Bill Text: NJ S1555 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits snowplow operators from depositing snow in front of private driveways more than once each snow event.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-01-20 - Reported from Senate Committee with Amendments, 2nd Reading [S1555 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S1555-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator RONALD L. RICE
District 28 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits snowplow operators from depositing snow in front of private driveways more than once each snow event.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the removal of snow from public streets and highways and supplementing Title 39 of the Revised Statues.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Legislature finds and declares that the removal of accumulated snow on a public road, street, or highway represents one of the most basic government functions; however, snow removal activities that block residential driveways, effectively stranding residents in their homes, represent a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of this State. Residents who clear their driveways of snow and ice, only to be plowed back in by snow removal equipment, will not be able to react quickly to a medical or other emergency requiring them to leave their home in an expeditious manner, leading to potentially deadly results.
b. The operator of a snowplow, or any other snow removal equipment, on a public street or highway shall not cause snow to be piled up in front of a private driveway more than once during each snow event. In the event it is necessary to plow a public street or highway more than one time during a snow event, and a driveway on the street has already been cleared of snow, the operator of the snowplow or other snow removal equipment is responsible for clearing the snow from the driveway within two hours.
c. An operator of snow removal equipment who fails to comply with the provisions of subsection b. of this section shall be subject to a fine of $20 for each blocked driveway, which shall be deposited into a fund maintained by the municipality to reimburse property owners for the cost of shoveling out their driveways.
d. A driveway shall be deemed blocked in the accumulated plowed snow is four inches high or deeper.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would prohibit the operator of snow removal equipment from depositing snow removed from a public street in front of a private driveway more than one time during a snow event. The bill would require the operator of snow removal equipment that has blocked in a driveway for a second or subsequent time to remove the snow that is blocking the private driveway. Under the bill, failure to remove the snow from the end of the driveway within two hours would result in a fine of $20 for each blocked driveway. A driveway would be deemed blocked if there is four inches or more of accumulated plowed snow at the end of the driveway. The funds collected would be placed in a special fund, maintained by the municipality for the purpose of reimbursing property owners for the cost of shoveling out their driveways.
During a snowfall it is not unusual for a resident to remove snow from their sidewalk and driveway prior to the end of the snowfall. If snow removal equipment then plows the street the resident is often blocked in and unable to access the street through their driveway. While the sponsor understands that this is not preventable, repeated plowing of the street may lead to significant hardship for a resident who has to clear the end of his or her driveway several times. The continuous blocking of a driveway could potentially cause a resident to be unable to leave their residence in the event of a life threatening emergency.
