San Anselmo officials are taking a closer look at how the town regulates electric bicycles after a pedestrian was knocked to the ground in a collision at Memorial Park.
The incident happened March 18 during the town’s Little League opening day. Mayor Steve Burdo said the park was more crowded than usual, and residents reported youths were riding unsafely on e-bikes and bicycles, nearly causing several crashes.
“One e-biker did collide with somebody walking,” Burdo said Friday. “There was no serious injury, there doesn’t seem to be any citations from that weekend, but that’s when we made the decision to have some enforcement.”
Burdo said officials tapped a community services officer from the Central Marin Police Authority to patrol the park and enforce a regulation that prohibits motorized vehicles from the paths and park.
E-bike riders may walk their bikes through Memorial Park on the paths, according to town rules. Non-motorized bicycles are allowed on the paths at a safe speed. Bikes are not allowed on the grass fields.
An infraction could result in a citation, which carries fines beginning at $100 and increasing to $500 per violation. If the violator is a minor, the officer would contact the parent.
Town Manager Dave Donery told the Town Council on Tuesday that there has been an increase in reports of drinking and unsafe e-bike riding in the park, all involving youths. The uptick in risky and aggressive behavior has caused concerns in the community.
“We’re going to be looking at some of the issues that we’ve been receiving reports on, and how we can address them, sort of from the education standpoint, the enforcement standpoint, and the engineering standpoint,” Donery said.
The town has scheduled a public meeting to discuss the issue. The session is set for 11 a.m. April 22 at the Isabel Cook Community Center at 1000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
The issue arises after related action in Mill Valley, where the City Council approved an ordinance last month that prohibits electric mobility devices, or EMDs, from the skate park; the downtown plaza; public hiking and riding trails; sidewalks; and public facilities. It also includes speed regulations.
San Anselmo Councilmember Tarrell Kullaway, who is executive director of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, said her organization has been partnering with law enforcement on the issue.
Kullaway said she is concerned about an outright prohibition of e-bike use in parks because “it is not always the bike itself, it’s the behavior of the person riding the bike that is the problem.”
Kullaway suggested the town follow the model adopted by the Golden Gate Bridge district, which is to enforce speed limits on trails.
Councilmember Alexis Fineman said she is “looking forward refining our policy with a finer brush in the future.”
Burdo said town officials have invited parents, school administrators and others to the community meeting to weigh in.
“There’s no one entity that has all the answers, and that’s why we need everybody at the table,” Burdo said.
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