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E- BIKE ISSUES IN THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH
The south bay community, in general, is outraged at the issues surrounding the use of e- bikes in the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. The problem has become so dangerous that local newspapers and television stations are publicizing the problem.
Some e- bike riders ( not all) have engaged in reckless driving that have caused injury to themselves, their passengers, other passenger vehicles and pedestrians. Citizens walking on the strand as well as drivers of other types of vehicles have been threatened and/ or assaulted by some e- bike riders. And some community members have now begun to take matters into
their own hands, committing threats and assaults against the ebike riders.
The community has been looking for someone to blame. Some people blame the young e- bike riders, who are not yet old enough to appreciate the dangers and responsibility associated with the use the e- bike and/ or who have not shown " respect" to members of the community who " get in their way." Other people have blamed the parents of the young e- bike riders, who, they believe, are not properly supervising and/ or their children for their problematic behavior. Still others have blamed law enforcement for not taking sufficient action to stop the problem.
Rather than blame someone for the problem, we must find a way to fix it! !
1 Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach have now instituted new laws governing e- bikes in the hope of curbing the problem.
Redondo Beach has done nothing in this regard.
Redondo Beach has attempted to " educate" e- bike riders and/ or their parents of the potential dangers associated with reckless driving of the e- bikers. However, this is NOT enough, particularly since the seminar( s) that were put on were very poorly attended.
Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach have prominently
publicized that numerous e- bikes have been and will continue to be impounded and that strict enforcement of the law is a high priority to protect its citizenry. Although the Redondo Beach police have indicated that they are doing the same, they have not been as Active" as the other beach cities in making their intentions known.
Redondo Beach now needs to take equally aggressive actions to eliminate this problem before further problems result.
It is now clear that like its other, neighboring south bay cities, Redondo Beach must take a hard stand against these
dangerous e- bike riders and be aggressive by taking the strongest possible action to ensure that the community is safe and protected from this escalating problem.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR E- BIKE PROBLEM
1 . Licensing: All e- bike drivers residing in Redondo
Beach must be licensed by the city. This will
2 enable law enforcement to more easily identify
those individuals violating the law. This will also
result in increased revenues for the city, which can
be used for enforcement.
2. Registration and license plates: The city should
require that all e- bikes be registered with the city
and that all e- bikes have a license plate on the rear
of the vehicle, just like cars, motorcycles, etc.
The police must be able to identify the e- bike riders
who are breaking the law and to make it easier to
find stolen e- bikes. In addition, more revenues from
the registrations will be available for enforcement.
3. Education: In order to obtain a license, all e- bike drivers must attend a mandatory seminar to be
given by law enforcement at both the high school
and junior high schools on a regular basis. Upon
completion of the seminar, the student will be given
a certificate which will be turned into the city at the time the license is given. A small fee can be
charged for the seminar/certificate which can be
used to pay for the costs of the seminar.
4. Helmets: All e- bike drivers and passengers, must
wear helmets while riding on e- bikes. Any violation
will result in a graduated fine schedule ($ 500. 00 for the first offense, $750.00 for the second offense
and $ 1 , 000. 00 for the third offense). If the driver or passenger have been found guilty of violating this
law more than 3 times, the e- bikes will be
3 impounded for a period of not less than 30 days at
a cost of $5. 00 per day.
5. Stop Signs: All e- bike riders must stop at all stop signs. Any violation will result in a graduated fine
schedule ($ 500. 00 for the first offense, $750. 00 for the second offense and $ 1 , 000. 00 for the third
offense). If the driver or passenger have been
found guilty of violating this law more than 3 times,
the e- bikes will be impounded for a period of not
less than 60 days at a cost of $5. 00 per day.
6. E- Bikes to be ridden single file, in the street
bike lane or, if no bike lane exists, on the far
right side of the street. E- bikes may not be ridden
on the side- walk or in the middle of the street. Any
violation will result in a graduated fine schedule
500. 00 for the first offense, $750. 00 for the
second offense and $1 , 000. 00 for the third offense).
If the driver or passenger have been found guilty of
violating this law more than 3 times, the e- bikes will be impounded for a period of not less than 60 days
at a cost of $ 5. 00 per day.
7. Speed Limits must be imposed: E- Bike riders cannot
exceed speeds above 15miles per hour on city streets.
Any violation will result in a graduated fine schedule
500. 00 for the first offense, $750. 00 for the
second offense and $ 1 , 000. 00 for the third offense).
If the driver or passenger have been found guilty of
4 violating this law more than 3 times, the e- bikes will be impounded for a period of not less than 60 days
at a cost of $ 5. 00 per day.
To enact these laws, modifications of the proposed laws may be appropriate. Additional, proposed laws would be
welcomed and encouraged. But the city council must act
NOW to avoid the problems coming from e- bikes.
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