Danville Risk Assessment Sidewalk Operation of Electric Bicycles and High-Powered Electric Motorcycles (February 1, 2026)

Danville Risk Assessment Sidewalk Operation of Electric Bicycles and High-Powered Electric Motorcycles

Prepared For: Danville Town Council and Staff           Prepared by: Danville Safety Advocates       Date: February 1, 2026

RECOMMENDED ACTION

Adopt policy direction to prohibit the operation of electric bicycles and high-powered electric motorcycles on sidewalks narrower than eight (8) feet, and direct staff to implement signage, public education, and enforcement measures consistent with this policy.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Risk Assessment evaluates the engineering, safety, operational, and legal risks associated with the operation of electric bicycles (e‑bikes) and high‑powered, throttle‑controlled electric motorcycles (“e‑motos”) on sidewalks within the Town of Danville.

E-motos are not bicycles. Many exceed statutory e-bike definitions due to 750 watts of motor power and throttle-only propulsion above 20–30+ mph. National transportation authorities—including the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)—consistently classify sidewalks narrower than eight feet as pedestrian‑only facilities.

While Danville Municipal Code §31‑17.2 establishes a minimum sidewalk width of four feet, this requirement reflects a– construction standard rather than a safe operating width for shared use with motorized vehicles.

When narrow sidewalks are combined with frequent driveways, limited lateral clearance, landscaping obstructions, and constrained sight lines, operation of e‑bikes and e‑motos creates a foreseeable risk of collisions involving pedestrians, motorists, and riders. These risks are materially amplified when vehicles capable of operating at 20–30+ miles per hour are used in spaces designed for pedestrian travel speeds.

Between 2020 and 2025, Danville recorded 45 pedestrian‑vehicle collisions involving 47 pedestrians, resulting in 41 injuries and one fatality. More than 93 percent of these collisions caused injury or death, most commonly at sidewalks, driveways, trail crossings, and intersections where right‑of‑way violations, turning vehicles, and limited sight distance were present.

A disproportionate share of injured pedestrians were children and seniors, who together accounted for more than 50 percent of injured victims. As high‑speed e‑bikes and e‑motos increasingly operate in these same pedestrian spaces, future collisions are statistically foreseeable and are likely to increase in both frequency and severity without corrective action.

Field observations, youth vehicle inventories conducted within the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, community complaints, and documented near‑miss events indicate that high‑powered electric motorcycles are now routinely operated on residential sidewalks, ADA curb ramps, park pathways, and other pedestrian‑only facilities within Danville.

These vehicles are functionally distinct from bicycles. Many exceed statutory e‑bike definitions based on motor power, throttle‑only propulsion, and achievable speed, and lack the equipment, registration, insurance, and operating authority required of motor vehicles. Their presence on pedestrian infrastructure introduces conditions consistent with the statutory elements of a “dangerous condition of public property” under California Government Code §§830–835.4, including foreseeability and notice.

Independent, peer-reviewed research further supports these conclusions. The Mineta Transportation Institute’s (MTI) legislatively commissioned study, Project 2423 - Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California (December 2025) documents that “many bicycle-shaped electric vehicles currently in use do not meet the statutory definition of an electric bicycle,” including devices that exceed 750 watts of motor power or are capable of operating above 20 miles per hour on motor power alone, yet are “marketed and perceived as ‘e-bikes’ despite exceeding legal limits.” The report further finds increasing use of higher-powered electric vehicles by minors, including documented observations at Danville middle schools, establishing clear foreseeability and notice. (See Risk Assessment for San Ramon Valley Unified School District, January 5, 2026)

MTI Project 2423 also concludes that “motor-vehicle crashes are a factor in many injuries and most fatalities” involving electric bicycles and that enforcement based on class stickers, labels, or software settings is unreliable. These findings support location-based rules prohibiting e-bike and e-moto operation on pedestrian sidewalks as the safest and most legally defensible approach for the Town of Danville.

