Last year, the Huntington Beach City Council enhanced public safety by approving Emergency Ordinance No. 4304 due to the immediate safety concerns related to e-bike accidents and related injuries recorded by the Huntington Beach Police Department. This ordinance brought important changes to the Huntington Beach Municipal Code (HBMC) Chapter 10.84 regarding bicycle regulations to protect our children and preserve public peace, health, or safety as required by the City Charter Section 501.

Under this updated code, officers have the discretion to issue either civil or criminal citations, depending on the circumstances, to individuals riding bicycles, electric bicycles, mopeds, motor-driven cycles, electric motorcycles, pocket bikes, or any other electric conveyance not previously named in an unsafe manner.

Some examples of riding in an unsafe manner may include, but are not limited to, the following actions:

• Riding on a sidewalk without due caution for pedestrians.
• Riding on a sidewalk, highway, bicycle path, or bicycle lane against the flow of traffic.
• Not yielding to vehicles or pedestrians when required to by the California Vehicle Code.
• Intentionally swerving or riding around stopped or slowed traffic.
• Operating a conveyance in a manner it was not designed for, including carrying passengers when not designed for carrying passengers.
• Not obeying posted signs and/or traffic signals.
• A person under the age of 18 riding without a properly fitted and fastened helmet.
• Intentionally lifting one or more wheels into the air while riding on a highway, sidewalk, bicycle lane, or bicycle path.
• Riding on a bicycle path, bicycle lane, or sidewalk at a speed greater than posted, any speed greater than is reasonable or prudent under the existing conditions, or at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property. Examples include:
  • Greater than 10 mph on the beach path/City parks.
  • Greater than 5 mph when pedestrians are present on the beach path/City Parks.
  • Greater than 2.5 mph on the beach path when yellow lights are flashing.

Significantly, this allows enforcement beyond public roadways to address dangerous behavior on private property accessible to the public, such as shopping centers. With these changes, officers are also empowered to tow bikes operated by juveniles, including Sur-Ron bikes that are not street-legal, to increase safety on our streets.

For more detailed information about the amendments to HBMC Chapter 10.84, please visit https://bit.ly/HBMCBicycleRegulations.

This ordinance supplements the City of Huntington Beach’s comprehensive initiatives in collaborating with the Huntington Beach Police Department to heighten bicycle safety awareness across the City. These efforts encompass educational partnerships with local high schools on safety education, bi-monthly community e-bike safety classes, a Facebook Live panel, and increased enforcement.

The primary goal of the City of Huntington Beach is to prioritize and enhance public safety in the community.