City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 5, 2013
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Public Hearing, Second Reading and Final Passage of an Ordinance to Amend Chapter 7 (Bicycles), Title 10 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic) of the Code of the City of Alexandria, Virginia. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
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ISSUE: Recommendation to amend the ordinance to be consistent with the Virginia State Code.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council hold the public hearing and pass a proposed amendment on the proposed changes to the bicycle section of the City Code, introduced on Tuesday, June 11, 2013.
DISCUSSION: With exception to the helmet rules of the code, the City's bicycle code has not been updated since 1963. To be consistent with the State of Virginia code and neighboring jurisdiction's codes, staff is proposing updates to Chapter 7 of title 10 of the Code of the City of Alexandria. Attachment 1 contains all proposed changes.
Proposed changes include:
1) Removing the local bicycle registration requirement since the National Bike Registry is now utilized nationally to register bicycles;
2) Making the City code consistent with the State code regarding how bicycles are operated on the roadway, and;
3) Removing the requirement that bicycles utilize paths on certain roadways;
4) Change the rules regarding bicycle riding on sidewalks.
Currently the City of Alexandria code, title 10-7-4 states that with exception of police officers, no bicycle can be operated on a sidewalk except sidewalks designated by City Council resolution as bicycle routes. Any cyclist riding on a city sidewalk for any distance in a non-designated area may be subject to a citation. This causes problems for young or less confident cyclists, or cyclists on major arterials in the City, such as Duke Street or...
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