Chatting with the Chief: Right-of-Ways and Rules of the Road

With October having arrived, snow is well on its way to the Platte Valley and Saratoga. Before the snow really flies and begins to accumulate, the Town of Saratoga is working on repairing the streets for snow removal.

Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris said his department will be working with the Department of Public Works in identifying any unlicense, derelict or abandoned vehicles in the public right-of-way which may inhibit snow removal this winter. Morris also discussed the importance of not bypassing emergency and law enforcement vehicles during an active emergency.

Oh, Snow Way

While leaves are just now falling from the trees, it won’t be long before the snow falls as well and the Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting this winter to be as snowbound as the last.

“Because of the heavy snowfall we had last year, snow removal and keeping the streets passable became an issue in several locations around town. One of the things that somewhat inhibited the streets department removing snow was the parking of vehicles that were unlicensed parked in the public right-of-way,” said Morris. “That led to some snow buildup. We had so much snow that the (town) crews started running out of places to put the snow.”

By that time, said Morris, it was too late in the season to expect owners of unlicensed and abandoned vehicles to move them.

“Some of them were truly iced in by that point,” said Morris.

According to Morris, he was approached by John Lasco, streets supervisor, and Mayor Chuck Davis about the need to enforce the municipal code when it came to the public right-of-way for snow removal. Morris said, this year, he is working with both Lasco and Director of Public Works Emery Penner.

“They’re going to start identifying some of the vehicles that are parked around town that are on the public right-of-way that are either abandoned, derelict (or) unlicensed so we can address those,” said Morris. “In addition to that, officers—as they’re patrolling—will be identifying some of these vehicles as well so we can get them moved before the snow flies and they become an issue for snow removal.”

Under section 10.24.020 of the municipal code, any unlicensed vehicle must be removed from all town streets and alleys. Morris clarified that his department and the Town of Saratoga were only focusing on the public right-of-way.

“We’re not talking about, at this point, going and enforcing nuisance ordinances on private property. This is specifically on the public right-of-way adjacent to the streets, particularly in areas where the wind and things are causing snow removal issues,” said Morris. “We want to identify the vehicles and get with the owners. In some cases there might not be owners, they may be truly abandoned, we don’t know that yet. We’ll get the owners and work with them to try and find a solution to get the vehicles moved to someplace that’s more suitable.”

A last resort, Morris said, would be civil penalties including fines for not removing unlicensed, abandoned or derelict vehicles from the public right-of-way.

“If we can’t find a viable solution, since it would be a violation of city ordinance there are criminal and civil remedies,” said Morris. “I hope we don’t get to that point but most of the ordinances on the books right now are enforceable by up to a $750 fine.”

No Go Zone

On the topic of vehicles, Morris also wanted to remind residents about paying attention to road closures in the case of emergency situations. Over the weekend, the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department responded to the area of 4th and Main, with the police department closing the street to allow the fire department to hook up to a hydrant across from the scene of the incident.

Despite a patrol vehicle parked across the center of the street and the presence of firetrucks, someone in a small sedan drove past the patrol vehicle and over a six inch firehose.

“There are so few of us, that if you come up on a scene and there is a patrol car or a firetruck in the middle of the road, I would really try to avoid that area,” said Morris. “There may not be anybody right there to tell you where to go or what’s going on and it may be an active, violent and dangerous scene. If you come across a scene like that, the first thing to do would be just to avoid it all together.”

According to Morris, the volunteer fire department was forced to remove the section of six inch hose which had been run over out of service. On top of the potential damage to the firehose, there are also local and state laws regarding driving over such equipment.

Per section 31-5-232 of the Wyoming State Statute “no vehicle shall be driven over any unprotected hose of a fire department when laid down on any street.” Additionally, according to section 31-5-1201 of the Wyoming State Statute, the violation of any laws under chapter 5 of motor vehicles is a misdemeanor.

“The fire department goes to great lengths to ensure that that hose is ready to use, that it’s safe to use,” said Morris. “Can you imagine having an active scene and firemen protecting life or limb and having a piece of hose rupture because it was damaged?”

Morris said, in that scenario, not only could an individual be cited for driving over the firehose but could potentially be held financially liable for damage to the hose. They could also, he said, be held liable for damage to people or property due to their actions damaging the firehose.

“In my humble opinion, it is not too much of an inconvenience to drive a couple blocks out of your way to avoid that,” said Morris.