[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township
of East Brunswick 4-23-57 and as Ch. VIII of the Revised General Ordinances.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
The intent of this chapter is to encourage the safe and proper
operation of bicycles on the streets of the Township of East Brunswick,
particularly by children; to further the programs established by the
township police, schools and civic groups to train children in the
safe operation of bicycles; and to provide a means of identifying
the owners of bicycles and violators of this chapter and other statutes
and ordinances governing the operation of bicycles.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
BICYCLE
Any two-or three-wheeled vehicle having a rear drive which
is solely human powered and having a seat height of twenty-five (25)
inches, or greater, when the seat is in the lowest adjustable position.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
No bicycle shall be operated within the Township of East Brunswick
unless it has been registered and bears a registration tag.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
Applications for the registration of a bicycle shall be made
to the East Brunswick Department of Public Safety, on a form approved
by the Director of Public Safety, and shall contain the following
information:
A. The name and address of the bicycle owner.
B. A description of the bicycle, including the name of the manufacturer
and the serial number, if any.
C. Any other appropriate information which the Director of Public Safety
may require.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
Before a registration is issued, the bicycle for which it is
intended shall be inspected by a member of the Department of Public
Safety designated by the Director of Public Safety. No registration
shall be issued for a bicycle which is in a state of disrepair or
which has any mechanical defect or which would for any other reason
be unsafe to operate.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
The registration shall be good for a period of one (1) year
from the date of issue. No fee shall be charged for the issuance of
a tag. Upon the renewal of the registration, the bicycle shall again
be inspected by a person designated by the Director of Public Safety.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
Any person riding a registered bicycle shall display a tag.
The tag shall be securely fastened to the bicycle for which it is
issued in such a manner that it can be seen clearly for a distance
of ten (10) feet.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
No registration number shall be transferred from one person
to another or from one bicycle to another unless reissued by the Department
of Public Safety.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
A. Report required. Any person transferring possession of a bicycle
to another within the Township of East Brunswick, whether by sale,
gift or otherwise, shall report that fact to the Department of Public
Safety within three (3) business days after the actual transfer.
B. Information. The report of transfer shall be made upon forms furnished
by the Department of Public Safety and shall contain the following
information:
(1) The name and address of the person transferring the bicycle.
(2) The name, address and age of the person to whom the bicycle was transferred.
(3) A description of the bicycle, including its make, model, color and
serial number, if any.
(4) If the bicycle was previously registered, its registration number.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
All persons operating bicycles in the Township of East Brunswick
shall conform to all applicable laws of the State of New Jersey and
ordinances of the township, particularly those dealing with the regulation
of traffic. Bicycle operators shall obey the same rules as the drivers
of motor vehicles unless inapplicable or inappropriate.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
When two (2) or more bicycles are being operated together, the
operators shall ride in single file only.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
No person shall ride on any part of a bicycle not intended for
use by a rider, nor shall more than one (1) person ride on a bicycle
unless it is designed to accommodate more that one (1) rider or operator.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
No person shall operate a bicycle within the township while
that bicycle is in a defective, unsafe or dangerous condition.
Any police officer may inspect any bicycle at any time if he
has reason to believe that it has not been validly registered, does
not have its registration tag properly attached or is not in a safe
operating condition.
If a police officer determines that a bicycle is in so defective
or unsafe a condition as to constitute a danger to the safety of the
person operating it or to others, he may impound the bicycle immediately.
A bicycle that has been impounded shall not be released until the
owner has given satisfactory proof that the defects that led to the
impounding will be corrected prior to the bicycle again being operated
in the township.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
Any person shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter who:
A. Fails to register a bicycle owned by him.
B. Fails to report the transfer of possession of a bicycle.
C. Knowingly operates or permits the operation of a bicycle owned by
him which is unregistered or which is in a defective or unsafe condition.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 76-262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
Any parent or guardian having custody of a minor child who knowingly
permits that child to possess or operate a bicycle in violation of
any provision of this chapter shall be guilty of a violation of this
chapter.
[Amended 10-12-76 by Ord. No. 262; 4-9-84 by Ord. No. 84-565]
In addition to any other penalty which may be imposed by law
for a violation of this chapter, the Director of Public Safety, upon
receiving information that any person under the age of seventeen (17)
has been accused of violating any provision of this chapter, shall
require that person to appear before him or his representative for
a hearing. The accused person shall be notified of the time and place
of the hearing, of the time and place of the alleged offense and of
the general nature of the acts constituting the alleged offense. Notice
shall be served on the accused person not less than five (5) days
before the date of the hearing and shall be in writing, but no special
form shall be required. At the hearing the accused shall enjoy the
same rights as a person charged before the Magistrate with a violation
of the laws of the State of New Jersey or of the provisions of this
revision dealing with the regulation of motor vehicle traffic. If
the Director of Public Safety is satisfied by clear and convincing
evidence that the accused is guilty as charged, he may prohibit the
accused from operating a bicycle for whatever period that he, in his
discretion, deems just; or, where the offender has been guilty of
a flagrant or repeated violation of this chapter, he may permanently
prohibit the offender from operating a bicycle within the Township
of East Brunswick.