Although Danville has prohibited e‑bikes on sidewalks within the downtown business district since July 2024, the absence of visible signage or transition warnings at key entry points creates avoidable fair‑notice and enforcement risks. Enforcement without clear public notice may weaken citation defensibility and increase procedural and liability exposure.

Prohibiting e-bikes and e-motos from sidewalks does not reduce mobility – it improves safety by eliminating a documented pedestrian hazard and directing riders to facilities designed for interaction with motor vehicles.

To ensure this transition improves safety, sidewalk prohibitions must be paired with affirmative measures, including updating the Danville Master Bicycle Plan and adopting a Vision Zero Plan to explicitly address e-bikes and e-motos, clarify lawful operating locations, and align facility design with vehicle speed and mass. When combined with clear signage, continuous bike-lane markings, balanced enforcement, and public education, these actions provide a safe, predictable, and legally defensible framework for e-bike and e-moto operation in bike lanes and streets.

This report concludes that continued allowance of motorized vehicle operation on narrow sidewalks presents a high likelihood of serious injury and a high level of municipal liability exposure.

Recommended Immediate Actions

1.     Prohibit e-bikes and e-motos on sidewalks narrower than eight feet.

2.     Install “Pedestrians Only – No Motorized Vehicles” signage on sidewalks serving residential corridors and the downtown business district.

3.     Enforce existing sidewalk prohibition through education, warnings, and citations as appropriate.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Recommended Action
Executive Summary

1.     Introduction

2.     Overall Risk Rating
2.1 Likelihood of Injury – High
2.2 Severity of Injury – High to Catastrophic
2.3 Town Liability Exposure – High
2.4 Overall Municipal Risk – High

3.     Legal & Liability Risk Assessment
3.1 Governing Law – California Government Code §§830–835.4
3.2 Application to Danville
3.3 Litigation Scenarios
3.4 Financial and Reputational Exposure
3.5 Statewide Policy Context

4.     Engineering Compliance Assessment
4.1 Key Findings from Applicable Standards
4.2 Engineering Conclusion

5.     Why Sidewalk Riding Increases Vehicle Collisions
5.1 Cyclists on Sidewalks Fall Outside Driver Expectation and Sight Lines
5.2 Driveways Create Repeated, Uncontrolled Conflict Points
5.3 Sidewalk Riders Enter Intersections at Unexpected Angles and Speeds
5.4 Excessive Speed Exacerbates Crash Severity
5.5 Sidewalks Are Not Designed for the Maneuverability of Electric Vehicles
5.6 National Research Confirms Sidewalk Riding Is More Dangerous
5.7 Danville’s Environment Magnifies All Risks

6.     Safety Risk Analysis
6.1 Injury Mechanism and Impact Severity
6.2 High-Risk Conflict Zones

7.     Law Enforcement Clarity and Officer Discretion
7.1 Clear Visual Identification of Unlawful Activity
7.2 Improved Officer Discretion and Graduated Enforcement
7.3 Reduced Conflict, Increased Voluntary Compliance
7.4 Alignment with Traffic Safety and Collision Prevention Goals
7.5 Legal Defensibility and Officer Protection
7.6 Net Benefit to Danville Police Operations

8.     Safety, Enforcement, and Liability Benefits of Prohibiting Sidewalk Riding
8.1 Improved Safety for Pedestrians
8.2 Improved Safety for E-Bike Riders
8.3 Improved Safety for E-Motos
8.4 Improved Safety for Motorists
8.5 Improved Enforcement Clarity and Effectiveness
8.6 Reduced Municipal Liability

9.     Risk Mitigation Recommendations

10.  Conclusion

1. INTRODUCTION

This Risk Assessment analyzes the engineering, operational, safety, and legal risks created by the current use of e-bikes and e-motos on Danville’s residential sidewalks. It is based on field observations, SRVUSD youth e-moto inventory data, national engineering guidance, legal review, and extensive community documentation of near-miss events. (See “E-Moto" Safety Assessment – San Ramon Valley Unified School District, November 1, 2025)                                                                  

The objective is to provide Town Council with a clear, evidence-supported basis for establishing defensible, consistent, and safety-focused policies.

