Sidewalk Rules Unchanged in Revised Mobility Ordinance
+ Events in and around La Verne May 14-25.
Hello and Happy Thursday!
I was slower than I wanted to be getting a story up about the mobility ordinance discussed at the May 4 City Council meeting—and then I ended up rewriting it entirely after reviewing the latest draft included in the May 18 agenda packet. So much for the original headline: “La Verne Considers Stricter E-Bike Rules, Including Possible Sidewalk Ban.”
If you have thoughts about e-bikes, e-scooters or other mobility devices, I encourage you to read the ordinance and attend the May 18 City Council meeting or send comments to City Hall by noon that day.
And if you're a parent whose kid rides an e-bike or bicycle to school, a commuter without a car, or a teenager navigating streets without bike lanes, I’d love to hear from you. Call or text me at (909) 450-4227 or reply to this email.
Staci
La Verne's Revised E-Bike Ordinance Heads Back to Council—Sidewalk Rules Unchanged
Southern California cities are still figuring out what to do about e-bikes—and in La Verne, that means weighing new rules, including whether riders should be banned from sidewalks altogether.
The La Verne City Council will consider a first reading of a revised mobility ordinance at its May 18 meeting, two weeks after council members pushed back on the original draft and directed staff to make changes. City Manager Ken Domer said it was "best and proper" to restart the reading process given the scope of amendments made since May 4.
What Changed
The revised ordinance adds two provisions not included in the original draft.
The first addresses rules for bidirectional bike lanes—a gap council member Wendy Lau flagged at the May 4 meeting in relation to the planned two-way bikeway along Arrow Highway. Under the new language, riders in protected two-way bike lanes must travel in the designated direction for their side of the lane, maintain safe speeds, and yield to pedestrians and other users at intersections, driveways and access points.
The second addition is broader in scope. The revised ordinance would prohibit e-bikes, electric motorcycles, motorized scooters and electrically motorized boards from operating in any city park unless the City expressly authorizes access through posted signage or designated bike pathways. The topic did not come up during the May 4 debate.
