Pedestrians in one Santa Barbara County city could be sharing sidewalk space with bicyclists in the future, depending on the outcome of an ongoing study.
Lompoc’s streetscape improvement plan, approved by both the City Council and Planning Commission in July, includes proposals to turn some sidewalks in the city into shared-use paths for walkers and bikers.
Without a concrete timeline of completion, the plan could take multiple years to implement, which bicyclists on H Street and Ocean Avenue can’t afford to wait for, Councilmember Victor Vega argued during the Lompoc City Council’s Sept. 6 meeting.
“I’m looking for a ‘now’ solution, not a ‘10 years from now’ solution when they revamp and remodel the streets,” said Vega, who spoke in favor of repealing a section of Lompoc’s municipal code that prohibits bicyclists from using sidewalks.
“The ordinance is old, it’s unenforceable, and it’s not safe riding on the street here. How many times have people had to veer off and avoid a bike? There’s just no room,” Vega said. “I’d love to ride a bike too, but I’ll be darned if I’m going to be riding on H and Ocean—shoot, you’ll get run over, and everybody knows that, OK? There’s just no room. I don’t know who has the nerve to ride on those streets.”
Lompoc City Attorney Jeff Malawy outlined the potential outcomes of removing the sidewalk ban during the Sept. 6 meeting. Malawy explained that whether or not the city decides to legalize biking on sidewalks, the city’s liability remains the same.
Under state law, “cities owe a duty of care to people riding bikes on sidewalks even if biking on sidewalks is prohibited,” according to the staff report.
“Having the ordinance doesn’t legally help us in court, but having the ordinance and enforcing the prohibition does logically result in fewer people riding bicycles on the sidewalk, which results in fewer injuries,” Malawy said, “and therefore less likelihood that someone would get injured and sue the city for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk.”
Lompoc Police Capt. Kevin Martin also spoke during the meeting, and explained why he doesn’t recommend repealing the bike ordinance. Martin said that the sidewalk ban has been helpful for local law enforcement over the years.
“Because [biking on the sidewalk] is illegal, we use it as a probable cause where we maybe didn’t have something, then it develops into something bigger for us,” Martin said. “I’ve taken guns off of people who are riding bikes. I’ve taken lots of narcotics off of people who are riding bikes on a city street—on sidewalks, sorry, and streets for that matter.”
Martin added that he believes removing the sidewalk ban to increase safety for bikers would ultimately decrease safety for pedestrians.
“When you put the bicycles on the sidewalk, who has the right of way, the pedestrian or the bicycle?” Martin said. “They’re both going to feel like they have the right of way and at some point, that’s going to be another issue.”
Mayor Jenelle Osborne said that although she’s not currently in favor of removing the sidewalk ban, she would like city staff to prioritize the shared-use pathway proposal, and bring back a progress update in six months or sooner. Members of the Lompoc City Council unanimously agreed to hold off from making an official decision on the ordinance until then.
This article appears in Sep 15-22, 2022.