We’re almost done! LADOT Bike Blog has covered everywhere in LA County (in parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) except the eastern San Gabriel Valley and the 605 corridor. Today, we’re going to take a trip down to Whittier to see what sidewalk riding rules look like near the Orange County border.
(Ed. note: Before we get started, let’s just make clear that all the same disclaimers from Part 1 still apply. Good? Good.)
Whittier:
Whittier does not allow bicycle riding on the sidewalk. Sec. 10.52.040:
No person shall ride a bicycle on any portion of any public sidewalk or other public place where signs are erected and or notices placed giving notice of such prohibition.
Pico Rivera:
According to Sec. 10.72.012, sidewalk riding in Pico Rivera is now allowed with restrictions.
Bicycles may be ridden on all sidewalks at a speed not to exceed five miles per hour, except where signs are posted prohibiting riding bicycles on sidewalks in the following areas:
a. Sidewalks within a business district;
b. Sidewalks adjacent to any public school building when school is in session;
c. Sidewalks adjacent to any recreation center when in use, or any church during services; and
d. Any pedestrian overcrossing or other sidewalk where riding a bicycle is prohibited by posted signs.
La Habra Heights:
Sidewalk riding is also prohibited in La Habra Heights. Sec. 4.14.20:
No person shall roller skate, roller blade or ride upon a bicycle, skateboard, scooter or other similar wheeled device on public walkways, within the park gymnasium, or in public parking areas within the City.
Downey:
Downey very clearly defines where you can and cannot ride on the sidewalk. Sec. 3142:
(a) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a public sidewalk with the Central Business District, bounded on the south by the northerly line of the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, and on the north by the southerly right-of-way line of Fifth Street, and bounded on the east and west by the westerly right-of-way lines of Brookshire Avenue and Paramount Boulevard, respectively. Nor shall any person ride upon any other sidewalk within the City which has been posted with signs prohibiting such riding. When a bicyclist is riding on the sidewalk in other than the aforementioned areas, the rider shall yield the right-of-way to all pedestrians and shall ride at a speed that is safe for the existing conditions.
(b) No person shall ride a bicycle to cross a roadway within a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
No riding in the business district and no riding in crosswalks.
Santa Fe Springs:
Santa Fe Springs won’t come out and say it, but it looks like you can ride your bike on the sidewalk. Clue #1: They explicitly don’t allow sidewalk riding on one street. Sec. 73.03:
Any person riding upon any bicycle, coaster or any toy vehicle shall not ride within any sidewalk area on the Florence Avenue Bridge over the Santa Ana Freeway from the city limits on the west to Orr and Day Road on the east. The Superintendent of Streets is directed to post signs giving notice of this prohibition.
Clue #2: They have a specific rule for bikes in crosswalks. Sec. 73.04:
Any person crossing a street within any portion of a crosswalk across such street, and in possession of a bicycle at the time, shall not ride such bicycle within such crosswalk area, but shall dismount therefrom and guide such bicycle by hand while within such crosswalk area.
This leads LADOT Bike Blog to believe that, yes, sidewalk riding is allowed. Why would there be a rule about bikes in the crosswalk if you’re not allowed to ride on the sidewalk? Still, having to dismount before every crosswalk makes sidewalk riding less than practical.
La Mirada:
La Mirada seems to allow sidewalk riding wherever there isn’t a bike lane. Sec.10.25.060:
No person shall ride or operate a bicycle on a roadway or sidewalk adjacent to which or upon which bicycle lanes have been designated, except within such bicycle lane or except as otherwise permitted by the provisions of this chapter.
Norwalk:
The City of Norwalk adopted the LA County Traffic Code, which prohibits sidewalk riding. Sec.10.04.010:
Except as provided in this chapter, the Los Angeles County Vehicles and Traffic Code (the County traffic ordinance) as adopted, amended and in effect on February 13, 1981, is adopted as the Traffic Code of the City
Cerritos:
The City of Cerritos also adopted LA County’s traffic rules. Sec. 10.02.010:
There is adopted as the traffic ordinance for the city, Los Angeles County Ordinance No. 6544, as amended through May 11, 1973, entitled “The Traffic Ordinance.”
And what is ordinance No. 6544? It established Title 15 of the LA County Municipal Code which governs traffic; the same Title 15 that prohibits sidewalk riding.
Artesia:
Title 15 of the LA County Municipal Code was also adopted in Artesia. Sorry, no sidewalk riding. Sec. 4-4.101:
Except as hereafter provided, Title 15 of the Los Angeles County Code, as amended and in effect on January 12, 1998, regulating vehicles and traffic, including the current schedule of fines for parking violations, one (1) copy of which is on file in the office of the City Clerk for public record and inspection, is hereby adopted by reference. Said title shall be known as the Traffic Code of the City.
Bellflower:
Although the City of Bellflower also adopted Title 15 of the LA County Municipal Code (and didn’t list among their amendments the section dealing with sidewalk riding), they also have language on sidewalk riding. Chapter 12.28 deals with bicycles, skateboards, and rollerskates on sidewalks and Sec. 12.28.050 lists where sidewalk riding is prohibited:
A. Any sidewalk, or any portion thereof, which is located in the area generally known as the Bellflower Town Center Overlay Zone as indicated on the Master Plan of the City.
B. Any sidewalk, or portion thereof, which is located at or immediately adjacent to City Hall or the William Bristol Civic Auditorium.
