Californian city declares state of emergency over bike safety

The City of Carlsbad has declared a state of local emergency over bicycle safety following a sharp increase in the number of accidents.

Collisions are up 233 percent since 2019, and city officials have said they want to “increase attention and resources on a range of solutions including infrastructure, safety, enforcement and a focus on safe driving behaviour education.”

There have been 57 collisions involving cyclists this year, almost matching 2020’s total of 62.

“The exponential increase in ridership, especially among young people, has significantly changed how people are using Carlsbad’s roads,” said City Manager Scott Chadwick.

“In addition to adding miles of new bike lanes, we’ve passed new laws, promoted awareness and ramped up enforcement.

“Despite these efforts, we continue to see collisions, including two tragic fatalities within the past 17 days.”

The city has redeployed resources from its police, fire, transportation and community education departments to develop immediate actions to be presented to the City Council by 30 August, followed by a comprehensive plan on 27 September.

In April 2022, the council approved new, city-specific rules for e-bike riders, providing police officers with more enforcement options.

New rules include a diversion programme where minors have the option to complete an e-bike safety course after their first offence.

Declaration

State of emergency declarations allow cities to reallocate resources, expedite certain actions and temporarily bypass lengthy processes to address an existing or imminent threat.

The official declaration covers the safety of bicycles, e-bikes and other motorised devices, which could include e-scooters and motorised skateboards.

“This is an issue that affects every single member of our community, and it will take all of us working together to make our streets safer,” added Chadwick.

In December 2020, the City Council approved a plan to add and expand pavements and bike lanes while slowing down cars on streets, following an increase in cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In June 2022, the council directed staff to further expedite streets projects in the current fiscal year’s budget, but with hundreds of kilometres of city roads it says the plan will still take many years to complete.

California’s Emergency Services Act allows cities to declare a local state of emergency when needed to protect public safety in extreme circumstances.

The emergency declaration goes into effect immediately and will be in place until 30 August when the City Council will consider whether or not to ratify it.

If ratified, the emergency would then need to be reviewed by the council every 60 days.

Image: cyclotourist