As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
A device having a wheel or wheels with tires 12 inches or more in diameter, connected by a frame and so arranged as to be propelled by human power.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Westville 9-10-1974 (Ch. 37 of the 1974 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Bicycle-safe inlet grates — See Ch. 330.
It shall be unlawful for any person to ride or operate a bicycle in the Borough of Westville unless such person rides or operates such bicycle in accordance with the following rules and regulations:
A.
Lights and reflectors on bicycles. Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front, and with a lamp on the rear which shall emit a red light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the rear. In addition to the red lamp, a red reflector may be mounted on the rear, of a type approved by the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles, which shall be visible from all distances from 50 feet to 300 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle.
B.
Audible signal device. No person shall operate a bicycle unless it is equipped with a bell or other device capable of giving a signal audible for a distance of at least 100 feet, except that a bicycle shall not be equipped with, nor shall any person use upon a bicycle, any siren or whistle.
C.
Brakes. Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
D.
Position of hands and feet; carrying another person. A person propelling or riding on a bicycle shall not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto, nor shall he ride with his feet removed from the pedals or with both hands removed from the handlebars, nor shall he practice any trick or fancy riding in a street. No bicycle shall be used to carry more persons at one time than the number for which it is designed and equipped.
E.
Hitching to vehicles prohibited. No person riding upon any bicycle shall attach the same or himself to any vehicle upon a roadway, and no operator of any vehicle shall knowingly allow any person riding upon any bicycle to attach the same or himself to any vehicle.
F.
Keeping to the right; passing; paths.
(1)
Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction; provided, however, that any person may move to the left under any of the following situations:[1]
(a)
To make a left turn from a left-turn lane or pocket.
(b)
To avoid debris, drains or other hazardous conditions that make it impracticable to ride at the right side of the roadway.
(c)
To pass a slower moving vehicle.
(d)
To occupy any available lane when traveling at the same speed as other traffic.
(e)
To travel no more than two abreast when traffic is not impeded.
(2)
Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall ride in single file except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.
(3)
Wherever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.
G.
Rights and duties of operators.
(1)
Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all the rights and shall be subject to all the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by Chapter 4 of Title 39 of the Revised Statutes and all supplements thereto, except as to those provisions thereof which by their nature can have no application.
(2)
Regulations applicable to bicycles shall apply whenever a bicycle is operated upon any highway or upon any path set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles, subject to those exceptions stated herein.
H.
Riding on sidewalks.
(1)
No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district.
(2)
The Police Department is hereby authorized to erect signs on any sidewalk or roadway within the Borough of Westville when it is deemed necessary to prohibit the riding of bicycles thereon by any person, and when such signs are in place, no person shall disobey the same.
(3)
Whenever any person is riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk, such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing such pedestrian.
I.
Carrying articles. No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle or article which prevents the rider from keeping both hands upon the handlebars.
J.
Parking. No person shall park a bicycle upon a street other than upon the roadway against the curb or upon the sidewalk in a rack to support the bicycle or against a building, and then only in such manner as to afford the least obstruction to pedestrian traffic.
The Police Department is hereby authorized and directed to provide within the Borough of Westville a bicycle safety program in conjunction with the Board of Education of the Borough of Westville, the Division of Motor Vehicles, the County of Gloucester or any governmental, volunteer or service organization. Such bicycle safety program may include lectures, courses in traffic safety, voluntary inspections of bicycles and distribution of printed material relating to bicycle safety to parents and children in the Borough of Westville.
To help prevent the loss of bicycles and to aid in owner identification of same, a voluntary bicycle registration program is hereby established in the Borough of Westville.
The owner may register a bicycle with the Police Department. The Department shall keep an accurate record of each bicycle's owner, serial number and description and shall provide a registration sticker or tag to be affixed to said bicycle.
This chapter is intended to incorporate the provisions of N.J.S.A. 39:4-10 through N.J.S.A. 39:4-14.2 and to further supplement said provisions.
Any person violating or failing to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable as set forth in Chapter 1, Article I, § 1-15, General penalty. The continuation of such violation for each successive day shall constitute a separate offense, and the person or persons allowing or permitting the continuation of the violation may be punished as provided above for each separate offense.