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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7531ORDINANCE N0. 7531 AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO TRAFFIC AND REGULATING THE USE OF THE STREETS AND HIGHWAYS OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK; CREATING AND DEFINING PARKING METER ZONES; DEFIN- ING AND PROVIDING FOR THE INSTALLATION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF PARKING METERS: PRESCRIBING PARKING TIME LIMITS; REQUIRING DEPOSIT OF COINS FOR THE USE OF PARK- ING METERS AND PARKING METER ZONES AND PROVIDING FOR THE COLLECTION AND DISPOSITION OF SUCH COINS; REPEALING CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING FOR THE ENFORCEMENT THEREOF; DEFINING OFFENSES-.-AND PRESCRIBING PENALTIES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. WHEREAS, The narrowness of and the volume of traffic on the streets in certain sections of the City of Little Rock has the effect of congesting the streets and impeding the move- ment of traffic; and WHEREAS, It is the habit of numerous operators of motor vehicles to take advantage of this situation by parking for un- reasonably long periods of time in close proximity to other motor vehicles so parked on the most congested parts of the cityts busiest streets; and VMEREAS, Such practice tends to further impede traffic and in addition thereto constitutes a danger to the life, limb . and property of other motorists, pedestrians and others; and WHEREAS, It is the opinion of the City Council of the City of Little Rock that the best method by which the above mentioned conditions may be remedied is by the designation of in- dividual parking spaces in the said areas, by restricting parking in said area to reasonable intervals of time and by compelling the operators of vehicles who enjoy the use of the parking space so designated to pay a portion of the cost of establishing, main- . taining and regulating the use of said parking spaces; and WHEREAS, Previous attempts to regulate traffic and park- ing in the aforesaid area have not been as successful as desirable for the reason that adequate policing of this problem by the Police Department alone requires a larger number of officers for such work than can be spared from other vital functions of the Police Department, and it is therefore desirable to employ some mechanical assistance in the enforcement of said parking limitations: and -2- WHEREAS, Parking meters have been installed in a nwrb er of cities as an aid to the police in reducing traffic difficulties and the public authorities of such cities report favorable results from the installation and operation of parking meters: NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, STATE OF ARKANSAS: SECTION 1. Definitions. For the purpose of this ordi- nance; (a) The word "vehicle" shall mean any device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported upon a highway, except a device which is operated upon rails or tracks. (b) The word "street" shall mean any public street, avenue, road, alley, highway, lane, path, or other public place located in the City of Little Rock and established for the use of vehicles. (c) The word "person" shall mean and include any indi- vidual, firm, co- partnership, association or corporation. (d) The word "operator" shall mean and include every individual who shall operate a vehicle as the owner thereof, or as the agent, employe or permittee of the owner, or is in actual physical control of a vehicle. (e) The word "park" or "parking" shall mean the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, upon a street otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of, and while actually engaged in, receiving or discharging passengers or loading or unloading merchandise or in obedience to traffic regulations, signs or signals or an involuntary stopping of the vehicle by reason of causes beyond the control of the operator of the vehicle. (f) The words "Parking Meter" shall mean and include any mechanical device or meter not inconsistent with this ordi- nance placed or erected for the regulation of parking by authority of this ordinance. Each parking meter installed shall indicate by proper legend the legal parking time established by the city and when operated shall at all times indicate the balance of legal parking time, and at the expiration of such period shall indicate illegal or overtime parking. -3- (g) The words "Parking Meter Zone" shall mean and include any restricted street upon which parking meters are installed and in operation. (h) The words "Parking Meter Space" shall mean any space within a parking meter zone, adjacent to,.a parking meter and which is duly designated for the parking of a single vehicle by lines painted or otherwise durably marked on the curb or on the surface of the street adjacent to or adjoining the parking meters. SECTION 2. Parking Meter Zone. The following names and described areas, streets, or portions of streets and such other areas, streets, or portions of streets as may hereafter be included in this section by amendment hereto, lying within the corporate limits of the City of Little Rock, shall constitute a Parking Meter Zone, namely: In that area bounded on the north by the Arkansas River; bounded on the South by Ninth Street; bounded on the East by Scott Street; and bounded on the West by Broadway, including the said named boundry streets. All frontages in said Squares, streets, o r avenues defining said zones to be included therein. SECTION 3. Designation of Parking Spaces. The Chief of Police is hereby directed and authorized to mark off individual parking spaces in the parking zones designated and described in Section 2 of this ordinance and in such other zones as may hereafter be established, said parking spaces to be designated by lines paint- ed or durably marked on the curbing or surface of the street. At each space so marked off it shall be unlawful to ;a rk any vehicle in such a way that said vehicle shall not be entirely within the limits of the space so designated. SECTION 4. Installation of Parking Meters. In said park- ing meter zones the Chief of Police shall cause parking meters to be installed upon the curb or sidewalk immediately adjacent to the parking spaces provided in Section 3 of this ordinance, said in- stallation to be placed not more than two (2) feet from the curb nor more than four (4) feet from the front line of the parking space as indicated, and the Chief of Police shall be responsible for -4- the regulation, control, operation, maintenance, and use of such parking meters. Each device shall be so set as to display a signal showing legal parking upon the deposit of the appropriate coin or coins, lawful money of the United States of America, for the period of time prescribed by this ordinance. Each device shall be so arranged that upon the expiration of the lawful time limit it will indicate by a proper visible signal that the lawful parking period has expired and in such cases the right of such vehicle to occupy such