Jan Feetz

Huntington Beach to amend municipal code on bicycle regulations

Iride01 

Why can't you tell us about it and give your views on the issues instead of making us take a link? Is this just to see what we think so you can decide if you want to discuss it or not?

Polaris OBark

This will make a criminal out of every little old lady riding a Sur Ron to cash her social security check.

jack pot 

Huntington Beach is an imaginary place full of imaginary people

base2 

...And anyone who claims otherwise is in on the consiracy.

Troul 

i thought the intent was to address "E" bikes? The more I read it, the more it chomps down on regular pedal bicycles.

Rick

There is already plenty of laws if were enforced they could solve their perceived problems. I read the article and some info at BicyclingInLa. Sounds like they are winding up for a ShowDown. Seeing how bicycles can be regulated like toys This could get interesting.

I'm all for equal enforcement of the law on people riding bicycles, but I have experienced some really convoluted interpretations of said laws. I am glad that I don't live anywhere near huntington beach.

work4bike

What I want to hear from Huntington Beach is the status of this case, all the news is approaching 2-weeks old https://www.cbsnews.com/news/teen-dr...ch-california/


However, WRT e-bikes, seems like Europe has the toughest laws with a speed limit of 25-kph (15-mph)...But if you think that's crazy, how about Amsterdam. The latest on this is from March '23, so not sure of the current status.

https://www.bicycling.com/news/a4342...mit-amsterdam/

Rick

I read some more news about Huntington beach wanting to confiscate dangerous ebikes and also make it illegal for a bicyclist to go around a stationary vehicle in the road. This current increase in intentional deadly hit and runs on bicyclists is likely a social media person promoting these actions. I know of similar occurrences promoted by radio talk show people.

I-Like-To-Bike

You have any references for the numbers of intentional deadly hit and runs on bicyclists and/or the alleged increase in their numbers.

Yes, I have heard of a few shock radio talkers making shocking statements over the years, that is what they do. Do you have any references for evidence of many (or any) cases of anyone actually acting on that shock radio talk or social media "promotions" and intentionally hitting and running on bicyclists?

Paul Barnard

If you read that and it didn't inspire a comment out of you, I'll pass.

Rick

One of the reports I read on the Las vegas Deadly hit and run on the retired Bell California Police Chief mentioned something. I can believe it quite easily. I have some personal experience with a very bad BYU coed. She attempted to right cross me but I made the corner. As I continued toward work she had gotten ahead of me and attempted to nail me starting from a stop. I Turned where she had been and avoided her. I was able to follow and see where she made a turn into student housing. I pulled into the parking lot and spotted her car. I parked my bicycle and sat on the hood of her car. It was a short while before a city cop showed up. He had seen me before and talked to me. He was aware of the radio fool because of some serious injures caused by other motorists who listened to the radio fool. The radio fool had had a guest speaker from LAB on earlier in the week. The subject was how to avoid being hit. Pretty much what I did to avoid being a road cookie from the coeds actions. So the radio moron being mad about those pesky bicyclists discussed how to hit us. This radio waco was fired and brought up on some kind of charges. This was in the 80s.

I-Like-To-Bike

One 40 year old anecdote was just the kind of "evidence" of social media inspired bicycle fatalities I expected would be referenced. Thanks.

Rick

This is one of several articles that discuss the likelihood of these idiots seeing something and doing the same thing, because they are very nice people. Not much different than texting while driving. copycat

work4bike

I think the day is coming that these ebike riders way outnumber traditional bike riders. Bottom line, this is an evolving thing and there's no telling how things will turn out. Cities, such as Huntington Beach, are in the process of updating their regulations -- as stated in the article, but the technology is also changing, but at a much faster rate.

In another post/thread I remember reading about lycra-wearing cyclists, which I don't want to address, but it did get me wondering about how to ID an ebike rider. Around here, many of them wear work/street clothes. I don't want to sound elitist, but isn't that indicative of these people not being cycling enthusiast, for the most part.

