HomeMy WebLinkAbout2453ORDINANCE NO. :1t4533
AN ORDINANCE of the City of Port Angeles
miending Ordinances 2133 and 2443 and
Chapter 10.04 of the Port Angeles Muni-
cipal Code by adding a section relating
to regulation of skateboards and scooters.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT ANGELES
as follows:
Section 1. Ordinances 2133 and 2443 and Chapter 10.04 of the
Port Angeles Municipal Code are hereby amended by adding a new section as
follows:
10.04.020 Skateboards or Scooters
A. Definitions
(1) Skateboard - A footboard mounted upon four or more
small wheels.
(2) Scooter - A footboard mounted upon or between two
or more small wheels and controlled by an upright steering handle.
B. A person may ride a skateboard or scooter on any sidewalk
subject to the restrictions or prohibitions of traffic control devices and
the limitations of subsections (1) and (2).
(1) No person shall ride a skateboard or scooter in a
business district as defined by RCW 46.04.080, except upon private property
with the permission of the owner, or person in control.
(2) Whenever any person is riding a skateboard or scooter,
such person shall yield the right -of -way to any pedestrian.
C. Violation of any of the provisions of this section is a
traffic infraction.
Section 2. Severability. If any provision of this ordinance,
or its application to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the re-
mainder of the ordinance, or application of the provisions of the ordinance
to other persons or circumstances, is not affected.
Section 3 - Effective Date. This Ordinance shall take effect
as provided by law
PASSED by the City Council of the City of Port Angeles at a regu-
lar meeting of said Council on the oll,;p'"day of July, 1987.
P
Iw ..\\(
MAYOR
A'1'1'EST:
Sherri L. Anderson, City C er
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
.aff.
Craig D.
tson, City Attorney
PUBLISHED: IJ 1 9 Z 1
AT1089[1]
MEMO: July 17, 1987
TO: City Manager and City Council
FROM: Police Department/
SUBJ: Ordinance Prohibiting Skateboards and Scooters on Sidewalks in the
Business District of the City
ISSUE: Should the council pass an ordinance prohibiting the operation of
skateboards and scooters on the sidewalks in the business district, and
regulating riding in other areas?
BACKGROUND: In the last several years an increasing number of complaints
have been registered with the Police Department regarding reckless or hazard-
ous operation of skateboards and scooters in the downtown business district.
Numerous close calls requiring pedestrians to take evasive action have result-
ed. Skateboarders frequently sail into the street, crosswalks and traffic
using the handicap access curb cuts. Their speed has startled more than
a few who, having emerged from a downtown business, have encountered a skate-
boarder careening down the sidewalk, oblivious of the hazards created. The
newest rage, scooters, adds to this problem.
In keeping with the philosophy that the sidewalks in the business district
are for foot pedestrians and not for bicycles, scooters, skateboards or other
wheeled devices, the attached ordinance has been drafted. Basically it pro-
hibits riding these devices in the business district and requires the opera-
tor to yield to pedestrians when using them on sidewalks in other areas of
the city.
RE CMMENDATION: The proposed ordinance is responsive to the many complaints
received regarding skateboard operation. It is the recounendation of the
department that it be passed.