TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager to develop a process for individuals issued citations as bicyclists for minor traffic violations to attend Bicycle Safety Traffic School and have the citation dismissed; and
Request City Manager to bring the cost and funding source for the Bicycle Safety Traffic School back to City Council within 30 days.
DISCUSSION
Long Beach has made considerable progress over the last six years to implement its Bicycle Master Plan and increase ridership. With more bike paths, bike racks and other bicycle infrastructure being installed throughout the City, more residents are becoming active. In fact, neighborhood and business associations are planning events, creating clubs and establishing new traditions around bicycling and healthy lifestyles, which in turn promotes greater community pride and involvement. It also spurs commerce as sixteen new bike-related businesses have been started over the last eighteen months alone. Much as parking impacted areas benefit when more people choose to ride their bikes, residents and merchants are realizing that multiple objectives can be served by infrastructure and programs promoting bicycling. Unfortunately, it also means more people are riding bicycles on sidewalks in business districts and in some cases, failing to observe state and local traffic laws, which threatens their own safety as well as that of pedestrians and drivers. Parenthetically, it is those same rules of the road that bike riders are violating, which make the strongest case for their right to share the road with and be protected from vehicles.
As part of the PLACE grant that funded elements of our bicycle infrastructure, city staff has developed a public campaign to educate and help enforce the rules of the road and sidewalk. However, citations such as a failure to stop at a Stop sign or riding at night without a light can be over two hundred dollars for bicyclists. Currently, motorists have an option to attend ...
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