In the case of riding on sidewalks, BPAC recommended allowing bicyclists to ride against the direction of traffic if vehicle traffic goes above 35 miles per hour, if there is only one sidewalk on the road, or if the bicyclist stays below 5 miles per hour -- the same rules would apply to people using other transportation devices. City staff recommended against all of the recommendations, noting that riding a bike against the flow of traffic on the street -- while not the same thing -- is the No. 1 cause of bicyclist at-fault collisions in the city.

Everyone seemed to agree Tuesday night that Mountain View needs to update its decades-old city code regulating where people can ride and park bikes and other transportation devices. The laws date back to 1960, long before vehicles like electric skateboards hit the streets. But many of the proposed changes by city staff ran afoul of suggestions from BPAC, which sought to loosen the rules and make it more practical to get around the city.

Among the most contentious changes, the update would have made it illegal for bicyclists to ride on the sidewalk against the flow of traffic, and would have prohibited riding bikes along downtown Castro Street as well as on San Antonio Road north of El Camino Real. Proposed changes also restricted bike parking on sidewalks to bike racks, lockers or "areas designated for bicycle parking" including bike-share corrals.

In a unanimous decision at the Sept. 5 meeting, council members agreed to send back to the Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) several proposed ordinance changes that would have regulated the use of bikes, scooters, roller skates, skateboards and electrically motorized boards -- all of which would be defined under the new catch-all term "transportation devices."

Mountain View City Council members roundly criticized a package of changes to city laws Tuesday night that would have imposed strong restrictions on bicyclists, saying that city's staff's proposal was out of touch with the reality of trying to get around the city using alternative modes of transportation.

Adina Levin, a co-founder of the Friends of Caltrain, called the bike parking rules "draconian," and that she was dismayed that city code would entrench punitive policies on bicyclists when there's virtually no bike parking available in the downtown area. Mountain View resident John Scarboro said the new laws amount to heavy-handed treatment of bicyclists that exceeds what drivers have to deal with.

BPAC member Theron Tock, speaking on his own behalf at the meeting, told council members that he was disappointed with staff's proposed changes, which several times went against BPAC's suggestions. He said it's cumbersome and challenging to get on the "correct" side of the road in order to ride on the sidewalk, and that the committee spent a lot of time developing reasonable exceptions.

"We want to be able to have a clear message to kids and everybody that going against traffic on the roadway or the sidewalk is a risk factor," said Nate Baird, the city's transportation planner.

Mayor Ken Rosenberg said it's rare to see proposed changes to the city's laws that were so ill-prepared for a final vote by the City Council. He raised concerns over the fact that city staff heavily disagreed with BPAC's recommendations without stating clear reasons why.

Another proposed change that gave City Council members heartburn was new language giving police the authority to seize a bicycle or transportation device after a person violates the updated city code twice within a one-year period. Showalter called the section too general, while Councilman Chris Clark suggested there be some clarification that shows the city has a compelling reason to confiscate a bike -- like if the rider was arrested or the bike has been abandoned.

City Council member Pat Showalter said the restrictions preventing people from riding on the sidewalk against traffic should be taken out altogether, and that she was skeptical that the hazards of riding a bike the wrong way on the road translated to a similar safety risk on sidewalks.

Vice Mayor Lenny Siegel, who proposed sending the changes back to BPAC for a review, said he was concerned that the new city code, as written, would discourage people from biking in Mountain View. People are forced to lock their bikes on street signs and utility poles when there's no alternative, and biking the "wrong way" on the sidewalk is often times the safest route around town. The city simply doesn't have the bike infrastructure for the recommendations to make sense, he said.

"Council has advisory bodies for a reason," Rosenberg said. "If they are summarily ignored or discounted, then it seems like we don't need the committee at all.

Council balks at proposed bike rules

Restrictive city code updates could have 'chilling effect' on alternative modes of transportation