2. OVERALL RISK RATING

The Overall Municipal Risk is rated High because all core risk components align at the upper end of accepted public-agency risk thresholds.

2.1 Likelihood of Injury – High

The probability of injury is high because sidewalk environments are not designed for powered vehicles operating at motorcycle speeds. Documented conditions—limited sightlines, frequent driveway crossings, pedestrian density, and mixed-age users—create repeated and predictable conflict points. The continued presence of e-bikes and e-motos in these spaces makes injury foreseeable, not hypothetical.

2.2 Severity of Injury – High to Catastrophic

When incidents occur, the potential consequences are severe. The combined speed, mass, and acceleration of e-bikes and especially e-motos significantly increase impact forces compared to traditional bicycles. Injuries to pedestrians—particularly children, seniors, and persons with disabilities—can reasonably include fractures, traumatic brain injury, permanent  disability, or death. This places severity squarely in the high to catastrophic range.

 

2.3 Town Liability Exposure – High

Municipal liability is elevated due to foreseeability, knowledge, and control. The Town is aware of sidewalk riding behavior, has adopted ordinances restricting it in certain areas, yet has not consistently provided visible notice, engineering controls, or uniform enforcement.

Under California Government Code §§830–835.4, failure to address a known hazardous condition—or to adequately warn the public—creates substantial exposure to claims alleging dangerous condition of public property.

2.4 Overall Municipal Risk – High

Because the likelihood of injury is high, the potential severity is extreme, and legal exposure is significant, the cumulative risk to the Town is High.

This level of risk exceeds what is typically considered acceptable for municipal operations and requires prompt corrective action, including clear policy alignment, visible signage, enforceable rules, and infrastructure that directs electric mobility devices to appropriate facilities.

3. LEGAL & LIABILITY RISK ASSESSMENT

3.1 Governing Law – California Government Code §§830–835.4

A municipality can be held liable when:

A dangerous condition exists
The risk is foreseeable
The agency has actual or constructive notice
The agency fails to take reasonable corrective action
3.2 Application to Danville

The Town now has field data, resident complaints, near-miss documentation, e-moto inventory data, photographic and video evidence, and this Risk Assessment Report to support the satisfaction of all four of the above criteria.

MTI Project 2423 independently corroborates the Town’s actual and constructive notice of the hazard identified in this Risk Assessment. The report states that devices “capable of operating above 20 miles per hour on motor power alone or exceeding 750 watts are not electric bicycles under California law,” yet remain widely available and commonly used.

School-based observations summarized in the report found that “only 12 percent of electric two-wheelers observed at middle schools qualified as Class 1–3 electric bicycles, while 88 percent were higher-powered devices,” including documented observations at Diablo Vista Middle School in Danville.

(Table 8 below: Mineta Transportation Institute’s Project 2423 - Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California, December 2025, page #65)

3.3 Litigation Scenarios

The most likely scenarios that could lead to litigation against the Town of Danville include:

A pedestrian struck on a sidewalk by an e-bike or e-moto rider
A motorist hitting a sidewalk e-bike or e-moto rider
Severe injury involving an unlicensed youth e-moto operator
3.4 Financial and Reputational Exposure

Potential impacts to the Town of Danville include:

Multi-million-dollar settlements
Increased insurance premiums
Mandatory retrofits
Reputational harm to the Town
Significant litigation expenses
3.5 Statewide Policy Context    

California cities with sidewalk e-bike and e-moto bans include Danville (business district), Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Mill Valley, El Cerrito, Napa, Vacaville, San Luis Obispo, Pacific Grove, Gonzales, Watsonville, Folsom, San Jacinto, Lompoc, and others.

