(a) 
A "bicycle" is a device upon which any person may ride, propelled by human power through a belt, chain or gears, and having either two or three wheels in tandem or tricycle arrangement.
(b) 
An "electric bicycle" is a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.
(1) 
A "class 1 electric bicycle," or "low-speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle," is a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.
(2) 
A "class 2 electric bicycle," or "low-speed throttle-assisted electric bicycle," is a bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour.
(3) 
A "class 3 electric bicycle," or "speed pedal-assisted electric bicycle," is a bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 28 miles per hour, and is equipped with a speedometer.
(Ord. No. 73-20, § 2, 6-4-73; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)
A "bicycle lane" shall be that portion of a public street distinctively and clearly marked on the pavement, and having appropriate identifying and traffic signs, separating that portion of the public street to be traversed by bicycles from the portion to be traversed by motor vehicles. Bikeways include Class I, Class II, Class III, and Class IV as outlined in the CalTrans Highway Design Manual.
(Ord. No. 73-20, § 2, 6-4-73; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)
A master plan of bicycle lanes throughout the City of Costa Mesa shall be maintained and kept current by the transportation services manager, and each modification, deletion or addition established by resolution shall be appropriately indicated on said plan. Said plan shall be accessible to members of the public during normal business hours of the City of Costa Mesa.
(Ord. No. 73-20, § 2, 6-4-73; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)
(a) 
No person shall drive a motor vehicle in a bicycle lane established on a roadway pursuant to Section 21207 of the California Vehicle Code except as follows:
(1) 
To park where parking is permitted.
(2) 
To enter or leave the roadway.
(3) 
To prepare for a turn within a distance of 200 feet from the intersection.
(4) 
Motorized bicycles as defined by the California Vehicle Code section 406(a) and electric bicycles as defined in section 4-22(b) are permitted in a bicycle lane, at a speed no greater than is reasonable or prudent, and in a manner that does not endanger the safety of other bicyclists or the rider.
(b) 
Whenever a bicycle lane has been established on a roadway pursuant to section 4-23, any person riding a bicycle upon the roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride within the bicycle lane, except that the person may move out of the lane under any of the following situations:
(1) 
When overtaking and passing another bicycle, vehicle, or pedestrian within the lane or about to enter the lane if the overtaking and passing cannot be done safely within the lane.
(2) 
When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
(3) 
When reasonably necessary to leave the bicycle lane to avoid debris or other hazardous 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 in the bicycle lane.
(4) 
When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(c) 
No person riding a bicycle shall leave a bicycle lane until the movement can be made with reasonable safety and then only after giving an appropriate signal in the event that any vehicle may be affected by the movement.
(d) 
Any person riding a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:
(1) 
When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction.
(2) 
When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
(3) 
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, subject to the provisions of section 21656 of the California Vehicle Code. For purposes of this section, a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
(4) 
When approaching a place where a right turn is authorized.
(5) 
When the roadway carries traffic in one direction and has two or more marked traffic lanes, then the person may ride as near the left-hand curb or edge of that roadway as practicable.
(e) 
No person shall ride a bicycle in a manner or at an unreasonable speed upon a roadway or sidewalk which endangers the safety of pedestrians, the rider, other cyclists, motorists or property. Bicycle riders will ride in a manner and at speeds that are reasonable and prudent having due regard for weather, visibility, traffic conditions, and the surface and width of the roadway or sidewalk.
(f) 
Any person riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian, and when overtaking and passing a pedestrian, shall give an audible signal and shall pass to the left of the pedestrian only under conditions permitting such movement in safety. For the purpose of this section, Class I Multipurpose Trails shall be considered sidewalks.
(g) 
A person riding a bicycle upon a roadway or Class I Multipurpose Trail has all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division, including, but not limited to, provisions concerning driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs, and except those provisions applicable to a driver of a vehicle which by their very nature can have no application to the rider of a bicycle.
(h) 
All persons riding a bicycle shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, other cyclists, and vehicles in the following situations:
(1) 
When entering a roadway or sidewalk from private property; including, but not limited to, an alley, driveway and residential or commercial property.
(2) 
When entering a roadway from a sidewalk or Class I Multipurpose Trail.
(i) 
A person operating a bicycle upon a highway shall not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto, unless the bicycle was designed by the manufacturer to be ridden without a seat. An operator shall not allow a person riding as a passenger, and a person shall not ride as a passenger, on a bicycle upon a highway other than upon or astride a separate seat attached thereto. If the passenger is four years of age or younger, or weighs 40 pounds or less, the seat shall have adequate provision for retaining the passenger in place and for protecting the passenger from the moving parts of the bicycle
(Ord. No. 73-20, § 2, 6-4-73; Ord. No. 90-8, § 2, 6-4-90; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)
The Transportation Services Manager shall design and install appropriate signs identifying bicycle lanes and regulating bicycle traffic therein. They shall also install appropriate traffic regulating signs for motor vehicles on those streets having bicycle lanes. The signs identifying bicycle lanes and regulating traffic thereon shall be designed and colored so as to be readily understood by children of school age.
(Ord. No. 73-20, § 2, 6-4-73; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)
Violations of this chapter unless otherwise punishable under sections of the California Vehicle Code shall be deemed a misdemeanor and shall be punishable as provided for in Section 1-33 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code.
(Ord. No. 73-20, § 2, 6-4-73; Ord. No. 2024-08, 7/16/2024)