Heads Up, Manhattan Beach E-Bike Riders: Rules Being Enforced
Aug 24, 2022 09:29PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
A young e-bike rider without a helmet is pulled over by Manhattan Beach Police on the first day of school, Wednesday, August 24, 2022.
As students return to school in Manhattan Beach this week, young bike riders and their parents are reminded to follow all bike safety rules, especially on e-bikes.
At least one young e-bike rider who was not wearing a helmet was pulled over by Manhattan Beach police on Wednesday morning, the first day of school.
Christopher Ineguez, community affairs officer and public information officer for the Manhattan Beach Police Department, said that officers would give either warnings or citations to those violating the rules of the road.
"Every situation is different, and based on the circumstances and officers' discretion, [they] will determine if a citation is issued or just a
warning," Ineguez told MB News.
By law, bicycle riders under 18 years of age must wear a properly strapped bicycle helmet while riding on a public road (California Vehicle Code (CVC) ยง21212).
Under California law, the ticket for an underage rider without a helmet is $25, and either the parent or legal guardian, the under-18 cyclist, or both are liable for payment of the fine. Cyclists may also have the option to treat the citation as a fix-it ticket, which they can remediate by showing that they have secured an approved helmet and have taken a bicycle safety course.
According to the MBPD, the most common violations on e-bikes are for
youth riders without helmets, riders running stop signs or red lights,
and riders other than small children biking on the sidewalk.
Ride Safe, Ride Ready
City leaders have been working to expand awareness and attention to bike safety, particularly safety on e-bikes, which can travel up to 28 miles per hour.
Back in May, Manhattan Beach unveiled a bike safety campaign called "Ride Safe, Ride Ready."
The campaign was the result of a city-wide collaboration
between the city of Manhattan Beach, Councilmember and avid cyclist Joe Franklin, the Manhattan Beach Police Department, and two
Mira Costa High School students, Alex Chun and Justin Newman.
Campaign leaders took the message around town over the summer,
including to groups of young people such as Junior Guards who were
likely to be riding around town on bikes.
According to Franklin, the bike safety group trained 70 Junior Lifeguards instructors, who, in turn, incorporated
the lessons in their training curricula and trained from 2,000 to
3,000 Junior Guard participants in bike safety lessons this summer.
Bike hangtags being distributed by the Ride Safe, Ride Ready campaign. Photo via Joe Franklin.
"After our rollout in June and July, MBPD officers used their discretion to either further educate bicycle riders not following the rules or they cited them," Franklin told MB News. "Our police officers care very much for the safety of our children and residents, so we should all defer to their judgment."
Franklin added that enforcement by MBPD has been enhanced with the addition of three e-bikes of their own for patrolling popular streets.
"Residents can help with pointing out and praising good behavior of children operating their bicycle safely and following the rules of the road," said Franklin. "We all need to exercise caution and look out for each other as we share the road."
A summary of "rules of the road" and safety tips for cyclists can be found here.
