Chapter 10.52 BICYCLES

For statutory provisions on bicycle licensing, see Vehicle Code §39000 et seq.; for provisions on local regulation of bicycles, see Vehicle Code §21206.

10.52.010 Purpose.

This chapter is adopted pursuant to Section 21206 of the Vehicle Code of the state, and is intended to implement and supplement provisions of Division on 11, Chapter 1 of such code. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord 902 §5.1, 1985).

10.52.020 Bicycle defined.

A “bicycle” is a device upon which any person may ride, propelled by human power through a belt, chain or gears, and having either two or three wheels in tandem or tricycle arrangement, wheels which are at least twenty inches in diameter and with a frame size of at least fourteen inches. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.2, 1976).

10.52.030 Motorized bicycle defined.

A “motorized bicycle” is any two-wheeled or three-wheeled device having fully operative pedals for propulsion by human power, or having no pedals if powered solely by electrical energy, and an automatic transmission and a motor which produces less than two gross brake horsepower and is capable of propelling the device at a maximum speed of not more than thirty miles per hour on level ground. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.2a, 1976).

10.52.040 Pedal cycle defined.

“Pedal cycle” means any device upon which a person may ride which has two or more wheels and is propelled by human power through a system of belts, chains or gears and does not meet the requirements of Section 10.52.020. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.3, 1976).

10.52.050 License required.

A. All bicycles operated in the city shall be licensed and registered by the city pursuant to the requirements contained in this chapter. The registration and license fee shall be four dollars. Registration shall be valid for a period not to exceed two years from the date of issuance.

B. This section does not apply to bicycle manufacturers or dealers transporting or displaying the bicycles or to the operators of bicycles not residing within the city limits; provided, that such operators not residing within the city limits have complied with any registration and licensing requirements of the city, county, or city and county where residence is maintained. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.4, 1976).

10.52.060 Pedal cycle registration.

The owner of a pedal cycle may register his pedal cycle, if he choose to do so. If the owner of a pedal cycle voluntarily registers his pedal cycle, he shall have the same rights and duties of an owner of a registered bicycle. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.5, 1976).

10.52.070 License application issuance.

The police department is authorized to issue bicycle licenses. License, when issued, shall entitle the licensee to operate the bicycle for which the license was issued upon all of the streets, alleys or public highways, exclusive of sidewalks, in the city. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.6, 1976).

10.52.080 License fee.

The license fee to be paid for each bicycle shall be four dollars and shall be paid in advance; such license may be transferred when the ownership of the bicycle is transferred, and a fee of one dollar shall be paid for the registration of such transfer. All license fees and transfer fees collected under this chapter shall be paid into the city treasury. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.7, 1976)

10.52.090 License duplicate.

It shall be the duty of every license holder to immediately notify the police department of the loss, destruction or mutilation of any license or regulation card. Due to the fact duplicate licenses are not printed, the police department may thereupon issue a new license at the cost of two dollars. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.8, 1976).

10.52.110 Dealer report – Purchases.

All persons engaged in the business of buying secondhand bicycles are required to make a daily report to the police department, giving the name and address of the person from whom each bicycle is purchased, the description of each bicycle purchased, the frame number thereof and the number of the license plate found thereon, if any. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.10, 1976).

10.52.120 Transfer report – Owner responsibility.

It shall be the duty of every person who sells or transfers ownership of any bicycle, to report such sale or transfer by returning to the police department the registration card or receipt issued to such person as licensee thereof, together with the name and address of the person to whom the bicycle was sold or transferred. Such report shall be made within ten days of the date of sale or transfer. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.11, 1976).

10.52.130 Transfer report – Purchaser responsibility.

It shall be the duty of the purchaser or transferee of any bicycle, if a resident of the city, to apply for a transfer of registration within ten days of the date of transfer or registration. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.12, 1976).

10.52.140 Serial number – Police stamping.

Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the police department from stamping numbers on the frames of bicycles on which no serial number can be found, or on which the number is illegible or insufficient for identification purposes. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.13, 1976).

10.52.150 Serial number – Removal prohibited.

It is unlawful for any person to willfully or maliciously remove, destroy, mutilate or alter the number of any bicycle frame licensed pursuant to this chapter. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.14, 1976).

10.52.160 License Plate or registration card destruction Prohibited.

It is unlawful for any person to remove, destroy, mutilate or alter any license plate, registration card or receipt during the time in which such license plate, registration card or receipt is operative. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.15, 1976).