4. ENGINEERING COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT

4.1 Key Findings from Applicable Standards

California Department of Transportation Highway Design Manual: 5 ft is the minimum pedestrian-only width; not intended for bikes or motorized vehicles.
California Department of Transportation Complete Streets Guide (2023): Shared facilities require wider, unobstructed space.
Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official, and National Association of City Transportation Officials: Shared-use paths must be 8–12 ft wide; sidewalks are pedestrian-only zones.
4.2 Engineering Conclusion

Danville’s 4–5 ft sidewalks do not meet any recognized standard for shared use. Permitting e-bikes/e-motos on these sidewalks constitutes a foreseeable engineering hazard.

5. WHY SIDEWALK RIDING INCREASES VEHICLE COLLISIONS

5.1 Cyclists on Sidewalks Fall Outside Driver Expectation and Sight Lines Drivers are trained and conditioned to look for bicycles in the roadway, not on sidewalks. A rider on a sidewalk may travel too close to fences, hedges, mailboxes, and parked cars—features that severely restrict sight lines.

When a driver exits a driveway or turns at an intersection, they have difficulty seeing an approaching cyclist, leaving insufficient reaction time to avoid a collision when the cyclist is traveling at an unsafe speed.

5.2 Driveways Create Repeated, Uncontrolled Conflict Points

Danville’s residential blocks contain dozens of driveways, each functioning as an uncontrolled intersection. Drivers backing out prioritize looking toward the street—not down the sidewalk. Forward-moving drivers prioritize looking for gaps in vehicular traffic, not fast sidewalk riders. The combination of landscaping, fences, walls, and parked vehicles can create blind spots that multiply collision probability.

5.3 Sidewalk Riders Enter Intersections at Unexpected Angles and Speeds

E-bike and e-moto riding produces two high-risk crash scenarios:

Right-Hook Collision: A driver turning right is overtaken by a fast sidewalk rider approaching on their near-right.
Left-Cross Collision: involving a counter-flow cyclist is a highly dangerous scenario where a vehicle driver making a left turn collides with a cyclist approaching from the wrong direction of traffic flow. This crash dynamic significantly increases risk because the cyclist is traveling outside the driver's normal scan patterns and expected lines of sight.  A driver scanning for cars misses a rider approaching from the far sidewalk at 20–30 mph.

5.4 Excessive Speed Exacerbates Crash Severity

Pedestrians travel under 4 mph. E-bikes and e-motos commonly travel 20–35 mph. The closing speed during driveway or intersection conflicts often exceeds 30–40 mph, leaving minimal reaction time. Combined with the weight of e-motos (80–100+ pounds), collisions produce high kinetic-energy impacts.

5.5 Sidewalks Are Not Designed for the Maneuverability of Electric Vehicles

Sidewalks assume predictable, low-speed pedestrian movement. They are not designed for:

High-speed passing maneuvers
Long stopping distances
Conflicting mergers at ADA ramps
This mismatch between design speed and operating speed is a reliable predictor of collisions.

(See video documentation of e-moto operation on sidewalks and park paths)

5.6 National Research Confirms Sidewalk Riding Is More Dangerous

Studies from FHWA, AASHTO, IIHS, and NACTO consistently find that sidewalk cyclists are 1.8 to 4.5 times more likely to be involved in motor-vehicle collisions than roadway cyclists. Locations where visibility problems are exacerbated.

MTI Project 2423 reinforces this collision analysis, concluding that “motor-vehicle conflicts are a contributing factor in many electric-bicycle injuries and the majority of fatalities.”

The report further cautions that “the actual share of electric-bicycle injuries involving motor vehicles is without question higher than what is reported” due to incomplete mechanism-of-injury data. It is important to note that many cyclist–pedestrian collisions and near-miss incidents occurring on sidewalks are never reported to police.  In Danville, these events are frequently described or documented by residents on neighborhood platforms such as Nextdoor, indicating that official collision statistics likely underrepresent the true scope of sidewalk conflict.

These findings directly support the conclusion that sidewalk riding—particularly at driveways and intersections where driver expectation and sight lines are constrained—creates predictable, high-severity collision risks and materially increases the likelihood of serious or fatal injury.

