Town of Bridgewater Bylaw Chapter 14 – Care of Streets

Bridgewater, Nova Scotia · No. 14 · adopted 1966-01-05 · summary & facts

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Approved January 5, 1966 Page 14 - 1 CHAPTER 14 CARE OF STREETS 1. In this By-law or Chapter, the expression "Committee" means the Street Committee. 2. The public streets, lanes, highways, and thoroughfares of the town, subject to the ultimate decision of the Council, shall be under the care, supervision and direction of the Street Committee. 3. All trees within the limits of any of the streets within the Town of Bridgewater shall be under the care and custody of the Street Committee, and if any person shall break, bark, remove, root up or otherwise destroy or damage the whole of any part of any tree, sapling or shrub, planted for ornament or growing on any street or highway in the town, without the permission of the Committee, he shall be liable to the penalty not exceeding ten dollars for every tree, sapling or shrub so by him broken, barked or rooted up or otherwise destroyed or damaged in whole or in part, and in default of payment forthwith on summary conviction, shall be liable to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one month for each such penalty. Any person found committing a breach of this section is liable to arrest on view by any Peace Officer. 4. Any person proposing to set out any shade or ornamental trees on any street, road, lane, sidewalk or other public place in the town, shall apply to the Street Committee for the location of the same. 5. It shall not be lawful for any person or persons to post, stick, paint, stamp, or otherwise affix or cause to be posted, stuck, stamped, painted, or otherwise affixed any bill, poster, notice or advertisement on any property of the town or on any telephone, electric light or other post or pole, fence or town building standing on or near the public street in the town without permission of the Street Committee, nor on any tree within the limits of any of the streets of the town under a penalty not exceeding ten dollars for each offence, or in default of immediate payment to imprisonment for a period not exceeding thirty days in the County Gaol at Lunenburg. 6. No person shall erect any verandah, bay window, porch, sign, awning, fence or other projection, over any sidewalk or street in the town without making application in writing to the Committee on Streets, and obtaining permission thereof, subject to such conditions as the Committee may impose. Every such projection now or hereafter erected over any sidewalk or street shall be removed by the owner or lessee of the premises out from which the same is built or projects within forty-eight hours after notice from the Committee on Streets so to do and in default of such order being complied with, the Committee on Streets may remove the same at the expense of such owner or lessee, who shall be liable therefor as a private debt to the Town and such owner or lessee shall also be liable to a penalty for each offence against this section not exceeding five dollars and in default of payment thereof, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten days. 7. Any person desirous of moving a building upon or over any of the public streets of the town Approved January 5, 1966 Page 14 - 2 shall make application for such privilege, in writing, addressed to the Mayor and Street Committee, and shall state the place from and the place to which it is proposed to move such building and the estimated number of days that the same will be upon such streets, and such application shall be accompanied by a deposit of a sum equal to fees chargeable on granting of the privilege of such removal based on the said estimated number of days mentioned in such application which fees for each day or portion of a day which such building shall be upon any public street shall be as follows: Not less than three dollars and not more then ten dollars in the discretion of the Council. 8. Upon receiving such application and deposit, and upon the applicant entering into a bond to the Town with one or more sureties to be approved by the Chairman of the Street Committee in the sum of $500.000, the Town Clerk shall issue to such applicant a permit to move said building over the street or streets in such application mentioned during the period estimated therein. 9. Such permit may be extended by the Mayor or Street Committee for such number of days as the applicant may find necessary beyond those mentioned therein by endorsing such extension on such original permit and signing the same; provided, however, that such applicant shall first deposit a further sum with the Town Clerk equal to the fees payable in respect of the number of days additional for which he required such extension based upon the tariff chargeable under Section 7 of this Chapter as though the extended number of days had been added to and included in the original application. SNOW LIMITS 10. Every person who owns or occupies a house, shop, store, office, hall, stable, garage, or other building or parcel of land situate on, adjacent to or adjoining that part of the town of Bridgewater on which there is laid permanent concrete sidewalks, shall within four hours of the cessation of every fall of snow, clear away all snow, ice, slush or dirt from off that portion of the sidewalk or foot path which passes immediately in front of, or is contiguous to, the side of the street whereon such person's building, land or premises is situated or to which the same is adjacent as aforesaid, provided always that should fall of snow not have ceased before two o'clock a.m. that it shall be sufficient if such snow, ice, slush, or dirt be cleared away on or before ten o'clock in the forenoon of the following day. 11. Any person who shall neglect to comply with the provisions of the next preceding section shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding five dollars for each offence, and in default of payment, may be imprisoned for a period not exceeding twenty days, and if such neglect shall continue for twenty-four hours after the snow has ceased falling, the Street Committee shall cause said sidewalks or foot path to be cleared at the expense of the owner, occupier or person in charge or control, and such be recovered and collected in like manner as other town rates are recovered and collected. 