Villa Park Municipal Code Art. 5-7 Regulating the Operation of Motorcycles and Motor-Driven Cycles on Public…

The City Council finds that the operation of licensed and unlicensed motorcycles and motor-driven cycles on unimproved private property and non-public parkways, sidewalks, parklands, and other public property (except public streets and highways) in the City creates excessive amounts of irritating dust, fumes, noise, erosion and fire danger, and a public nuisance to the residents of Villa Park. This section is designed to regulate the operation of registered and unregistered motorcycle and motor-driven cycles by all persons, whether they possess a valid California motor vehicle operator's license or not, upon unimproved private property and upon all public property except public streets and highways in the City.

(Ord. #70-127, § 1)

"Highways" shall mean a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. Highway includes streets.

"Motorcycle" shall mean any motor vehicle other than a tractor having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three (3) wheels in contact with the ground and weighing less than fifteen hundred (1,500) pounds.

"Motor-Driven Cycle" shall mean any motorcycle, including every motor scooter, with a motor which produces not to exceed five (5) horsepower and every bicycle with motor attached.

"Unimproved Private Property" shall mean any parcel of land which either contains no structures or which is not surfaced with cement, concrete, asphaltic concrete, or other similar material, or which does not have a hard surface made up of a mixture of rock, sand or gravel bound together with a chemical or mineral substance other than natural soil.

(Ord. #70-127, § 2)

Operations.

a. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motorcycle or motor driven cycle other than a publicly owned motorcycle or motor driven cycle upon any public sidewalk, walkway, parkway or in any public park or recreational area or upon any other publicly owned property, except highways, within the City. This shall not be construed to prohibit the operation of a motorcycle or motor driven cycle having a valid California vehicle registration by any person possessing a valid California operator's license upon the public highways in the City.

b. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motorcycle or motor driven cycle, other than a publicly owned motorcycle or motor driven cycle, upon any unimproved parcel of real property within the City, except as set forth in subsection 5-7.4 below.

c. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motorized scooter on any sidewalk, driveway, parking lot, or other area used by the public in the Villa Park Shopping Center located at Wanda Road and Santiago Boulevard.

(Ord. #70-127, § 3; Ord. #2000-470, § 1)

Any person desiring to operate a motorcycle or motor driven cycle upon the private property of another, may do so upon first obtaining a written license from all persons having any ownership interest or occupancy right in the real property. Said license shall contain the following:

a. Names and addresses of all licensors and licensees;

b. A description of the property for which the license is given;

c. A physical description of each licensee;

d. The hours during which the license is valid, and the term thereof, which in no event shall exceed one year;

e. A statement that the license is revocable at will; and

f. Every licensee shall carry the license on his person when operating a motorcycle or motor driven cycle pursuant to this section.

(Ord. #70-127, § 4)

1. No person shall operate a bicycle or electric bicycle in any designated City Park, school athletic area, recreational area, City Governmental Offices and all other areas which are not designed or customarily used for such a purpose. All other areas, a person may not operate a bicycle or electric bicycle in a manner that endangers any person or animal or at a speed that is greater than is posted, reasonable or prudent.

2. No person shall ride a bicycle or electric bicycle on any road between thirty (30) minutes after sunset or before thirty (30) minutes before sunrise without an attached headlight plainly visible at least two hundred (200) feet in front of, and without a red taillight or red reflector plainly visible from at least two hundred (200) feet from the rear of such bicycle.

3. A bicyclist shall be permitted to wheel or push a bicycle or electric bicycle by hand over any grassy area, sidewalk or path reserved for pedestrian use. It is also unlawful for any person to bicycle, skateboard, rollerblade, or use motorized or electric bikes or scooters, or use a similar item of any type in any city park or city facility.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

No person under 18 years of age shall operate a bicycle or electric bicycle, or ride upon a bicycle or electric bicycle as a passenger on any road, bikeway or trail, sidewalk, or in any designated park or recreational area without a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet. The bicycle helmet must meet the standards set forth in California Vehicle Code Section 21212. [Ord. 2010-126 § 1 (Exhibit A)].

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

1. Persons riding or operating a bicycle or electric bicycle on a bicycle lane or path should proceed with the direction of traffic flow, but may proceed in the opposite direction if deemed safer.

2. Cyclists must ride to the right edge of road as practical; no faster than five (5) mph on city sidewalks; ride with flow of traffic unless unsafe to do so; bicyclists and electric bicyclists are required to use bike lane if one (1) is available unless it is unsafe to do so.