 

5.7 Danville’s Environment Magnifies All Risks

Between 2020 and 2025, Danville recorded 45 pedestrian‑vehicle collisions involving 47 pedestrians, resulting in 41 injuries and one fatality. More than 93 percent of these collisions caused injury or death, most commonly at sidewalks, driveways, trail crossings, and intersections where right‑of‑way violations, turning vehicles, and limited sight distance were present.

A disproportionate share of injured pedestrians were children and seniors, who together accounted for more than 50 percent of injured victims. As high‑speed e‑bikes and e‑motos increasingly operate in these same pedestrian spaces, future collisions are statistically foreseeable and are likely to increase in both frequency and severity without corrective action.

The Town’s built form includes:

4–5 ft sidewalks
Dense landscaping in certain residential areas
Curved neighborhood streets
Heavy driveway concentration
Multi-lane arterials with high turning volumes

These factors collectively increase the likelihood of severe or fatal injuries when e-bikes or e-motos operate on sidewalks.

6. SAFETY RISK ANALYSIS

6.1 Injury Mechanism and Impact Severity

Pedestrians: ~3 mph
E-motos: 20–35 mph
At these closing speeds, reaction time is insufficient for both riders and motorists. FHWA crash-severity data show:

20 mph impact: ~25% severe injury, ~10% fatality
At 30 mph, pedestrians—especially older adults—face a >50% likelihood of severe injury or worse.

6.2 High-Risk Conflict Zones

The most hazardous areas include:

Driveways
Intersections
ADA ramps
School routes
7. LAW ENFORCEMENT CLARITY AND OFFICER DISCRETION

Adoption of a clear, uniformly applied prohibition on e-bike and e-moto operation on sidewalks narrower than eight feet—supported by standardized signage—provides the Danville Police Department with a simple, objective, and defensible enforcement framework. This clarity significantly improves officers’ ability to identify unlawful behavior, educate riders, issue warnings, and, when necessary, issue citations—while preserving professional discretion and minimizing unnecessary conflict.

7.1 Clear Visual Identification of Unlawful Activity

Under the recommended policy, officers no longer need to determine motor wattage, top speed, software settings, or manufacturer classifications in the field. The observable conduct—motorized vehicle operation on a pedestrian sidewalk—becomes the enforceable violation. This allows officers to quickly and confidently identify unlawful e-moto and e-bike use based on location and behavior, rather than technical specifications that are difficult to verify roadside.

MTI Project 2423 establishes that device-based enforcement is unreliable in practice. The report documents that “looking at class stickers was insufficient” to determine legality and that class-identification stickers are “easily purchased and sometimes inaccurately applied.” It further notes that “third-party applications may enable speed and power unlocking even when manufacturer-installed controls are present.” As a result, enforcement frameworks based on observable conduct and operating location—rather than technical device specifications—provide clearer standards for officers, reduce disputes, improve officer safety, and strengthen citation defensibility.

High-powered, throttle-controlled electric motorcycles (“e-motos”) are visually distinct from traditional bicycles and are readily recognizable by officers due to their size, frame geometry, suspension, tire width, and motorized components.

The recommended approach eliminates ambiguity and reduces disputes over vehicle classification during enforcement encounters.

7.2 Improved Officer Discretion and Graduated Enforcement

A clearly posted sidewalk prohibition enhances—not restricts—officer discretion. With an unambiguous baseline rule in place, officers retain full authority to apply professional judgment based on context, age of the rider, speed, behavior, and location. This enables a graduated enforcement model that prioritizes safety and education while retaining citation authority when warranted.

Officers may:

Stop and educate first-time or unaware riders
Issue warnings where appropriate
Cite repeat offenders or high-risk conduct
Address parental responsibility when minors are involved
Clear, unambiguous rules empower officers to intervene early—before a collision occurs—rather than waiting until behavior escalates into a dangerous event.