12. Every owner, or occupier of any house, barn, stable, garage, shop, store, office or other building whatever built close to the line of any public street, lane or thoroughfare of the town shall at all times during the winter season keep the roof, eaves, and other projections thereof clear from snow and ice. Approved January 5, 1966 Page 14 - 3 13. No person shall permit icicles to accumulate on the eaves or gutters of any building owned or occupied by him so as to become dangerous to persons passing on the streets. 14. Any person violating the provisions of the next two preceding sections shall for each offence be liable to summary conviction to pay a sum not exceeding five dollars, and in default of immediate payment shall be imprisoned for a period not exceeding twenty days. Every twenty-four hours the snow or ice accumulates on the roof, eaves or other projections of any such building and is allowed to remain after notice by the Committee on Streets to the owner or occupier thereof requiring its removal shall constitute a distinct and separate offence against this by-law. 15. No person shall dump, unload, or deposit or move any coal or heavy article upon the concrete or asphalt sidewalks unless such sidewalk has been first protected by boards, not less than one inch thick, and placed close together over the surface where such coal or heavy article is to be deposited. 16. Every occupier of any premises shall keep the sidewalk and gutter in front of the eaves free from dirt and nuisance of every description. 17. No person shall distribute any handbills, or other papers by scattering the same on the street. 18. No person shall cart or transport in any way on any street, any sand, earth, dirt, manure, hay, straw or rubbish or any loose fluid or semi-fluid in such a manner that any portion of the same may be spilled or scattered on the street. 19. No person shall on any street raise or hoist any goods into any door or window of an upper story or throw down any goods from such door or windows. 20. No person shall throw any shingles, boards, slates, sand, gravel, tar or other material whatsoever from any roof or scaffolding upon any street, but the same shall be lowered in chutes or by tackles in such a manner as not to affect the safety and convenience of the public. 21. Every person who contravenes or fails to comply with any of the provisions set forth in this by-law, and for which no penalty has been provided shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty not exceeding twenty dollars, and in default of payment forthwith, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding twenty days. 22. No person shall (a) injure, or remove any portion of any catchpit, receiving basin, covering flag, manhole, vent, shaft, grating or any other part of any sewer or drain, or (b) obstruct the flow of water in any sewer or drain, which forms a deposit therein, or has a tendency to obstruct the same or discharge any stream into any sewer. 23. Every person who contravenes or fails to comply with this section shall be liable, on Approved January 5, 1966 Page 14 - 4 summary conviction, to a penalty not exceeding twenty dollars, and in default of payment forthwith, to imprisonment for a period not exceeding thirty days. OBSTRUCTION ON STREETS 24. Except as by the Towns' Act or by this by-law otherwise provided, no person shall place or cause to be placed any encumbrance upon any street whereby the public are prevented from the free and uninterrupted use of the same. 25. The Street Committee may temporarily close any street, or part thereof, while any work is being done thereon, or where it is advisable for other reasons to close the same, and may for that purpose erect bars or other impediments to traffic. 26. When the Committee puts up any bars or fence to close any street for any purpose, no person shall interfere with the same or travel or attempt to travel or drive any vehicle along the street so closed without permission of the Chairman of the Street Committee, and every person who so travels or attempts to travel or drives any vehicle shall be liable to a penalty hereinafter provided. 27. Any person may, by permission of the Street Committee, place on any street, materials for buildings and erect an enclosure to protect the same, and may continue such enclosure for such period as the Committee directs. Every person placing such material or erecting such enclosure without permission or otherwise that as directed or continuing the same for a longer period than herein prescribed, or after being directed to remove the same, shall be liable to a penalty as hereinafter provided. 28. Every person receiving a permit to occupy a part of the street for building purposes, or for repairing any building or making any excavation, or for any other purpose, shall provide a safe and convenient passage around, under or over the obstruction so placed, and shall be responsible for any injury sustained by any person in consequence of this neglect to do so. 29. No person shall place upon any street for sale or show any goods, wares, or merchandise, or any signboard or advertising board. 30. No person shall place or suspend or expose from any building any goods, wares or merchandise so that the same extend from the wall of such building more than six inches toward or into any street. 31. No person shall place on any street any articles or permit the same to remain there so as to obstruct the free passage of such street for a longer period than is necessary to remove the same to or from any building or premises fronting such street. 32. Every person who contravenes or fails to comply with any of these sections dealing with "Obstruction of Streets" shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty not exceeding twenty dollars, and in default, to imprisonment not exceeding twenty days.