SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) will be paying extra attention to bicyclists compliance with the laws of the road for the month of July.
According to a press release from the SMPD, they will be focusing on the California Vehicle Code- Section 21200 which states that a person operating a bicycle or a pedicab are expected to follow the same rules of the road as drivers and motorists.
“The majority of collisions involving bicyclists have been determined that the other party was at fault. When a bicyclist has been at fault, the common causations have ranged from failure to stop at a traffic signal to unsafe speed,†states the release.
The other law the SMPD will be paying attention to is the City of Santa Monica’s Municipal Code – 3.12.540, regarding bicycle riding and coasting restrictions. The code states that it is illegal for bicycles and any other vehicle to ride or coast along a public sidewalk or within a public parking structures.
Exceptions to the ruling have been informed in Municipal Code 3.12.550 which also discusses the unlawfulness of biking or coasting on the Promenade except in the portions of the Promenade that have been set aside as a bikeway or has been permitted by a sign.
Lieutenant Marhaba of the Police Department’s Traffic Section wants to remind bicyclists to use the bicycle lane to travel safely to your destination. For more information about the monthly traffic enforcement, Sergeant Phillbo Rubish with the SMPD Traffic Section can be contacted by phone at: (310) 458-8950 or Lieutenant Mohamed Marhaba at: (310) 458-8406.
