TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager and City Attorney to draft an ordinance to prohibit the assembly, disassembly, sale, offer of sale, distribution, or offer of distribution on public property or public rights-of-way of bicycles and bicycle parts, under certain conditions and with certain exceptions; authorize the Public Works Department to work with the Police Department to remove bicycles and bicycle parts following notice of violations of this prohibition.
DISCUSSION
Long Beach is a leading city in providing bike infrastructure and encouraging the use of bicycles in daily transportation for commuting and recreation. However, if the city cannot adequately address clear issues of safety, quality of life, and bike theft then it undermine residents' faith and support for our mobility and recreation related goals.
Reported bike thefts in Long Beach averaged over 700 instances a year between 2011 and 2016,1 and statistics show the numbers of actual thefts is likely much higher. This reality is echoed by our residents on a regular basis.
Many bikes are dismantled and sold within days of being stolen so, there is a narrow opportunity for bikes to be recovered while they are being taken apart in public spaces and before they are sold and taken out of the city. These open-air chop shops can be seen throughout the city, but confronting the illegal activities that this practice supports is difficult without better tools to reduce the occurrences.
The problems that fuel bike theft include a lack of effective registration as bicycles are the only primary mode of transportation that does not require registration, which is a topic the city is currently evaluating as a result of an earlier council directive. Without registration, it is difficult for law enforcement to (1) confirm suspected theft in a certain situation, (2) seize property that has been acquired unlawfully, (3) arrest suspects for theft, (4) successfully submit a case to the City Prosecutor fo...
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