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Code of the Township of Abington                                    [ Back to Table of Contents ]

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PART II GENERAL LEGISLATION: Chapter 157, VEHICLES, PARKING OF

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Abington 8-8-85 by Ord. No. 1590. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Police Department -- See Ch. 34.

Parking regulations -- See Ch. 156, Arts. III, IV and VI.

157-1. Prohibited parking.

A. General rule. Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or to protect the safety of any person or vehicle or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device, no person shall:

(1) Stop, stand or park a vehicle:

(a) On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street.

(b) Standing or parking for the purpose of loading or unloading persons or property may be authorized by local ordinance, but the ordinance shall not authorize standing or parking on state designated highways, except during off-peak traffic flow hours as determined by department regulations.

(c) On a sidewalk.

(d) Within an intersection.

(e) On a crosswalk.

(f) Between a safety zone and the adjacent curb within 30 feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless a different length is indicated by official traffic control devices.

(g) Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when stopping, standing or parking would obstruct traffic.

(h) Upon any bridge or other elevated structure upon a highway or within a highway tunnel.

(i) On any railroad tracks.

(j) In the area between roadways of a divided highway, including crossovers.

(k) At any place where official signs prohibit stopping.

(2) Stand or park a vehicle:

(a) In front of a public or private driveway.

(b) Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.

(c) Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.

(d) Within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign or traffic control signal located at the site of a roadway.

(e) Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station or, when properly signposted, on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of the entrance.

(f) At any place where official signs prohibit standing.

(3) Park a vehicle:

(a) Within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing.

(b) At any place where official signs prohibit parking.

B. Additional parking regulations.

(1) Two-way highways. Except as otherwise provided in this section, every vehicle standing or parked upon a two-way highway shall be positioned parallel to and with the right-hand wheels within 12 inches of the right-hand curb or, in the absence of a curb, as close as practicable to the right edge of the right-hand shoulder.

(2) One-way highways. Except as otherwise provided in this section, every vehicle standing or parked upon a one-way highway shall be positioned parallel to the curb or edge of the highway in the direction of authorized traffic movement with its right-hand wheels within 12 inches of the right-hand curb or, in the absence of a curb, as close as practicable to the right edge of the right-hand shoulder or with its left-hand wheels within 12 inches of the left-hand curb or, in the absence of a curb, as close as practicable to the left edge of the left-hand shoulder.

(3) Angle parking. Local authorities may permit angle parking on any highway after an engineering and traffic study has determined that the highway is of sufficient width to permit angle parking without interfering with the free movement of traffic, except that on a state-designated highway, prior approval of the department shall also be obtained.

(4) Handicapped persons and disabled veterans.

(a) When a motor vehicle bearing registration plates or displaying a placard issued to handicapped persons or disabled veterans, as prescribed in this chapter, is being operated by or for the transportation of the handicapped person or disabled veteran, the driver shall be relieved of any liability for parking for a period of 60 minutes in excess of the legal parking permitted by local authorities, except where local ordinances or police regulations provide for the accommodation of heavy traffic during morning, afternoon or evening hours.

(b) At the request of any handicapped person or disabled veteran, local authorities may erect on the highway, as close as possible to their place of residence, a sign or signs indicating that that place is reserved for a handicapped person or disabled veteran, that no parking is allowed there by others and that any unauthorized person parking there shall be subject to a fine.

(c) Except for persons parking vehicles lawfully bearing registration plates or parking placards issued to handicapped persons or disabled veterans, no person shall park a vehicle on public or private property reserved for a handicapped person or disabled veteran, which property has been so posted in accordance with department regulations.

C. Metered parking. Metered parking shall be as regulated in duly established metered areas.

157-2. Violations and penalties.

A. Penalty for parking violations in metered parking areas shall be $10. [Amended 2-9-1989 by Ord. No. 1649]

B. Penalty for all other parking violations shall be $15.

157-3. Administration.

A. Enforcement.

(1) Enforcement of parking regulations shall be the responsibility of the Police Department.

(a) All sworn police officers.

(b) All special officers.

(2) The Fire Marshal shall be empowered to enforce all parking regulations dealing with duly established fire zones and fire lanes.

B. Collection of penalties. It shall be the duty of the Police Department to collect all penalties for parking violations.

C. Disposition of collected penalties. All penalties collected by the Police Department shall be turned over to the Township Treasurer and properly receipted.

157-4. Failure to pay penalty.

Failure to pay the prescribed penalty within four calendar days from the time notification of a parking violation is given shall result in the issuance of a citation, which shall be forwarded to the appropriate District Justice for the assessment of fines and costs.

157-5. Notice.

A. Issuing officer.

(1) On observing a parking violation, an officer will issue a parking violation notice. The parking violation notice shall be a three-part form. The issuing officer will fill out the form as completely as possible. The minimum acceptable data shall be:

(a) Date of violation.

(b) Time of violation.

(c) Location of violation.

(d) Meter number, where applicable.

(e) Nature of violation.

(f) Make and year of vehicle.

(g) Registration number.

(h) State of issue.

(i) Amount of penalty. (i.e., $10 for a meter violation or $15 for any other parking violation). [Amended 2-9-1989 by Ord. No. 1649]

(2) The issuing officer will place the third copy of the parking violation notice under the windshield wiper on the driver's side of the car, thus giving the vehicle's owner/ operator notice of the violation.

(3) The remaining two copies of the parking violation notice shall be turned in to headquarters.

B. Records personnel.

(1) Upon receipt of a parking violation notice in the records section, records personnel shall:

(a) Log the notice on the citation log.

(b) Forward notice to radio room for owner identification via CLEAN.

(c) Upon receiving notice with owner identification from radio room, file notice in tickler file under date of four day payment deadline.

(2) Each morning records room personnel shall check the tickler file for those parking violation notices which are overdue as far as payment. Those found will be forwarded to the Auxiliary Services' Officer.

(3) Upon receiving payment for a parking violation, records personnel shall stamp receipt all three copies of the parking violation notice. The white and pink copies, along with the collected penalty, shall be placed in the cash box in the Clerk's office. The third copy of the parking violation notice shall be returned to the payee as a receipt.

C. Auxiliary Services' Officer. Upon receiving an overdue parking violation notice, the Auxiliary Services' Officer shall issue a citation for the parking violation on information received and forward the citation to the appropriate District Justice.

D. Collected penalties. On a daily basis, Monday through Friday, all collected penalties shall be turned over to the Township Treasurer, who shall issue a receipt for all such moneys.

E. Parking violation notice.

(1) The parking violation notice shall be of the type now issued for meter violations.

(2) They shall be consecutively numbered and shall be receipted both upon issuance to each officer and upon being turned in to the records section.

(3) All parking violation notices shall be accounted for. They shall be receipted upon:

(a) Receipt by records section of all violations issued.

(b) Receipt by records section of all notices turned in by supervisors for errors, damage, etc.