Politics & Government

City Council Votes in New Bicycle Regulations

In amended ordinance, riders older than age 12 are banned from riding on city sidewalks for safety reasons.

The New Brunswick City Council finally came to vote Wednesday night on an amended bicycling ordinance that has been held or tabled a handful of times over the last few months.

With the revised ordinance in place, riders older than age 12 are banned from riding on city sidewalks. Riders younger than 12 are still permitted to ride on sidewalks, except for in the downtown area and French Street, which are deemed by the city to be hazardous riding areas due to the high volume of traffic.

The council also reduced the fines attached to infractions - anyone caught riding on sidewalks may now face tickets ranging from $25 to $100.

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The wording of the original ordinance ranged from $50 to $500 in fines.

The ordinance drew lengthy public discussion over the last few months, and Wednesday was no exception.

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Residents complained that the ordinance was not well thought out, unconstitutional in dictating where cyclists can and cannot ride, and would impose motor vehicle laws on cyclists. In past meetings, residents have said they believe forcing all cyclists into the street is dangerous.

Glenn Patterson, director of planning and development for the city said a study on riding from the University of California was consulted in the course of writing the ordinance.

Patterson said the statistics included in the study claim that riding is significantly more dangerous on sidewalks, due to the unpredictable movements and speed of pedestrians. Motorists also have a harder time seeing cyclists crossing at crosswalks and are not expecting to see them there, he said. 

After resident and longtime meeting attendee Charles Renda pointed out that the ordinance was unclear on whether court appearances would be required, the council amended the ordinance to say that court appearances would not be required for tickets issued for sidewalk riding.

Cycling lanes are currently not installed on city streets, but the county and city are in discussions to put them in, council president Robert Recine said.

Council vice president Rebecca Escobar stressed that a campaign needed to be attached to the ordinance letting motorists and riders know of the new riding provision.

Escobar said the council can reach out to the school district to get information to students and parents, and can use the city's existing public information office  and the police department to distribute information.

The campaign does not have to be expensive or grandiose, but it is neccessary, Escobar said.

"It's just a matter of getting the information out," she said.

City administrator Thomas Loughlin said he would present the idea to Mayor Jim Cahill on Thursday.

The revised ordinance passed 3-1, with Escobar voting no on it, unless it has the information campaign backing it up. Council member Jimmie Cook was not present at the meeting.

 


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