10.52.170 Stolen bicycle impoundment.

The police department is authorized to investigate the possession and ownership of any bicycle bearing a license issued by another city, and if there is probable cause for believing that the bicycle is a stolen bicycle, the police department may impound the same for a period not exceeding ten days; and if the police department finds that the same is a stolen bicycle, it shall then communicate with the appropriate enforcement officers of the city whose license the bicycle bears and advise the officers that the police department is holding the bicycle and will restore it to the appropriate enforcement officer of the city and of the reasonable costs of the impounding and storage of the bicycle, but which charge shall at no time exceed the sum of ten dollars. In this connection, however, it is further provided that where municipalities have entered into reciprocal agreements for the storage and return of bicycles licensed by the municipalities, that the fees and charges shall be those that may be provided by such reciprocal agreement. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.18, 1976).

10.52.180 Riding on sidewalk.

No person shall ride or operate a bicycle on any sidewalk in front of schools, stores, or buildings used for business purposes. Riding on sidewalks in residential areas shall be permissible only for juveniles under the age of ten years, exercising due care and giving proper regard for the safety of pedestrians. Police personnel patrolling on bicycles shall not be subject to the limitations set forth in this section and shall be permitted to ride or operate a bicycle on any sidewalk in the city while engaged in police business. (Ord. 1537 §1, 1995: Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 998 §1, 1978: Ord. 902 §5.19, 1976).

10.52.200 Laws applicable to bicycle use.

Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle pursuant to Division 11 of the California Vehicle Code. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.201 Equipment requirements.

A. No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

B. No person shall operate on the highway any bicycle equipped with handlebars so raised that the operator must elevate his hands above the level of his shoulders in order to grasp the normal steering grip area.

C. No person shall operate upon any highway a bicycle which is of such a size as to prevent the operator from safely stopping the bicycle, supporting it in an upright position with at least one foot on the ground, and restarting it in a safe manner.

D. Every bicycle operated upon any highway during darkness shall be equipped (1) with a lamp emitting a white light which, while the bicycle is in motion, illuminates the highway in front of the bicyclist and is visible from a distance of three hundred feet in front and from the side of the bicycle; (2) with a red reflector on the rear which shall be visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle; (3) with a white or yellow reflector on each pedal visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of two hundred feet; and (4) with a white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles which are equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and the rear need not be equipped with these side reflectors. Such reflectors and reflectorized tires shall be of a type meeting requirements established by the department of California Highway Patrol.

E. A lamp or lamp combination, emitting a white light, attached to the operator and visible from a distance of three hundred feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle, may be used in lieu of the lamp required by clause (1) of subdivision D of this subsection. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.202 Operation on roadway.

A. Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time shall ride as close as practical to the right hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:

1. When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction;

2. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway;

3. When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right hand curb or edge.

B. Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway or a highway which carries traffic in one direction only and has two or more marked traffic lanes, may ride as near the left hand curb or edge of such roadway as practical. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.203 Hitching rides.

No person riding upon any bicycle, motorized bicycle, motorcycle, coaster, roller skates, sled, or toy vehicle shall attach the same or himself to any vehicle on the roadway. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.204 Riding on bicycle.

A. No person operating a bicycle upon a highway shall ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto.

B. No operator shall allow a person riding as a passenger, and no person shall ride as a passenger on a bicycle upon a highway other than upon or astride a separate seat attached thereto. If the passenger is a minor weighing forty pounds or less, the seat shall have adequate provisions for retaining the minor in place and for protecting the minor from the moving parts of the bicycle. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.205 Carrying articles.

No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle or article which prevents the operator from keeping at least one hand upon the handlebars. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.206 Permitted movement from bicycle lanes.

A. Whenever a bicycle lane has been established on a roadway pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 21207, any person operating a bicycle upon the roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction, shall ride within the bicycle lane, except that such person may move out of the lane under any of the following situations:

1. When overtaking and passing another bicycle, vehicle, or pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if such overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane;

2. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway;

3. When reasonably necessary to leave the bicycle lane to avoid debris or other hazardous conditions.

B. No person operating a bicycle shall leave a bicycle lane until the movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after giving an appropriate signal in the manner provided by the California Vehicle Code in the event that any vehicle may be affected by the movement. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.207 Circular green or green arrow.

A. A bicyclist facing a circular green signal shall proceed straight through or turn right or left or make a U-turn unless a sign prohibits a U-turn. Any bicyclist, including one turning, shall yield the right-of-way to other traffic and to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk.

B. A bicyclist facing a green arrow signal shown alone or in combination with another indication, shall enter the intersection only to make the movement indicated by the green arrow or any other movement that is permitted by other indication shown at the same time. A bicyclist facing a left green arrow may also make a U-turn, unless prohibited by a sign.

