usual
signature in the space on the license certificate provided for the purpose,
immediately upon the receipt of said certificate and the license shall not be
valid until the certificate is so indorsed. The license certificate issued to
each person, under the provisions of this section, shall be carried by the
licensee at all times when operating or driving a motor vehicle upon the pub-
lic streets, and shall be produced for inspection upon request of any peace
officer. Duplicate license certificates shall be issued by the City Clerk to
operators upon application therefor, in case of loss of the original, upon the
payment of a fee of twenty-five cents.
No person shall use a fictitious name in applying for such operator's
license, nor shall any operator licensed as herein provided permit any other
person to possess or use his or her license certificate; nor shall any person
while operating or driving a motor vehicle use or possess any license certi-
ficate belonging to another person. No license shall be transferred from one
person to another person. No license shall be issued to any person under six-
teen years of age.
Section 4. The fee for an operator's license as above provided shall be
$2.50. All operator's licenses under this Ordinance shall expire June 30th
of each year and shall be renewed annually in the same manner and upon the
payment of the same fee as provided for original registrations, such ~newals
to take effect on the first day of July of each year. All Licenses shall be
dated upon the date of the application therefor and shall expire on June 30th
following.
PROVIDED, That operators of motor vehicles owned by the Town of Seward,
the Territory of Alaska, and the United States shall not be required to pay
the license fees herein provided, however, they shall make application for a
license and shall at all times be subject to all the other provisions of this
Ordinance. Such licenses shall be valid only while such operator or operators
are operating or driving said motor vehicles exclusively on official business.
Section 5. Revocation of L~~~~~~s~_ Immediately upon the receipt by the
_City Clerk of information concerning the conviction of any person for the
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violation of Section 34 of this Ordinance, or/cerning the third conviction
within one year of any person for the violation of Section 25 of this Ordi-
nance, the City Clerk shall forthwith revoke the operator's license issued to
such person and shall issue no operator's license to any such person within
sixty days thereafter. It shall be unlawful for any person whose license has
been revoked as herein provided to operate a motor vehicle upon the public
streets of Seward during the term for which said license is suspended or
revoked.
Section 6. Drivers of vehicles must at all times comply with any direct-
ion given by any police officer as to stopping, starting, approaching or depart
ing from any place in any street in the Town of Seward. It shall be unlawful
for any person driving, using or having control of any vehicle, to fail,
refuse or neglect to obey the order of any police officer in regard to the
regulation, direction or diversion or to moving or stopping any such vehicle
in or upon any street in the Town of Seward,
Section 7. No person shall drive a motor vehicle without a brake or
brakes sufficient and capable of bringing such vehicle, together with any
trailer that may be attached thereto, to a complete stop within fifty feet
when the same is traveling at the rate of twenty miles an hour.
Section 8. No person shall drive or operate a motor vehicle or bicycle
without having attached thereto an adequate signal device, provided that such
signal device shall not be in tone or sound similar to the fire siren used by
the city fire department.
Section 9. Every motor vehicle shall exhibit during the hours of darknes
at least two lamps, one on each side, showing white lights in advance of said
vehicle, and shall have attached to the rear not less than one lamp showing a
red light; Provided, that motorcycles of only two wheels and bicycles shal1
be required to carry only one light in the front thereof; provided further
that it shall be unlawful to display any light showing red to the front of any
motor vehicle. Provided, further, that headlights on vehicles, when approach-
ing other vehicles shall be dimmed sufficiently to allow drivers clear vision
and permit safe passing.
Section 10. Every vehicle carrying a load which projects over the rear
end three feet or more shall display a red flag by day and a red light by
night on the extreme end of such projecting load.
Section 11, No person shall operate a motor vehicle without having at-
tached thereto an exhaust muffler, in good working order, adequate to prevent
excessive or unusual noise, annoying smoke and the escape of gas, steam or oil
and such muffler shall not be cut out or be disconnected.
Section 12. A vehicle meeting another shall pass to the right of such
other vehiole.
Section 13. A vehicle, except when passing a vehicle ahead, shall keep
as near the right hand curb as practicable, so as to leave the center of the
street free and open for overtaking traffic.
Section 14. A vehicle overtaking another vehicle going in the same
direction shall pass to the left of the vehicle 50 overtaken.
Section 15. A motor vehicle overtaking any other vehicle, before pass-
ing, shall give a signal by one short blast of the sounding device. The per-
son in charge of the vehicle being so overtaken and passed shall give way to
the right as far as practicable to al10w such vehicle to pass with safety.
Section 16. No vehicle shall pass a vehicle headed in the same direction
just before reaching the crest of a hill, or on a curve, or at any other point
-- where the view ahead is in any wise obstructed, or while the vehicle ahead is
crossing or waiting to cross or is turning or about to turn into an inter-
secting street,
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Section 17. Vehicles crossing from one side of the street to the other
shall do so by turning to the left until headed in the same direction as the
traffic on that side of the street towards which the crossing is made is heade
Section 18. A vehicle turning into another street to the left shall
turn around the center of the intersection of the two street.
Section 19. A vehicle turning into another street to the right shall
turn the corner not nearer the right curb than five feet.
