Whenever a street railway or traction company shall have a duty imposed upon it or a privilege which it is authorized to exercise and there is a limited time within which the duty is to be discharged or the privilege exercised, and the company is restrained by the decree, order or writ of a court from the discharge of its duty, or prevented by the omission of any board or body having control of streets or governing body of any municipality or county to give any consent required by this chapter for the exercise of any privilege conferred by this chapter, then so much of the time during which the restraint exists or the omission continues shall not be computed as any portion of the time limited for the discharge of the duty or exercise of the privilege.