Maria Valenzuela rode her beat-up stingray bike down the empty sidewalk along Valley Boulevard in downtown El Monte on Tuesday. She crossed the street at the light and continued on the other sidewalk into the shopping center, eventually parking her bike in front of the 99 Cents Only Store.

When asked if she knew that riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is illegal in the city of El Monte, she said no.

“Where do I ride?” she asked with a shrug.

Fines same as for driving

Although Valenzuela did not get a ticket that day, many others have received tickets for sidewalk riding, as well as running stop signs, not stopping at red lights, having poor brakes and other infractions — even speeding.

Bicycle citations are treated the same as driving tickets by the courts. The fines are the same. For example, a stop sign violation can cost $200 and running a red light costs as much as $400. If you don’t pay them, the consequences could lead to garnishing wages or jail time.

But while Southern California drivers can get their citations expunged and the fines dropped if they complete traffic school, until this past March, there was no such option for people ticketed on bicycles or other non-motorized vehicles. Without exception, they paid the full cost, both fines and court fees, which can amount to several hundred dollars.

After getting calls from bicyclists saying they couldn’t afford to pay their tickets, representatives from Bike San Gabriel Valley — an El Monte-based nonprofit promoting bike-friendly streets — met with Superior Court Judge Daniel Lopez. Through a grant from Metro and a green light from the state Legislature, they formed the first bicycle traffic school in Southern California.

Fines can add up

Opened in March, violators can have fines and court fees waived if they complete a three-hour bicycle safety class run by certified instructors from Bike SGV. The classes are held on certain Saturdays at the Jeff Seymour Family Center, 10900 Mulhall St. Referrals are made by Lopez, who heads up the traffic court division in the El Monte courthouse.

“It is amazing to have a judge who actually understands these fines are not a small deal for a lot of people,” said Jose Jimenez, education director for Bike SGV, who also teaches the bicycle traffic school classes.

From May through Aug. 16, bicyclists with citations completed the program in lieu of paying their fines. Court fees are also waived, Jimenez said. On Monday, three defendants from Lopez’s courtroom opted for bicycle traffic school, according to the court. The next class will be held Nov. 18.

During the same four-month period, the average cost of a fine was $323, according to data obtained by Bike SGV. The fines ranged from $98 for a minor riding without a helmet all the way up to $916 for a minor not wearing a helmet and also caught riding on the sidewalk, the nonprofit found.

Many of the riders cited cannot afford a car and use their bicycles as their only means of transportation. Some regularly ride their bikes to and from work at minimum wage jobs. Suddenly having to pay $300 to $900 for themselves or their child in fines is a heavy financial burden, Jimenez said.

The three defendants who attended class Monday had fines totaling $1,200, Jimenez said. The three completed the class and did not have to pay.

“In working in the El Monte community,” Jimenez said, “this is something we see affecting lower income residents and many use their bicycles getting to and from work.”

Cities slow to form programs

The idea of a bicycle traffic school crystalized into law in early 2016 when Assembly Bill 902 by Assemblyman Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, allowed cities to start these programs for the first time. The programs must be created by individual cities or counties with local law enforcement buy-in.

Bloom’s legislation spurred Bike SGV — organizer of the recent 626 Golden Streets ride — and the city of El Monte to start one of the first programs of its kind in the state. In Northern California, UC Berkeley and UC Davis have set up bicycle diversion programs, with city of Sacramento offering discounts on sidewalk riding citations, said Robert Prinz, education director with Bike EastBay.

But even after offering support, Bike EastBay has not yet convinced the cities of Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda to establish programs, he said.

“I am disappointed that more cities have not implemented AB 902 diversion programs,” Bloom said in an email. “But, unlike the DMV-administered traffic school program for automobiles, AB 902 is to be administered by the cities. Unfortunately, that process can sometimes take longer than the state.”

Bike SGV is hoping to expand into other cities. They are in talks with West Covina to set up a similar program, Jimenez said.

The nonprofit offers the classes for free. Often, they’ll provide a minor a helmet, which is required by law. Adults are not required to wear helmets. They also provide front and rear lights and reflectors, a requirement for night riding, Jimenez said.

Each program breaks down into three hourly segments: rules of the road; parking lot drills where participants practice hand signals, scanning, looking over your shoulder and changing lanes, and actual riding alongside an instructor on city streets.

Laws are confusing

Bike SGV is advocating for more universal bicycle riding laws and is working on educating riders on the rules of the road. Often, riders are cited because the laws are confusing or change when they cross a city line. “Every city makes it different,” he said.

For instance, sidewalk riding is allowed in some cities but banned in others. It is not allowed in unincorporated Los Angeles County, Alhambra, Duarte, Diamond Bar, El Monte, Irwindale, Monterey Park, Montebello, Rosemead, San Gabriel, Temple City and Walnut, Jimenez said.

“This is really difficult to get people to accept and feel comfortable riding on the road,” Jimenez said. “They’ll say: ‘What do you mean? We can’t ride on the road because that is crazy. Are my kids supposed to ride on the street?’ ”

The group’s website questions the efficacy of ticketing adults riding on the sidewalk: “The active enforcement of and relatively high cost of fines for sidewalk cycling and riding without a helmet gives us pause, especially when compared with the costs associated with more dangerous behaviors such as running traffic lights.”

Jimenez says he emphasizes bicycle safety to his students. If there is a bike lane, a rider must ride in the bike lane. Otherwise, riding on the street on the right-hand side with traffic is the correct way. If a person does not feel safe in the street in El Monte or anywhere sidewalk riding is banned, he or she should get off their bike and walk it on the sidewalk.

Pasadena allows sidewalk riding as along as riders yield to pedestrians. Bicycle riders routinely ride on sidewalks along Lake Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. A city survey found 68 percent always, frequently or sometimes ride on the sidewalk.

Maria Valenzuela wasn’t happy hearing about the no-sidewalk rule in El Monte. She does not own a car. She’s not sure what she’s going to do the next time she takes her daughter to school on the bike’s back seat. Most likely, she’ll continue to ride on the sidewalk rather than risk riding in the roadway on busy Valley or Ramona boulevards.

“I have to drop my daughter off at school,” she said, adding: “But she always wears a helmet.”