7.3 Reduced Conflict, Increased Voluntary Compliance

Visible signage and uniform rules substantially reduce rider confusion and enforcement friction. When expectations are clearly communicated at sidewalk entry points, downtown transitions, and trail interfaces (including the Iron Horse Trail), officers can reference posted notice rather than engage in prolonged explanations or disputes.

This “inform-before-enforce” approach:

Strengthens citation defensibility
Reduces confrontational encounters
Improves community trust in policing

Encourages voluntary compliance through education.

Officers are no longer placed in the position of enforcing an unposted or inconsistently understood rule, which currently exposes both officers and the Town to fairness and due-process concerns.

7.4 Alignment with Traffic Safety and Collision Prevention Goals

By discouraging sidewalk riding, the policy directly supports collision prevention and traffic safety objectives. Officers are empowered to redirect riders to lawful locations where motorists expect bicyclists and sight lines are designed for mixed traffic.

This proactive enforcement role allows police to address known high-risk behaviors—particularly high-speed e-moto operation—before injuries occur.

7.5 Legal Defensibility and Officer Protection

A clearly defined and well-signed prohibition protects officers as well as the Town. Enforcement actions taken under a plainly articulated ordinance are more defensible in court, reduce complaints, and protect officers from claims of selective or arbitrary enforcement. This framework provides officers with confidence that their actions are supported by clear law, public notice, and established safety standards.

7.6 Net Benefit to Danville Police Operations

In summary, the recommended sidewalk policy:

Simplifies field enforcement
Enhances officer discretion
Reduces ambiguity and confrontation
Improves public understanding and compliance
Supports proactive safety policing
Strengthens legal defensibility
Rather than creating new enforcement burdens, the policy gives Danville Police a clear, fair, and safety-oriented tool to address a rapidly escalating risk—allowing officers to educate first, warn when appropriate, and cite, when necessary, all while prioritizing pedestrian safety and collision prevention.

8. SAFETY, ENFORCEMENT, AND LIABILITY BENEFITS OF PROHIBITING SIDEWALK RIDING

Prohibiting e-bikes and e-motos from sidewalks—when paired with clear, affirmative measures supporting lawful street and bike-lane riding—improves safety for pedestrians, riders, and motorists, strengthens enforcement clarity, and materially reduces municipal liability. This approach aligns facility use with design intent, operating speeds, and driver expectations, thereby reducing conflict points rather than displacing risk.

8.1 Improved Safety for Pedestrians.

Sidewalks are designed for walking speeds and predictable pedestrian movements. Allowing motorized vehicles capable of 20–35+ mph on these facilities creates unavoidable high-energy conflicts at driveways, ADA curb ramps, school frontages, and commercial areas. Prohibiting sidewalk riding restores sidewalks as pedestrian-only facilities, directly reducing the likelihood and severity of pedestrian injuries and eliminating a documented hazardous condition.

8.2 Improved Safety for E-Bike Riders

E-bike riders are safest when operating where motorists expect them to be—within bike lanes and travel lanes. Clear sidewalk prohibitions reduce unsafe sidewalk-to-street weaving, improve sight lines, clarify right-of-way, and lower the risk of vehicle-bicycle collisions. Updating the Danville Master Bicycle Plan provides consistent guidance regarding lawful operating locations, improving predictability and rider compliance.

8.3 Improved Safety for E-Motos

High-powered, throttle-controlled e-motos present the greatest risk when operated in pedestrian environments. Relocating these vehicles to streets and appropriate facilities places them in environments with greater sight distance, traffic control, and predictable interactions. This significantly reduces blind driveway conflicts and lowers the risk of severe injury to riders themselves, many of whom are minors.

8.4 Improved Safety for Motorists

Motorists are trained to scan roadways—not sidewalks—for moving vehicles. Eliminating sidewalk riding reduces surprise conflicts at driveways and intersections, decreases last-second evasive maneuvers, and lowers the likelihood of severe “failure-to-see” collisions. Predictable rider placement improves reaction time and overall traffic safety.

