Council May Backpedal on a Law That Forces Cyclists Onto Sidewalks

Cycling enthusiasts hope to soon eliminate a quirk in the city law that requires bicycle riders to ride on the sidewalk--despite the dangers to pedestrians--in three locations in Thousand Oaks.

The City Council on Tuesday will consider changes to the city’s municipal code in response to a complaint by the Conejo Valley Cycling Club, which noticed that a little-known city regulation restricts cyclists to the sidewalk where there is no bike lane available. That occurs in only a few short street segments in town.

Most cyclists, according to the club, simply ignore the law--if they are even aware of it--and continue riding on the road, which they consider safer to themselves and pedestrians. Moreover, they noted, Ventura County sheriff’s deputies have not been citing riders for refusing to ride on sidewalks, since they too were probably unaware of the law.

Public Works Director Don Nelson said Thousand Oaks never intended to punish bikers for not veering from the road in the absence of bike lanes, but the wording of the current rules could have made that the case on Hillcrest Drive near Lynn Road and the other places.

“We have an ordinance now that says, ‘You shall ride on the bike paths,’ ” Nelson said. “But we have a few--very few--locations in the city where there was not room for a bike path, so they had to get on the sidewalk or, technically, they were doing something illegal.

“I’d be very surprised if they had any idea they were supposed to get on the sidewalk in those places,” he added. “And I would hope the police have better things to do with their time” than citing them.

Under the proposed law, cyclists will be allowed to ride on the street even where there is no bike path--but they must do so in the same direction as traffic. They also may continue riding on the sidewalk if they wish.

Many cities, including Ventura, discourage cyclists from riding on sidewalks in downtown areas because of potential danger to pedestrians as well as to cyclists when they hop off a curb while crossing a street.

“As a cyclist, you’re not supposed to ride on the sidewalk,” said Jon Avery, owner of Open Air Bicycles. “You have people riding at a much higher rate of speed than walkers in a very narrow space, so you can imagine the problems that can occur.”

Michael Thomas, owner of Michael’s Bicycles in Newbury Park, believes Thousand Oaks’ current bike law is too inconsequential to even bother changing.

“It’s totally and completely un-noteworthy,” he said. “Nobody knew there was a law anyway.”