It just makes me wonder how this will all factor into the evolutionary process unfolding before our eyes.



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Rick

You can't legislate intelligence. People are going to do what they want regardless of the law, unless the enforcement is worse than the crime. The very powerful ebikes that are closer to electric motorcycles, should be taken from the owners if they are endangering others. On the other hand if we give this power to the police we risk more misuse from the zealots who don't know enough about the laws they are attempting to enforce. I have seen the results of dead kids lawsuits causing revenue losses in the millions and this was from non ebike lawsuits by the parents of dead children. It would have been better if the parents had taken enough time to not only learn how to maintain those bicycles but to help train and supervise their children. The high profile ongoing lawsuit about the child who died from head trauma was self inflicted due to poor parenting. Two 12 or 13 year old girls. were on an ebike going down a steep windy road in LA. The operator lost control and the passenger although wearing a helmet died from head trauma even after two emergency surgeries. The parents of the diseased child are lawyers and have already won a multi million dollar lawsuit against the parents of the child operating the ebike. The Ebike company has requested to see the ebike. Much of this mayhem could be avoided by proper education and I don't mean those bicycle rodeos designed to teach young children pretty much nothing about safety for riding on the road.

I-Like-To-Bike

What specifically do you mean by "proper education"?

George Mann

How many elderly ladies do you know that owns or rides a Sur Ron?

indyfabz

Someone has to be a cycling enthusiast? To what? Count? To be a safe rider? I’ve ridden a lot of miles in my life and even spent nearly 4 consecutive months on the road riding across the U.S. and then some. I wouldn’t consider myself an enthusiast.

What would you think about the guy who lives less than two blocks away from me if you saw him riding his Brompton wearing a jacket and tie? How about my next door neighbor and his wife riding their eBikes in street clothes?

I have a Label Baby Junior I’m looking to re-gift. Want it?

njkayaker

It doesn't really matter what you consider yourself as. The general public (including those who cycle) are going to tend to see this as evidence of some degree of "enthusiasm".

"Enthusiast" is kind of an odd word to use and kind of obscures the real point: people who don't cycle much will likely be less safe (due to experience) than the cyclists who "ride a lot" (whatever that might mean exactly).

jon c. 

Without judging anyone's relative level of enthusiasm, roughly half the ebike riders I see are riding against traffic. I suspect this is indicative of a lack of cycling experience.

indyfabz

Delivery people aside, the overwhelming majority of salmon I see are not riding eBikes.

jon c. 

The opposite with me. Virtually never see a regular cyclist salmoning.

Small city so we don't have any delivery drivers as far as a I know. And there still aren't many ebikes but the numbers have ticked up a bit in the last year.

Polaris OBark

Nothing gets by you.

base2 

This thread has perfect timing. This week, I've been dispatched to Huntington Beach to service a boat of a very established local ferry service operator. One of the first things the ferry service owner brought up in conversation over dinner is Huntington Beaches' law enforcement for car drivers. He spent a great deal of time explaining the details of their tactics, how they catch car drivers violating the law, their motivations & how much the ticket cost himself & his car insurance in premiums change.

I guess that when police do their job and actually enforce the laws on the books, as written...Or when city leadership are responsive & direct action towards the perceived needs of the electorate, it's (coincidentally) unpopular. Funny, that.

From this, I gather the sentiment: "I'm special & laws are for others" remains as universal as ever up and down the entire socio-economic strata.

On another note. Huntington Beach, and indeed all up and down the Pacific Coast Highway here is a very nice area (in spite of what you may have heard) with fantastic wide sidewalks and a great deal more bike infrastructure than I expected. There was a pretty steady stream of beach cruisers and single-speeds past the terminal where I was working. Good. Where there are recreational & utility cyclists is where you will also find a healthy sense of community and ownership of place.

Don't get me wrong. There is a very car centric & homogenaity of culture here. But, there are a lot of bikes and bike accomodations, too. That is an unexpected, but welcome change for the better.