8.5  Improved Enforcement Clarity and Effectiveness

This approach provides substantial enforcement benefits for both officers and the public:

·      Objective, location-based enforcement: Officers may enforce based on observable conduct—motorized vehicle operation on a sidewalk—without determining motor wattage, speed capability, or manufacturer classification in the field.

·      Reduced disputes and selective-enforcement claims: Clear rules and visible signage improve public understanding, reduce confrontations, and strengthen citation defensibility.

·      Preserved officer discretion: Officers retain flexibility to educate first, issue warnings where appropriate, and cite repeat or reckless behavior.

·      Clear expectations for the public: Riders, parents, and motorists understand where devices may legally operate, reducing inadvertent violations.

·      Efficient use of police resources: Enforcement focuses on high-risk behavior and locations rather than technical classification disputes.

·      Updating the Danville Master Bicycle Plan embeds these enforcement principles into adopted policy, ensuring consistency across planning, policing, and public communication.

8.6 Reduced Municipal Liability

From a risk-management perspective, this approach materially reduces liability by:

Eliminating a documented hazardous condition on pedestrian facilities
Aligning facility use with recognized engineering and safety standards
Demonstrating reasonable corrective action under California Government Code §§830–835.4
Improving due-process fairness and citation defensibility
Reducing exposure to severe injury claims, particularly involving pedestrians and minors
This approach does not restrict mobility; it places each user where they are safest, most visible, and most predictable.

By restoring sidewalks to pedestrian use, directing e-bikes and e-motos to appropriate street facilities, clarifying expectations through planning and signage, and simplifying enforcement, the Town of Danville improves systemwide safety while significantly reducing avoidable legal and financial exposure.

9. RISK MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS

To address a foreseeable and escalating risk to pedestrians, riders, and motorists, the Town should adopt the following actions to clarify lawful use, support consistent enforcement, and reduce municipal liability associated with e-bike and e-moto operation on sidewalks. (Photo below: E-Motos at local Middle School)

 

Prohibit motorized vehicles on sidewalks narrower than eight feet. (See Letter Signed by 50 Danville Resident)      
Install standardized “Pedestrians Only – No E-bikes” signage.
3.     Enforce existing sidewalk prohibition through education, warnings, and citations as appropriate.

Issue a Proclamation that strongly encourages parents to not allow children under the age of sixteen (16) to operate Class 2 throttle-assisted electric motorcycles (e-motos).  (See Petition with 1,000 Signatures – Mostly Danville Residents)    
Update the Town’s Master Bicycle Plan and adopt a Vision Zero Plan to formally address e-bikes and e-motos.
Implement a near-miss and actual collision reporting system for e-bikes and e-motos.
Conduct a semi-annual review of e-bike/e-moto versus vehicle collisions
10. CONCLUSION

Danville’s residential sidewalks do not meet any engineering or safety standard for shared use with e-bikes or e-motos. Decades of national research, statewide legal precedent, and field data from Danville confirm that sidewalk riding significantly increases the likelihood of severe or fatal collisions. The Town now possesses clear documentation and actual notice of the hazard.

Failure to act exposes the Town to avoidable injuries and significant liability under California law. The corrective actions identified in this report are reasonable, adopted in other municipalities, and legally defensible. Several California jurisdictions have already implemented sidewalk prohibitions for e-bikes and e-motos based on the same risks. (See list of cities below)

As confirmed by MTI Project 2423, the risks identified in this Risk Assessment are documented, foreseeable, and increasing, and clear, location-based prohibitions on e-bike and e-moto operation on pedestrian sidewalks constitute a reasonable, effective, and legally defensible corrective action for the Town of Danville.

Danville Safety Advocates strongly urge the Town Council to adopt the recommendations herein without delay. We stand ready to support ordinance development, community education, and implementation of safety solutions.

Alan Kalin, COL, U.S. Army (Ret.), President, Mount Diablo Cyclists (MountDiabloCyclists.org), Co-Chair, Danville Safety Advocates (BikeDanville.org)