Sacramento To Start Giving Out Citations For Traffic, Parking Violations From E-Bike/Scooter Riders

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – The City of Sacramento is kicking off the training wheels and will be now giving out citations for traffic and parking violations on shared e-bikes and e-scooters.

Officials say they have been trying to educate people for the past few months about the traffic and vehicle code violations that could come with improperly using the new devices.

There are a couple of laws officials have been specifically warning riders about: that it is illegal to ride motorized scooters on sidewalks (a possible $207 citation for a rider) and that riders must park at bike racks or drop zones (a possible $27.50 citation for the rideshare company).

Per city code, bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks – but riders must yield to pedestrians.

Officials warn that the rideshare companies may pass the costs of the citations down to the customers.

"Because they were new devices, we wanted to do ample education before issuing citations," said Sacramento Police Capt. Norm Leong in a release. "The move to enforcement sends a clear message that we're serious about creating an environment that will be safe for pedestrians, shared rideable users and drivers."

For the moment, only Lime and JUMP operate shared e-scooters and e-bikes in Sacramento. There are about 1,900 of their devices scattered across Sacramento.

Full enforcement will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 19.