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Sidewalk Riding Ordinance Revision
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Meeting Date: May 18, 2017
Contact Person/Dept: Eric Bruins/Public Works Department
Phone Number: (310) 253-5616
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: []
Public Notification: (Email) Bicycle & Pedestrian (05/18/17);
Department Approval: Charles Herbertson, Public Works Director/City Engineer (05/15/17)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) receive a background presentation on sidewalk riding and provide initial input on a potential update to the City’s sidewalk riding ordinance.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The 2010 Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan recommended modernizing the Culver City Municipal Code’s (CCMC) bicycle regulations to improve consistency with state law. Last fall, the Public Works Department initiated discussions with CCPD regarding the need to update the code. The majority of the recommended changes involved administrative updates to eliminate redundancies or conflicts with the California Vehicle Code (CVC), rather than changes to policy. With the BPAC’s support, the City Council adopted an ordinance accomplishing these administrative changes on May 8th.
The May ordinance did not address the issue of sidewalk riding. The California Vehicle Code does delegate the regulation of sidewalk riding to local jurisdictions, meaning that the City has the authority to regulate sidewalk riding as it sees fit based on local considerations. Due to the complexity of this issue, it was separated from the administrative updates and held for additional discussion.
There are many different approaches to regulating sidewalk riding, even within Los Angeles County. There are cities where it is entirely legal, like Los Angeles, and cities where it is entirely banned, like Santa Monica. Other cities regulate aspects like location, direction of travel, age of the rider, and more. Riders crossing from one jurisdiction to another are likely not aware that the rules have changed, leading to unintentional noncompliance. For a comprehensive list of sidewalk riding ordinances in Los Angeles County, go to: <https://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/bikes-on-sidewalks/>
Discussions between Public Works and CCPD about the recommended approach for Culver City are ongoing. Future steps include: concurrence between Public Works and CCPD on a draft policy, solicitation of stakeholder input, consideration by BPAC, and adoption by the City Council. There is currently no timeline for these actions.