C. Any portion of the area within the Bellflower Town Center known as the Town Center Plaza, including any immediately adjacent sidewalk, or portion thereof.
Despite the internal inconsistency in this municipal code, we’ll put this city in the column of “business districts”.
Lakewood:
According to Sec. 3280 of the Lakewood Municipal Code, sidewalk riding is not allowed:
No person shall ride a bicycle or motorized bicycle, or coast a bicycle or motorized bicycle, on any sidewalk except as authorized by the California Vehicle Code.
Hawaiian Gardens:
Sidewalk riding is allowed in Hawaiian Gardens, except where it isn’t. Sec. 12.08.080:
Skateboards, Rollerskates and Bicycles Prohibited. No person shall operate, use, drive or cause to be propelled a skateboard, rollerskates or bicycle on any sidewalk, or portion thereof, which has been designated by a resolution of the city council, as an area where operation of skateboards, rollerskates and bicycles is prohibited.
Now that we only have the Eastern San Gabriel Valley left over, let’s check the big list!
Sidewalk Riding is allowed
- LA City (except Venice boardwalk and posted business districts)
- West Hollywood (with extra rules)
- Burbank (though still unclear)
- Redondo Beach (unless there are signs)
- Commerce (with extra rules)
- San Marino (unless there are signs)
- Pasadena (with extra rules)
- La Mirada (unless there are bike lanes)
- Hawaiian Gardens (unless there are signs)
Sidewalk Riding is not allowed
- LA County
- Inglewood
- Santa Monica
- Palmdale
- Westlake Village
- Malibu
- Calabasas
- Manhattan Beach (unless you’re under 14)
- Lawndale
- Hawthorne
- Gardena (unless you feel unsafe on the road)
- Rancho Palos Verdes
- Paramount
- Lynwood
- Bell Gardens (never in a business district, only allowed elsewhere if road is “hazardous”)
- Montebello
- Monterey Park
- La Cañada Flintridge
- Alhambra
- San Gabriel
- Rosemead
- Temple City
- Whittier
- La Habra Heights
- Norwalk
- Cerritos
- Artesia
- Lakewood
Sidewalk Riding is not allowed in “business districts”, among other rules
- Glendale
- Beverly Hills
- Culver City
- Agoura Hills
- San Fernando
- Santa Clarita
- Lancaster
- El Segundo
- Hermosa Beach
- Torrance
- Lomita (with signage, after approval of the City Council)
- Long Beach
- Carson
- Compton
- South Gate
- Huntington Park
- South Pasadena
- El Monte
- Arcadia
- Monrovia
- Downey
- Santa Fe Springs
- Bellflower
- Pico Rivera
No Clear Language in the Municipal Code
- Hidden Hills
- Avalon
- Palos Verdes Estates
- Rolling Hills Estates (lacking sidewalks)
- Rolling Hills (no sidewalks at all)
- Signal Hill
- Cudahy (no municipal code available online)
- Maywood
- Bell (no municipal code available online)
- Vernon (no municipal code available online)
- South El Monte (no municipal code available online)
- Sierra Madre
LADOT BIKE BLOG 
The Whittier Municipal Code is not that clear on whether bicycling on sidewalks is prohibited. The section as written, “No person shall ride a bicycle on any portion of any public sidewalk or other public place where signs are erected and or notices placed giving notice of such prohibition”, actually needs a comma placed after sidewalk or after place. Does it mean that the prohibition applies to ALL sidewalks as well as any other public place that has signs erected, or only those sidewalks and public places that has signs erected.
There is a rare case in which you are traveling on a boundary line street where one portion of the street is in one jurisdiction and another portion is in another jurisdiction. You don’t have to figure out which side of the street is in which city. According to CVC 21105, “No rule or regulation adopted under Sections 21100 or 21101 shall be effective as to boundary line streets where portions thereof are within different jurisdictions unless all authorities having jurisdiction of such portions of the street concerned have approved the same.” So when you are on such a street both cities must ban bicycle riding on sidewalks in order for the ban to apply.
For completion sake I will mention that the law granting cities the authority to regulate bicycles on sidewalks is a part of 21100.
Thanks, David!
[…] Bike Blog continues its excellent series on local laws on sidewalk riding throughout L.A. County; if you get a ticket for riding on the sidewalk after this, it’s your […]
You should never ride a bicycle in a crosswalk. It automatically becomes your fault if a motorist nails you in the crosswalk while you are on your bicycle. Pedestrians get hit at a much higher rate than bicyclists per mile. Riding in a crosswalk on your bicycle is more dangerous than riding directly in the lane with the cars, where they can actually see you. Many people who ride on sidewalks then enter the intersection by riding into the crosswalk miss seeing the traffic that will run them over. The motorists do not have time to react when a bicyclists shows up there after they have already scanned the crosswalk for pedestrians. I believe the code telling bicyclists to dismount before entering and guiding your bicycle by hand through the intersection is a safety measure to keep you from being killed by your own ignorance of the law.
I think this series of articles telling people where it is illegal to ride bicycles on the sidewalk is a good idea. I will make sure to avoid all areas where it is legal to ride on the sidewalk when me and the wife are out walking. It would also be nice if you could remind people who ride on the sidewalk about there obligation to obey the law and not run into pedestrians. I still ride my bicycle 100-150 a week but you will not find me riding it on any sidewalk.
LA County Sidewalk Riding: Part 6…
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