Editor:
I agree partially with Kathryn Kosmeya-Dodge's letter. There are too many vehicles that do not care about anything getting in their way. But this is true about a lot of things here in Santa Monica. Cars are flying down the streets at 50-plus mph on straight streets that have 35 mph limits. Pedestrians are crossing intersections on red lights. Bicyclists are riding on the sidewalk, running stop signs, ignoring basic safety and weaving all over the road as they go down the street.
In order to have a society everyone needs to follow basic rules for the overall safety of everyone. There are laws about speeding, jaywalking and bike riding.
Having been almost run over on the sidewalk 5-6 times in the last month by the "Who cares" bicycle riders in our area, I wanted to let bicycle riders know that, yes, it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk in Santa Monica.
The SM Code is 3.12.540a-c: "(a) It shall be unlawful to ride a bicycle or to coast in any vehicle upon any public sidewalk, except as provided for in Section 3.12.550. It shall be unlawful to ride a bicycle or to coast in any vehicle in any public parking structure. (b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this Section, or any other Section of this Code, public safety personnel may operate bicycles or roller skates at any place in the City in the performance of their duties. (c) Any person violating subsection (a) of this Section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, which shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars per violation, or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period not exceeding six months, or by both fine and imprisonment; or shall be guilty of an infraction, which shall be punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars but not more than two hundred fifty dollars. (Prior code § 3350; amended by Ord. No. 1039CCS, adopted 8/24/76; Ord. No. 1756CCS § 1, adopted 7/26/94; Ord. No. 2335CCS § 2, adopted 12/14/10)"
Let's all do our part for safety.
Brian Brahms
Santa Monica
