Holding up a broken record with a bandage on it Tuesday night, Keith Lobert told the Santa Clarita City Council he had the perfect metaphor for the city’s handling of what he called a growing e-bike concern on local paseos.
City Manager Ken Striplin described several efforts the city had undertaken to address residents’ concerns, but Lobert insisted he and his neighbors were starting to feel like the prop he had on display.
Lobert said Tuesday marked seven months since he and a group of others who share his concerns have been speaking at City Hall over their concerns.
He said that, after his first comments in March, the council didn’t respond, but he received a letter from Masis Hagobian, intergovernmental relations officer for the city, who indicated there would be signs going up on the paseos in the fall.
“Now, we’re not being selfish,” Lobert said, adding that he was also giving himself and his neighbors failing marks for their lack of staying on top of the city about this issue. “We want safety for the whole city, not just the paseos where some of us walk.”
Lobert said he wanted to see more education on the rules, including rules for underage riders and where they can go.
Greg Santilli shared with the City Council how, while he was on a recent ride on the Old Orchard Trail, he was threatened by a minor who pretended to have a gun, and then verbally accosted him on the trail. The rider then waited for him with a group of friends near the trail exit, making a narrow passage for him to get through while hurling insults and threats his way.
“So, at this point, not only is the bike path unsafe due to the reckless e-bike riders, but it’s now become a hostile environment,” he said, mentioning in a phone interview Thursday that an occasional motorcycle officer patrolling there might help. He also suggested surveillance cameras might help the city keep an eye on things.
Santilli said the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station was helpful in its response when he called, with the deputy who answered the phone saying they were “well aware” of the problem and encouraging Santilli to share his concerns with the City Council, which was what brought him to the meeting.
In response to the concerns brought to the city in March, the SCV Sheriff’s Station conducted an operation targeting illegal riding in the following weeks, which Santilli also noted.
In June, station Capt. Brandon Barclay said deputies had made more than 80 contacts with riders in the past three months and issued 17 citations and confiscated six of the bikes.
Striplin said that, as of Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the station had issued 33 citations and impounded 10 more e-bikes, for a total of 16 since March.
“The city and the Sheriff’s Department continue to work collaboratively trying to address it,” Striplin said. “We’ve also been out to the (Willam S. Hart Union High School District) Parents Council, as well as the (Academy of the Canyons), informing and educating both the schools as well as the parents on the hazards as well as the legalities related to these e-bikes.”
Station outreach has also included videos on social media from local deputies that mention the rules for riding.
Addressing Lobert’s comments on the signs, Striplin said the city has manufactured 110 signs that will be installed around the community to inform residents about the rules and regulations for e-bikes.
Striplin also said it was a citywide issue, and one that he doesn’t expect to resolve overnight, adding that education and enforcement are part of the ongoing efforts.
