TO: City Council DATE: October 13, 2026 PREPARED BY: Marie Jones Consulting
PRESENTER: Marie Jones
AGENDA TITLE: Receive Report, Hold a Public Hearing, Introduce by Title Only, and Waive Further Reading of Ordinance Amending Chapter 9.68 Preservation of Parks in the Fort Bragg Municipal Code to address Use of E-bikes, Gliders, Drones, Skateboards, Scooters and Hoverboards on the Fort Bragg Coastal Trail.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a Public Hearing, Introduce by Title Only, and Waive Further Reading of Ordinance Amending to Chapter 9.68 Preservation of Parks in the Fort Bragg Municipal Code to address use of e-bikes, gliders, drones, skateboards, scooters and hoverboards on the Fort Bragg Coastal Trail.
Provide direction to Public Works Department regarding installation of speed limit signs on the Coastal Trail.
BACKGROUND
In 2017, the City Council revised the Municipal Code to regulate Electric Personal Assistive Mobility Devices (EPAMDs) in City parks to
1. Allow the use of Segways and EPAMDs that assist disabled people in all public parks.
2. Prohibit other EPAMDs (such as hover boards) in all public parks.
3. Require a concession agreement for commercial use of Segways on the Coastal Trail subject to insurance and operations requirements.
The Community Development Committee discuss this item at a well-attended CDC meeting on September 11th. Key point of the discussion included the following:
The overall speed limit should be limited to 15 MPH.
Class Three e-bikes should be prohibited. The CDC did not come to agreement on if scooters and skateboards should be prohibited on the coastal trail.
Overall CDC agreed that signs are critical for the successful implementation of this ordinance, and they recommended that the following signage should be posted on the Coastal Trail:
Signs to prohibit class 3 e-bikes on the Coastal Trail located at all trail entrances.
Install bicycle speed limit signs at all coastal trail entrances and at the top of all hills.
Install pedestrian have right of way signs, such as:
CDC also recommended that the City not install speed bumps or limit e-bike use on the weekends.
The public provided the following general points:
Install Police Department signs that clock cyclist’s actual speed because many people don’t know how fast they are going.
Need enforcement of regulations by the police department of public sworn deputies.
Consider speed limit painted onto the paving rather than on signs.
Don’t limit the hours or days of use by e-bikes.
Some places might need signs of 10 mph (from glass beach parking lot to glass beach because of high pedestrian use.
Regular bicycle riders also speed.
Unenforced dog leash laws also add to safety issues.
The trail overall suffers from some lack of maintenance, especially the gravel foot path in places and the re-emergence of a Pampas grass infestation.
Many trail users are hard of hearing or speak other languages so bells and yelling “on your left” don’t always work.
Are electric tricycles allowed?
General opposition to speed bumps as they would limit the usability of the trail for lots of other users including in-line skaters, people with walkers and wheelchairs, etc.
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The Fort Bragg coastal trail is well loved and well used by many different types of people, including pedestrians, dog walkers, joggers, bicycle riders, skaters, and e-bike users. It is also used by families, elders, youth, bike clubs, vacationers, residents, and employees. For the past 11 years there has been limited conflict on the Coastal Trail between these various user groups. However, some e-bike users and regular cyclists who speed along the trail at great speeds have created safety concerns for other users. Certainly, the City has received a number of complaints about the high speeds of some e-bike users.
Currently, the use of motorized vehicles is prohibited in all parks in Fort Bragg, except for emergency vehicles, motorized strollers and wheelchairs, and EPAMDs.
California law allows local governments to set separate laws for e-bikes on trails and shared use paths. In general California Law treats class 1 and 2 e-bikes like bicycles and class 3 e-bikes like moped and motorcycles. For more information about sections of the vehicle code that relate to e-bikes please see Attachment 1.
Municode limitations would empower the Police Department to provide warnings or tickets to people who drive class 3 e-bikes on the Coastal Trail or who don’t follow speed limits. However, its unclear how much enforcement will take place on the Coastal Trail.
The attached Muni Code includes the following changes.
Section 9.68.020 defines the various types of e-bikes.
Section 9.68.030 (A) allows class 1 and 2 e-bikes.
Section 9.68.030 (K) prohibits Class 3 e-bicycles and all motorized scooters in all City parks.
Section 9.68.030 (V) prohibits gliders, drones and flying machines in all City parks, as the Preservation of Parks ordinance does not currently prohibit these uses. And the use of drones, gliders and other mechanized flying machines is a nuisance for other park users.
Section 9.68.050 (A) provides specific information about types of equipment which are allowed on the Costal Trail, and (B) sets the speed limit for all equipment at 15 mph.
Please see attachment 3 to view the recommended placement of recommended signage on the Coastal Trail. MJC recommends that signage be placed on the eastern side of the trail and that each post has two signs, which include the same message, for cyclists riding in either direction. This would reduce visual clutter and visual impacts.
FISCAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE
The cost to implement recommendations will depend upon the recommendation.
Signs are generally around $100/sign and $250/sign for labor and materials.
Municode amendments would cost about $1,000 in consultant time.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This project would be exempt from environmental review under section 15303e accessory structures.
STRATEGIC PLAN/COUNCIL PRIORITIES/GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY This project aligns with general plan policies regarding encouraging the use of parks by people of all ages and abilities while helping to ensure public safety.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
City staff also reached out via Facebook and to Seniors on Bikes to let them know about the meeting.
COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This meeting was brough to CDC on September 11th, please see above summary.
ALERNATIVES:
There are a number of additional alternatives which City Council could consider, as follows:
Consider a different design for the pedestrian right of way sign:
Consider a speed limit sign with integral solar powered speed check display. These are around $600 to purchase and could be placed in two locations with the most downhill slope as noted on the proposed site plan (attachment 3).
Revise the municode to prohibit the use of all e-bikes on the coastal trail and install signage identifying that all e-bikes are prohibited on the Coastal Trail.
Install bicycle-friendly speed bumps where cyclist currently speed on the coastal trail.
Establish a different bicycle speed limit of 10 or 20 mph.
Install signage recommending the bicycles keep left and pedestrian keep right. This could reduce conflicts. It could also create confusion as the trail is likely not wide enough to allow clear segregated use.
ATTACHMENTS:
Relevant State Regulations with regard to E-bikes and EPAMD Muni Code Chapter 9.68 Preservation of Parks
Preliminary Safety Sign Plan for Coastal Trail
AGENDA ITEM NO. 7A
STAFF REPORT