A bicyclist shall yield the right-of-way to other traffic and to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection or an adjacent crosswalk. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.208 Circular red or red arrow.

A. A bicyclist facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indication to proceed is showing except as provided in subsection B of this section.

B. Except when a sign is in place prohibiting a turn, a bicyclist, after stopping as required by subsection A of this section, facing a steady circular red signal, may turn right, or turn left from a one-way street onto a one-way street. A bicyclist making such a turn shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to traffic lawfully using the intersection.

C. A bicyclist facing a steady red arrow signal shall not enter the intersection to make the movement indicated by the arrow and, unless entering the intersection to make a movement permitted by another signal, shall stop at a clearly marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain stopped until an indicator permitting movement is shown. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.209 Flashing signals.

Whenever an illuminated flashing red or yellow light is used in a traffic signal or with a traffic sign, it shall require obedience by a bicyclist as follows:

A. Flashing red (stop signal): When a red lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, a bicyclist shall stop at a clearly marked limit line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or if none, then at the point nearest the intersecting roadway where the bicyclist has a view of approaching traffic or the intersecting roadway before entering it, and the bicyclist may proceed subject to the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop sign.

B. Flashing yellow (caution signal): When a yellow lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, a bicyclist may proceed through the intersection or past the signal only with caution. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.210 Obedience by bicyclist to official traffic control devices.

It is unlawful for any bicyclist to fail to obey any sign or signal erected or maintained to indicate and carry out the provisions of the California Vehicle Code or any local traffic ordinance or resolution adopted pursuant to a local traffic ordinance. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.211 Yielding to emergency vehicles.

Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle sounding a siren and having at least one lighted lamp exhibiting red light visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of one thousand feet to the front of such vehicle, except as otherwise directed by a traffic officer, a bicyclist shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately ride to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right hand edge or curb of the highway clear of any intersection and thereupon stop and remain in such position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.212 Right-of-way at Crosswalks.

A bicyclist shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.213 Vehicles stopped for pedestrians.

Whenever any vehicle has stopped at a marked crosswalk or at any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the bicyclist approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass the stopped vehicle. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.214 Turning movements and required signals.

No person shall turn a bicycle from a direct course or move right or left upon a roadway until such movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after the giving of an appropriate signal in the manner provided by the California Vehicle Code. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.215 Duration of signal.

Any signal of intention to turn right or left shall be given continuously during the last one hundred feet traveled by the bicyclist before turning. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.216 Signal when stopping.

No person shall stop or suddenly decrease the speed of a bicycle on a highway without first giving an appropriate signal in the manner provided in the California Vehicle Code to the driver of a vehicle immediately to the rear when there is opportunity to give the signal. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.217 Basic speed law.

No person shall ride a bicycle upon the highway at a speed greater than is reasonable or prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, the traffic on, and the surface width of the roadway, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.218 Stop requirements.

The rider of any bicycle approaching a stop sign at the entrance to or within an intersection, or railroad grade crossing, shall stop at a limit line, if marked, otherwise before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection. If there is no limit line or crosswalk, the bicyclist shall stop at the entrance to the intersecting roadway or railroad grade crossing. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.219 Stops for train signals.

The rider of any bicycle approaching a railroad grade crossing shall stop not less than fifteen feet from the nearest rail and shall not proceed until he can do so safely, whenever the following conditions exist:

A. A clearly visible electric or mechanical signal device or a flagman gives warning of the approach or passage of a train or car;

B. An approaching train or car is plainly visible or is emitting an audible signal and, by reason of its speed or nearness, is an immediate hazard. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985).

10.52.220 Parking.

No person shall park any bicycle against any windows or in such a manner as to constitute a hazard to pedestrians, traffic or property. If there are no bicycle racks or other facilities used to park bicycles in the vicinity, bicycles may be parked on the sidewalk in an upright position parallel to and within twelve inches of the curb. (Ord. 1247 §1(part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.21, 1976).

10.52.221 Penalty for violation.

Where this chapter has been violated by juveniles under the age of eighteen years, in lieu of a fine and imprisonment and in lieu of filing charges in the juvenile court, the chief of police may prohibit the operation upon the streets, alleys and public places in the city for a period not to exceed thirty days of a bicycle so used in such violation, in which event the bicycle so used in such violation shall be impounded by the chief of police and retained by him during the period of the operation which is prohibited and the owner’s registration card shall be held for a like period. (Ord. 1247 §1 (part), 1985: Ord. 902 §5.22 1976).