City of Cortland, NY Chapter 87 Bicycles

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Cortland 9-4-1973 by Ord. No. 1973-5 (Ch. 12, Art. VII, of the 1969 Code of Ordinances). Amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 87-1 Policy.

A. The operation and registration of bicycles in the City of Cortland, New York is hereby declared a matter of concern to the residents of the City. Such declaration is made due to the great popularity the operation of bicycles enjoys. The operation of bicycles involves certain areas of concern to the public at large, such as the proper operation of bicycles in a manner as to promote the safety of bicycle operators and the public at large, and the wrongful taking of bicycles.

B. The purpose of this article is to provide a means of registering every bicycle in the City to more effectively provide a process of identification and also to set forth certain restrictions on the operation of bicycles in the City, all to the end that the public welfare will be best promoted.

§ 87-2 Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

BICYCLE

A device having two or three wheels, with tires 16 inches or more in diameter, connected by a frame of metal or wood and arranged to be propelled by human power. This definition does not apply to toy bicycles or velocipedes.

§ 87-3 Registration.

It shall be unlawful for any resident of the City of Cortland to operate a bicycle upon any street, public way or other public place of the City of Cortland unless the bicycle is registered and tagged as provided in this section.

A. Registration shall be made by filing with the Police Department the name and address of the owner together with a complete description of the bicycle on forms provided by said department and paying a fee of $0.25.

B. Registrations shall be serially numbered and kept on file in the Police Department as a public record.

C. Upon such registration the said department shall cause an identification tag (plate or decal) to be affixed to the registered bicycle, serially numbered to correspond with the registration number.

D. Such tag shall be suitable for attachment to the bicycle at a location where it will always be plainly visible, and it shall be the duty of the Police Department to attach the license to the bicycle, or supervise its attachment in such a manner as will prevent removal. Such tag shall remain affixed to the bicycle unless removed by said department for cause or for retagging upon reregistration.

E. In case of theft or loss of an identification tag, a duplicate tag shall be issued.

F. All bicycles must be registered by April 30, 1974, and after such date, within 10 days of the date of obtaining any such bicycle.

G. A complete report shall be made to the Director of Administration and Finance of funds received from the registration of bicycles and shall be paid to the City Chamberlain.

[Amended 4-2-2002]

§ 87-4 Alteration of a registration.

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to remove, destroy, mutilate or alter the number of any bicycle frame registered pursuant to this article.

B. It shall also be unlawful for any person to remove, destroy, mutilate or alter any license plate, seal or registration card during the time in which said license plate, seal or registration card is operative, provided, however, that nothing in this article shall prohibit the Police Department from stamping on the frame of bicycles on which no serial number can be found, or on which said number is illegible, a serial number for identification purposes. The Police Department may also stamp upon the frame of any bicycle registered a number which shall be a secret number of the Police Department, if deemed advisable, in the administration of this article to more readily promote the effective identification of bicycles.

C. Within 10 days after any bicycle registered hereunder shall have changed ownership, or been dismantled or taken out of operation:

(1) The person in whose name the bicycle has been registered shall report such information to the Police Department.

(2) In case of change of ownership, the registration thereupon shall be changed to show the name of the new owner,

(3) In case of dismantling and taking out of operation, the registration shall be canceled and identification tag destroyed by the Police Department.

§ 87-5 Bicycle operation restrictions.

[Amended 10-2-1973 by Ord. No. 1973-6]

The following restrictions on the operation of bicycles upon any street, public way or other public place in the City of Cortland shall be observed by any person operating a bicycle.

A. Every person operating a bicycle in the City of Cortland shall at all times operate said bicycle with due regard for the safety of other persons and vehicles lawfully upon the streets, highways, parkways and public places, as well as for their own safety, and shall at all times and under all conditions yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on the streets, highways, parkways, public places and on the crosswalks of the City of Cortland.

B. Every person operating a bicycle shall comply with all vehicle and traffic laws, City ordinances, except where such laws or ordinances by their nature, do not apply to bicycles, and all vehicle traffic signs and signals erected for the regulation of vehicular traffic.

C. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a bicycle upon the streets, highways, parkways, and other public places of the City of Cortland during the period of 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise unless such bicycle is equipped with a front light, casting a beam of white light in front of such bicycle visible for not less than 500 feet, also a rear signal, i.e., a state-approved reflector or red light visible for not less than 300 feet.

D. It shall be unlawful to operate a bicycle upon the streets, highways, parkways and public places of the City of Cortland that is not equipped with adequate brakes and warning signal and when driving during the period of 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise as to be in conformance with Subsection C of this section, all of which are in proper working order during all of the time of the operation of such bicycle that has the approval and has passed inspection by the Police Department.

E. Riding.

(1) All persons operating a bicycle must operate it in single file, in a straight line and as near the right-hand edge of the roadway as possible.

(2) If a roadway is designated for one-way traffic, all persons operating a bicycle thereupon must operate it as near the right-hand edge of the roadway as possible, unless the roadway is divided into two or more lanes for vehicular traffic, and in that event any person operating a bicycle may so operate the bicycle as near either the right-hand edge of the roadway or the left-hand edge of the roadway as possible.

F. Before turning or changing the direction of any bicycle upon any street, highway, parkway or public place, it shall be the duty of the bicycle rider to give the appropriate hand signal as required by operators of motor vehicles.

G. It shall be unlawful for any person operating a bicycle upon any street, highway, parkway or public place to attach themselves to any other moving vehicle.

H. It shall be unlawful for any person operating a bicycle equipped for carrying only the rider to carry another person on the front or rear frame or handlebar of a bicycle.

I. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a bicycle without maintaining full control of such bicycle by keeping at least one hand on the handlebar, nor with their feet removed from the pedals.

J. It shall be unlawful for any person operating a bicycle to ride upon any one-way roadway designated and marked as such, except in the direction permitted on such roadway.

K. The following are hereby designated for one-way traffic:

(1) Central Avenue, from Main Street to Church Street, in an easterly direction.

(2) Elm Street, from Clinton Avenue to Greenbush Street, in an easterly direction.

(3) Main Street, from Groton Avenue and Clinton Avenue to Tompkins Street and Port Watson Street, in a southerly direction.

(4) Charles Street, from Clinton Avenue to Grant Street, in a northerly direction.

(5) Hill Street, from Prospect Terrace to Clayton Avenue, in a northerly direction.

(6) Pleasant Street, from Clayton Avenue to West Court Street, in a northerly direction.

L. It shall be unlawful for any person over the age of 12 years operating a bicycle to operate such bicycle on any sidewalk in the City of Cortland other than incident to the normal course of business.

§ 87-6 Dealers and rental agencies.

All persons, firms, partnerships or corporations engaged in the business of buying or selling new or secondhand bicycles are required to make regular reports to the Police Department on forms to be furnished by the Police Department, giving a list of all purchases and sales made by said dealer, as well as the name and address of all persons, firms, partnerships and corporations from whom said bicycles are purchased and to whom sold, a description of each bicycle purchased or sold, and the serial number thereof, and in the case of a secondhand bicycle bought from an individual or taken in trade from a person buying a new bicycle, or a secondhand bicycle taken from a dealer's stock, the number of the license thereon, if any. License plates and registration cards issued to a bicycle rental agency shall contain the letters "RA" indicating they are issued to a bicycle rental agency.

§ 87-7 Penalties for offenses.

[Amended 4-2-2002]

Any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a violation of the Code of the City of Cortland and may be punished by a fine not to exceed $100 and a suspension of their bicycle registration for a period not to exceed 30 days.