space shall cease and the operator, owner, possessor or manager thereof shall be subject to the penalties hereinafter provided. SECTION 5. Operation of Parking Meters. Except in a period of emergency determined by an officer of the Fire or Police Department, or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or traffic control sign or signal, when en y vehicle shall be park- ed in any parking space alongside or next to which a parking meter is located, the operator of such vehicle shall, upon entering the said parking meter space, immediately deposit or cause to be de- posited in said meter such proper coin of the United States as is required for such parking meter and as is designated by proper di- rections on the meter, the operator of such vehicle, after the de- posit of the proper coin or coins, shall also set in operation the timing mechanism on such meter in accordance with directions proper- ly appearing thereon, and failure to deposit such proper coin, and to set the timing mechanism in operation when so required, shall constitute a violation of this ordinance. Upon the deposit of such coin (and the setting of the timing mechanism in operation when so required) the parking space may be lawfully occupied by such vehicle during the period of time which has been prescribed for the part of the street in which said parking space As located, provided that any person placing a vehicle in a parking meter space adjacent to a meter by the previous occupant of the space shall not be required to deposit a coin so long as his occupancy of said space does not exceed the indicated unused parking time. If said vehicle shall remain parked in any such parking space beyond the parking time limit set for such parking space, and if the meter shall indicate such illegal parking, then, and in that event, such vehicle shall a -5- be considered as parking overtime and beyond the period of legal parking time, and such parking shall be deemed a violation of this ordinance. SECTION 6. Parking Time Limits. (a) Parking or standing a vehicle in a designated space in a parking meter zone shall be lawful for twelve (12) minutes upon deposit of a one -cent coin, twenty -four (24) minutes upon the deposit of two (2) one -cent coins, thirty -six (36) minutes upon the deposit of three (3) one -cent coins, forty -eight (48) minutes upon the deposit of four (4) one - cent coins, or sixty (60) minutes upon the deposit of five (5) one cent coins or one (1) five -cent coin of the united States of America. (b) Said parking meters shall be operated in said park- ing meter zones every day between the hou Vo of eight o'clock ABM, and six o'clock P.Z., except Sundays and holidays; provided however that within the meaning of this ordinance the term "holiday" shall include the following days only: the first day of January, the fourth day of July, the first T.2onday in September, the twenty -fifth day of December, and the day designated and set aside by the President of the United States as a day of Thanksgiving. SECTION 7. Violations. it shall be unlawful and a violation of the provisions of this ordinance for any person: (a) to cause, allow, permit or suffer any vehicle regis- tered in the name of, or operated by such person to be parked overtime or beyond the period of legal parking time established for any parking meter zone as herein described, or to deposit in any parking meter any coin for the purpose of parking beyond the maximum legal parking time for the particular parking meter zone. (b) to permit any 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 pkescribed for such parking space. (c) to park any vehicle across any line or marking of a parking meter space or in such position that the vehicle shall not be entirely within the area designated by such lines or markings. (d) to deface, injure, tamper with, open or wilfully 1 M break, destroy, or impair the usefulness of any parking meter installed under the provisions of this ordinance. (e) to deposit or cause to be deposited in any parking meter any slugs, device or metal substance, or other substitute for lawful coins. SECTION B. Enforcement. It shall be the duty of the Police Department to enforce the provisions of this ordinance. SECTION 9. Collections. It shall be the duty of the Chief of Police to designate some member or members of the Police Department to make regular collections of the money deposited in said meters and it shall be the duty of such persons so designated to remove from the parking meters the sealed containers therein containing the coins so deposited in said meters and to deliver such sealed containers, with the seals unbroken, to the City Collector of the Uity of Little Rock to break the seals and count the funds contained therein and deposit such funds with the City Treasurer. SECTION 10. Use of Funds. The coins deposited in parking meters are required and shall be used to defray the expense of proper regulation of traffic upon the public streets of the City of Little Rock; to provide for the cost of supervision, regulation and control of the parking of vehicles in parking meter zones; and to cover the cost of purchase, supervision, protection, isspection, installation, operation, maintenance, control and use of parking meters, and to repair and maintain the streets of the City of Little hock. SECTION 11. Penalty. Any person, firm or corporation violating the provisions of this ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof in the Little Rock Municipal Court, shall be fined in any sum not less than One Dollar (161.00), or more than Five Dollars ($5.00). SECTION 12. Reservation of Powers. Nothing in this ordinance shall be construed as prohibiting the city of Little Rock from providing for bus stops, for taxicab stands, and other matters of similar nature, including the loading or unloading of trucks, vans, or other commercial vehicles. SECTION 13. Repeal of Conflicting Ordinances. All � • r 1" -7- ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed. SECTION 14. Severability. If any section or provisions, or parts thereof in this ordinance shall be adjudged invalid or unconstitutional, such invalidity or unconstitutionality shall not affect the validity of the ordinance as a whole or of any other section or provision or part hereof. SECTION 15. Exercise of Police Power. This entire ordinance shall be deemed and construed to be an exercise of the police-power of the city of Little Hock, xrkansas, for the preservation and protection of public safety, and all of its provisions shall be liberally construed with a view to the effectuation of such purpose. SECTION 16. effective Date. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage and approval by the voters of the city of Little Rock under the provisions of Amendment No. 7 to the Constitution of the State of xrkansas as required by Act 309 of the Acts of 1939 of the State of xrkansas. PASSED: February 23, 1948 ATTEST: r1�"" APPROVED :���y� City Clerk ` Mayor (Note: Ordinance defeated in General Election held April 6, 1948).