Costa Mesa Municipal Code Ch. III Bicycle Parking Racks, Securing of Bicycles

(a) The uncontrolled placement and tethering or securing of bicycles. It shall be unlawful to place, tether, or secure a bicycle on public property so as to cause an inconvenience or danger to persons using the public right-of-way.

(b) (Reserved)

(c) (Reserved)

(d) The governing body recognizes, however, that many residents use bicycles as a primary means of transportation as well as for recreational purposes, or as a means to visit the city, and that adequate facilities need to be in place for the safe and secure parking and storage of these bicycles.

(e) The provisions and prohibitions hereinafter enacted are for the purpose of securing and promoting the general welfare of persons in the city in their use of public rights-of-way and other public property through the regulation of bicycle parking in the city so as to:

(1) (Reserved)

(2) Ensure no unreasonable interference with the flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic including ingress to, or egress from, any place of business, or from the street to the sidewalk, use of the sidewalk, use of public parks or property;

(3) Provide reasonable access for the use and maintenance of public sidewalks, poles, traffic signs and signals, hydrants, mailboxes, trees, and similar appurtenances, and access to locations used for public transportation purposes;

(4) (Reserved)

(5) Reduce exposure of the city to personal injury or property damage claims and litigation;

(6) Protect and safeguard bicycles from vandalism, damage or theft.

(Ord. No. 12-5, § 1, 8-7-12; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)

The following words and phrases, whenever used in this chapter, shall be construed as defined in this section:

Bicycle parking rack

means a rack for the storage, parking and securing of bicycles.

Bicycle

means and includes any device as defined in section 4-22.

(Ord. No. 12-5, § 1, 8-7-12; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)

(a) No person shall park, tether or secure a bicycle upon or to any traffic signs or signals, hydrants, transit stops, mailboxes or in any location that interferes with the flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.

(b) (Reserved)

(c) All bicycles discovered by the city to have been tethered or secured upon or to any traffic signs or signals, hydrants, transit stops, mailboxes or in any location that interferes with the flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or abandoned or otherwise left on public streets, side-walks, public property beyond a reasonable amount of time, or on private property without the consent of the owner shall be seized and impounded by the city. The owner of such bicycles may claim them from the city by paying a fine in an amount to be established by resolution of the city council, as may be amended from time to time, for each bicycle claimed, to cover the municipal retrieval costs, and, in addition thereto, shall pay one dollar per day, or an amount to be established by the city by resolution from time to time, for storage of each such bicycle. The city shall have the right to impound and retain possession of any bicycle in violation of the provisions of this chapter and may retain possession of such bicycle until the provisions of this chapter are complied with. Bicycles which remain impounded pursuant to this section for longer than a 90-day period may be sold at auction or donated in accordance with laws governing the disposal of abandoned property generally.

(d) In order to claim a bicycle from impound, the owner must present a bicycle registration card from an organization such as Project 529 or similar, or be able to identify the bicycle by make, color or any other fashion sufficient to identify the bicycle. The city shall not be responsible for any bicycle impounded or released to a person claiming to be the owner thereof.

(Ord. No. 12-5, § 1, 8-7-12; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)

For the public convenience, the city has placed bicycle parking racks throughout the municipality, and with emphasis on areas where bicycles have historically been parked or where a bicycle rack has been requested by the public. Interested persons may obtain a list of the locations of all city bicycle racks from the city clerk.

(Ord. No. 12-5, § 1, 8-7-12; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)

(Ord. No. 12-5, § 1, 8-7-12; repealed by Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)