Coronado City Council Reviews New E-Bike Policies | Coronado City News | coronadonewsca.com

The Coronado City Council recently discussed new potential e-bike policies to adopt to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety as presented by the City’s E-Bike Task Force at the council meeting on October 15.

Since 2021 there has been an average of about 26 bike and e-bike collision incidents in the city, despite an increasing number of e-bike users on the road. About 11 of those are e-bike incidents per year. Adults and older adults were the cause of 78% of all bike and e-bike collisions with adolescents (52% of e-bike collisions), which accounts for 19% of all collisions (48% of all e-bike collisions). There has been no significant link to drug and alcohol usage with bike and e-bike accidents in town, with only 4% of accidents including them as factors.

Additionally, about 27% of all bike or e-bike accidents, helmets were not being worn when they required by either age or e-bike classification (Class 3 e-bikes require helmet use by all users, and can only be operated by people aged 16 and older). E-bike incidents were generally caused by the e-bike operator (72% of e-bike incidents) and also occurred fairly equally between the Strand and the Village, with no particular locations of concern noted as being particularly accident prone.

Over the past year, of all e-bike accidents with medical aid calls, 46% were reported to be mild in nature, 39% moderate, and 15% acute (no fatalities).

Between 2023 and 2024 there has been an expanded e-bike safety campaign in Coronado through a collaborative effort across the City, schools, organizations, and businesses to distribute pocket guides and informational brochures and flyers, place ads and social media safety videos, digital message boards on Orange Avenue, and updating the Project Coronado E-bike B-Safe webpage.

Police Chief Rick Martinez also mentioned that their collaboration with High Tide has been very successful, in which officers hand out pizza coupons during positive reinforcement contacts with students safely operating their bikes. The department also has two Bike Rodeos currently planned for 2025, in collaboration with the Recreation & Golf Services department and CUSD. They will also be continuing the Saturday School Diversion Program with CUSD for bike violations that occur on a student’s way to school or during school hours, as well as their essay program with the School Resource Officers for violations that occur outside of school.

The E-Bike Task Force brought five potential new policies for the Council to consider regarding e-bikes. The first was an ordinance that would regulate “motorized mobility devices” (MMD), defined as electric bicycles, electric personal assistive mobility devices, electrically motorized boards, motorized scooters, and other similar vehicles.

The ordinance would require users of these devices to dismount and walk their MMD or use nearby roadways on all city sidewalks, the Paseo and the Boardwalk near the Hotel del Coronado and the Coronado Shores, and the promenade along Glorietta Bay Marina, alongside already prohibited locations on public beaches, parks, the gold course, and medians. Public agency personnel and individual with disability accommodations like motorized mobility carts would be exempt from these restrictions.

The second option presented was a possibility to increase the fine amounts for municipal code violations, which are currently $50 for a first-time violation, $100 for a second, and $250 for any additional violation within the same one year period as the first violation.

A third would be to implement Assembly Bill 2234 (Boerner), which established a “San Diego Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program” until January 1, 2029, in Coronado. The law prohibits any children under the age of 12 from operating an e-bike. City staff would also prepare an education campaign and warning system in compliance, should this be implemented.

The fourth potential policy was a consideration of a rules and regulation program with CUSD for students who commute to school on e-bikes. In such a program, students would be required to register with the school district to have the ability to park their e-bikes on school property and education and acknowledgment of the California Vehicle Code and Coronado’s municipal code rules. Their recommendation on this option at this time would be to further investigate and discuss this concept with the 2x2 City/Schools Committee.

The fifth and final suggestion would be to consider the Mobility Commission E-bike Task Force’s (separate from the City E-bike Task Force) recommendations which were discussed at a Commission meeting in July earlier this year. Their list of suggestions generally fit within the City’s current actions and this task force’s recommendations and broadly include increasing educational opportunities around e-bike laws and safety with school programs, free classes for all ages, and new signage around town. They also recommend acknowledging e-bike rental agencies and companies that sell e-bikes which require customers to review e-bike laws, as well as sanctioning e-bike users that have modified their bikes to exceed a 20 mph speed limit.

There was general support from the Council for the first, third, and fourth option presented by the Task Force (adopting a new MMD ordinance, implanting AB 2234, and discussing a potential regulation policy further with CUSD). A motion was made to move forward with those recommendations, and in regards to the Mobility Commission’s recommendations, to let City staff use their judgement on which of those elements would make sense to pursue implementing and in what manner (with the option to bring those items back before the Council as they deem necessary). The motion was passed unanimously.

The next city council meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 5, at 4 p.m. at City Hall. For further information please visit the City’s website at https://www.coronado.ca.us/449/Agendas-Minutes.

VOL. 114, NO. 43 - Oct. 23, 2024

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