When Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon came by the Ordinance Committee on Tuesday to discuss potential changes to the city’s bicycle ordinance — intended to make the streets safer and tighten the laws regarding e-bikes — she wanted to make it clear for the public that the new bike laws weren’t intended to criminalize cycling.
Instead, she said, the changes were meant to curb “bad actors” and allow law enforcement to open up a dialogue with parents who may be unaware of their children’s dangerous riding.
“This is not about any of us being against cyclists,” Chief Gordon said. “This is about having safety for everyone and having the appropriate tools to change the behavior that we’re seeing with a lot of our e-bicyclists.”