Section 20. Before turning, whether from a standstill or while in
motion, stopping or decreasing speed, drivers shall give timely warning of
their intentions to those following them, by outstretched arm or in some other
unmistakable manner.
Section 21. Signals shall be given in the following manner.
When turning to the left, by outstretched arm extending horizontal~y to
the left.
When turning to the right, by outstretched arm extended to the left and
up.
lihen stopping or suddenly decreasing speed, by outstretched arm extended
to the left and down.
Before backing, warning shall be given by a short blast followed by a
long blast of the signal device and while backing unceasing vigilance must
be exercised so as not to injure those behind.
Section 22. A driver already upon a street shall have the right of way
over a driver entering at a point other than a street intersection; provided
that the foregoing shall not apply to the apparatus of the fire department.
Section 23. Every driver on the approach of apparatus of the fire depart
ment shall immediately proceed to the right hand curb and come to a full stop,
standing parallel to the curb.
Section 24. Drivers will give right of way to vehicles simultaneously
approaching the street intersection from their right.
Section 25. No person shall drive or operate any motor vehicle at a rate
of speed faster than twelve miles per hour at any crossing, nor within 100
yards of any school house on school days, nor in any other portion of the city
faster than twenty miles per hour.
Section 26. No vehicle shall be stopped in such manner as to bring the
left side therof next to the curb.
Section 27. It shall be unlawful for any person to hitch, or to leave
standing, or cause or permit to be hitched or left standing, any animal or
any vehicle, or to stop or cause to be stopped, any animal or vehicle in or
upon any public street within ten feet of any fire hydrant or within ten feet
of alley-way leading to fire hall.
Section 28. No vehicle shall be stopped in any street except close to
the curb thereof, unless in case of emergency; nor shall any vehicle stop
or stand within the intersection of any street.-
Section 29. No driver or operator shall leave a vehicle of which he has
charge unattended without first stopping the motor or engine thereof and
effectively setting the brakes thereon.
Section 30. No motor vehicle for hire shall be operated by any person
under the age of twenty-one years.
Section 31. In case of any accident, collision or inju~J to a person
or property due to the operation of a motor vehicle the person operating such
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vehicle, after rendering all possible assistance, shall immediately report
in person to the Police Department the details of such accident, collision
or injury.
Section 32. No person shall drive a vehicle when the same is loaded so
as to interfere with the free, full and ready access to the controlling
mechanism thereof.
Section 33. It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, deposit or
place, in or upon any public street or alley any nails, tacks, crockery, scrap
iron, bottles, glass or any other articles or things likely to puncture or
injure the tires of any vehicle.
Section 34. It shall be unlawful for any person, while in an intoxicated
condition, or who is an habitual user of narcotic drugs, to ride or drive any
animals, or to drive or propel any vehicle or to have charge or control of any
animal or vehicle on any public street in the Town of Seward. Any person
violating the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of Twenty-
five dollars ($25,00) or by imprisonment in the City Jail for not less than
thirty (30) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment in the discretion of
the City Magistrate.
Section 35, Any person who shall individually or in association with one
or more others, wilfully break, injure, tamper with or remove any part or
parts of any motor vehicle for the purpose of injuring, defacing or destroy-
ing such vehicle, or temporarily or permanently preventing its useful opera-
tion, or for any purpose against the will or consent of the owner of such
vehicle, or who in any other manner wilfully or maliciously interfere with or
prevent the running or operation of such vehicle, shall be guilty of a mis-
demeanor.
Section 36. Any person who shall violate or fail to comply with any of
the provisions of this Ordinance, or who shall counsel, aid or abet any such
violation or failure to comply, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and,
upon ~onviction thereof shall be punished by a fine in a sum not exceeding
$100.00 or by imprisonment in the City Jail for not more than ninety days, or
by both.
Section 37. Every person riding, driving, propelling or in chargp. of any
vehicle upon any of the streets, shall ride, drive or propel such vehicle
upon such streets in a careful manner and with due regard to the safety and
convenience of pedestrians and all other vehicles upon such streets and any
person so riding, driving or propelling any such vehicle in such a manner as
to endanger the property of another or the life or limb of any person shall b"
considered reckless and such reckless driving, riding or propelling of any
vehicle upon the streets of the Town of Seward shall be a misdemeanor.
Section 38. Vehicles ascending the Chamberlain Hill north and south
bound shall have the right of way on the street. Provided that on the turn
at the crest of the hill all traffic shall keep to the right as far as
practicable. The speed limit for all vchicles descending said hill north and
south bound shall be five miles per hour.
Section 39. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith,
be, and the same are, hereby repealed.
Section 40. This Ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and
after the 30th day of June, 1924.
Passed under the suspension of the Rdes and approved by the Common Coun-
cil of Seward, this 16th day of June, 1924.
Approved: June 16, 1924
Wm. H. Whittlessey, Municipal Cl~rk
L. V. Ray, Mayor of the Town of Seward
The original of the above Ordinance has been lost. This true copy, made from
the record of Minutes of June 16, 1~924' ,
Certified Correct: ~.R d-~ December 16, 1957
City Clerk