TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, Acting City Manager
FROM:
Rachel Johnson, Chief of Police
Andrew Enriquez, Police Captain
Matt Sabosky, Police Lieutenant
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a Voluntary Bicycle (E-Bike) Registration Program (Police Chief Johnson).
(Estimated Time: 30 Mins.)
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
Body
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the report and discuss and provide direction on next steps, if any.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The cost for the City’s participation in the online database is $1,000-$3,000 per year. All costs can be absorbed in the 2024-2025 Police Department budget. However, once the City Council directs staff on this matter, appropriations may be required in future years.
BACKGROUND:
At the June 18, 2024, meeting, the City Council directed staff to research and present information related to a voluntary bike registration program in the City of Manhattan Beach. Both the Police Department and the City Council have expressed interest in the feasibility of a voluntary bicycle registration program to aid in repatriating lost or stolen bicycles with their owners.
DISCUSSION:
The California Vehicle Code (CVC 39000-39011) allows local agencies to create a mandatory program only by participating in the State’s bicycle licensing program utilizing the State’s indicia and allows a maximum of $400 to be collected per bicycle. Traditional bicycle licensing programs have been phased out due to cumbersome administrative processes in favor of online databases that are more user-friendly and more cost-effective for municipalities to operate. California Vehicle Code (CVC 39002(a) is clear that cities that adopt a bicycle-licensing ordinance or resolution, shall not prohibit the operation of an unlicensed bicycle.
The earliest history of a bicycle registration program in the City dates back to 1936, when an annual 50-cent fee was paid for a bicycle license. All fees collected under this ordinance would be paid into the general fund. This program was again discussed in 1953 and 1962 when the Manhattan Beach Schools’ Safety Committee recommended a penalty if the 50-cent registration fee was not paid for the licensing of bicycles. During that time, the licenses were valid for one calendar year, and a police officer inspected the bicycles for mechanical conditions, brakes, lights, and bells. The City provided a serialized license decal to be the frame of the bicycle and a registration card. A registrar of bicycles was created to keep a record of the bicycle registrations. Laws were created to enforce tampering of the license deals or registration cards.
In 1973, the Director of Finance was designated and appointed as the Registrar of Bicycles for the City. The license fee was increased to an annual cost of $1 per year.
In 1975, the City Council again discussed instituting either a mandatory or voluntary bicycle licensing program. The City Council voted unanimously to institute a voluntary licensing program and to promote the program through the City newsletter. Fees were voluntary and consistent with the State licensing program. No additional records related to the voluntary registration program since 1975 can be found.
Currently, databases available for voluntary bicycle registration range from city-created database entry platforms to third-party companies specializing in registering and storing registration information such as BikeIndex, University of California Davis’ Bike Barn registration, and Project 529. After a review of platform options and costs, Project 529 was found to offer a robust system that would meet the needs of the City.
Many cities, including Long Beach, Culver City, and Hermosa Beach, have encouraged bicycle owners to utilize a free or low-cost online registration program such as the National Bike Registry or Project 529. In February of 2017, Project 529 acquired the National Bike Registry and merged the two sites. The Project 529 database currently has over 500,000 bikes in the combined registries and is the largest of such services. Project 529 offers a free online bicycle registration, reporting, and recovery service that allows cyclists to quickly capture detailed information about their bicycles and secure the information in the cloud. If an owner’s bike goes missing, a few taps on any mobile device allows the victim to alert the local cycling community, their social networks, and law enforcement agencies with real-time notifications.
The Project 529 application can be downloaded for free via the Apple App Store or Google Play. There is no cost to the user to register their bicycle in Project 529, but public agencies are charged an annual service fee to utilize Project 529. The annual cost depends on each city's population subscribing to the service. Based on the population of Manhattan Beach, Project 529 will charge $1,260 for annual access to search and maintain the database. Project 529 assists in verifying ownership of bicycles through user-provided information.
The benefit of participating in a national registry over a local registry is the expansive network of bicycle information at the City’s disposal. Unlike using a city-specific bicycle registration database, Project 529 can conduct searches of stolen bicycles nationwide. Project 529 allows Manhattan Beach residents to alert other registry members of a stolen bicycle by sending a push notification to all Project 529 users within a specified radius, asking them to watch for the stolen bike.
These features and more are available in Project 529 for a low annual cost. In addition to the database, Project 529 offers an optional program of tamper-proof adhesive stickers that the Police Department can purchase and would be given to owners who have registered their bicycles. These stickers are difficult for thieves to remove and can be used to identify the owners within the database once they are registered. If a program has been established, registration events will be conducted where bikes can be registered, and stickers will be issued to participants. The costs of stickers are in addition to the yearly service fee and are currently $2 per sticker.
The database is maintained by Project 529 and the registrant can choose how much information to provide the database as well as how much information they want to share about their bicycle in the event it is lost or stolen.
Our action plan related to the implementation of Project 529 would primarily focus on community engagement and building a large active user base in our City. Awareness, participation and effective communication strategies are essential to ensure high registration rates. The registration process will be advertised via our social media channels where individuals can register online or at dedicated bicycle registration events. Registration opportunities will also be offered at annual community events and through partnerships and collaborations with our local bicycle shops. Additional outreach will be dedicated to our students and senior community to aid in bicycle registrations and education on platform use.
PUBLIC OUTREACH:
After analysis, staff determined that public outreach was not required for this issue.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction on next steps, if any.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines, the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.