3. Bicycles and electric bicycles may be walked subject to all provisions of the law applicable to pedestrians.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

1. Bicycles and electric bicycles, including scooters and e-scooters, are not permitted on any sidewalk, path or trail. However, bicycles and electric bicycles may be permitted on sidewalks on the following streets, due to school traffic issues, at a speed not to exceed five (5) miles per hour:

a. Taft Avenue between Santiago Blvd. and Center Dr.

b. Nichols Avenue between Taft Avenue and Serrano Avenue.

c. Serrano Avenue between Nichols Avenue and Santiago Blvd.

d. Center Dr. between Villa Park Road and Lincoln St.

e. Lincoln St. between Center St. and Miller Circle.

f. Santiago Blvd between Center St. and Santiago Blvd/Wanda.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

No person operating a bicycle or electric bicycle shall allow more persons at one (1) time than the number for which the bicycle or electric bicycle is designed and equipped.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

Persons operating bicycles or electric bicycles on a bicycle lane, street, sidewalk, or path shall not ride more than two (2) abreast.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

No person riding or operating any bicycle, electric bicycle, scooters, e-scooters, coaster, roller skates, sled, toy vehicle, motorcycle or moped shall attach the same or himself to any vehicle on the roadway.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

1. Roller skates, roller blades, nonmotorized and motorized scooters, nonmotorized skateboards, electrically motorized boards, electric personal assistive mobility devices, and other similar nonmotorized and motorized forms of transportation may be ridden or operated on all sidewalks within the City at a speed not to exceed five (5) miles per hour except as otherwise prohibited in this ordinance. Motorized vehicles, with the exception of electric bicycles in certain locations as noted, shall not be permitted to be ridden upon sidewalks except as otherwise noted above.

2. Nonmotorized and motorized recreational transportation, as provided in subsection (1) of this section, shall be operated at a speed that is reasonable or prudent and not to exceed five (5) miles per hour, having due regard for weather, visibility, pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and the surface and width of the sidewalk, and in no event at a speed that endangers the safety of any person or property.

3. Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, bicycles, electric bicycles, nonmotorized and motorized scooters, nonmotorized skateboards, electrically motorized boards, electric personal assistive mobility devices, and other similar nonmotorized and motorized forms of transportation shall not be ridden or operated upon the following:

a. Sidewalks within a commercial or business center or complex.

b. Parking lots of any property owned or operated by the City.

4. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section of the Villa Park Municipal Code, whenever a person is riding a bicycle or electric bicycle upon a sidewalk, such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and when overtaking and passing a pedestrian shall give an audible signal.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

1. No person shall operate a bicycle or electric bicycle at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions then existing, and in no event at a speed which endangers the safety of persons or property or the speed that is posted.

2. Reckless riding of bicycles is prohibited.

3. No person riding or operating a bicycle or electric bicycle upon a public highway or street shall participate in any race, speed, endurance contest, or any other unsafe practices.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

A person riding a bicycle or electric bicycle off a sidewalk and onto a roadway shall yield to all vehicular traffic on the roadway. Such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian, bicyclist or vehicle exiting or entering any driveway or alley.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

1. It is unlawful for any motor vehicle to drive in, over or upon any bicycle lane established by this ordinance or established by any resolution as herein provided for, except for the purpose of ingress or egress to adjacent property and except for crossing at intersecting streets.

2. It is unlawful for any bicycle, or electric bicycle as herein defined, to drive in, over or upon that portion of the public street outside of a bicycle lane as established by this ordinance or any resolution hereinafter passed by the City Council, except for the purposes of ingress and egress to the bicycle lane, and except for street crossings at intersections and if there is no bicycle lane to drive in.

3. Except as herein provided, the rules of the road established by the Vehicle Code and Article 4 of Chapter 1, Division 11, sections 21200 through and including 21207 California Vehicle Code shall be in full force and effect on the city streets of the City of Villa Park, as though fully set forth in this ordinance.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

The City Manager is authorized, empowered and directed to implement the establishment of the bicycle lanes and paths, as designated on the Master Plan. The Master Plan may be amended hereafter from time to time.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

The Villa Park City Council is the only body able to authorize to erect or place signs upon any street or adjacent to any street in the City indicating the existence of a bicycle lane or path, and otherwise regulating the operation and use of vehicles and bicycles with respect thereto. When such signs are in place, no person shall disobey same.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

Every person riding a bicycle or e-bicycle upon a street or sidewalk shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by the laws of the State pertaining to the rules of the road, or by the terms of this Code or other ordinances of this City applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except as to those provisions which by their nature can have no application to bicycles, and electric bicycles and except as otherwise provided in this division.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

It shall be unlawful for any person operating a bicycle or electric bicycle to fail to obey the instructions of official traffic-control signs and other traffic-control devices applicable to vehicles or bicycles, unless otherwise directed by the Sheriff.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

1. Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at such time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway, except under any of the following situations:

a. When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.

b. When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.

c. When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, (e.g., if a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side-by-side within the lane).

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

The operator of a bicycle emerging from an alley, driveway, bicycle path, building or otherwise approaching upon a sidewalk or sidewalk area shall yield the right-of-way to all pedestrians on such sidewalk or sidewalk area, and upon entering a bicycle lane or roadway, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles or bicycles on the roadway.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)

No person shall leave a bicycle or electric bicycle lying on its side on any sidewalk, nor shall park a bicycle or electric bicycle upon the public right-of-way or the sidewalk rack to support the bicycle or electric bicycle or against a building or at a curb, except in such a manner as to afford the least obstruction to pedestrian traffic.

The City Council may designate any public sidewalk or other public property as a no roller skating, skateboarding, bicycling, electric bicycling, or scooter area. The City Council shall designate such area by resolution and order the posting of appropriate signage.

(Ord. #2025-633, §1)