Carlsbad, CA Mobility & Curb Rules: Bike Lane Rules (2026)

020. Subsection B bars operating or riding any of them on a sidewalk, or in a public drainage facility, culvert, ditch, channel, athletic court or gymnasium. On a bicycle or pedestrian facility, the duty-to-operate-with-due-care list in subsection C prohibits riding faster than is reasonable and prudent for existing weather, traffic and surface conditions; performing acrobatics, tricks or stunts such as wheelies around pedestrians or other devices; racing or stunt contests; failing to yield when required; ignoring posted traffic or regulatory signs; carrying a package that blocks full control or forward visibility; riding without a properly fastened helmet if under 18; riding a Class 3 electric bicycle without a helmet regardless of age; riding against the flow of traffic on a public street or bike facility; passing another person or device without a reasonable and prudent lateral distance or at an unsafe speed; carrying a passenger on a single-rider device or on a bar, handlebar or floorboard not built for it; and clinging to a moving vehicle.

Subsection C also imposes a general due-care duty covering anything else needed to safeguard the operator and others nearby, and it requires dismounting on a city trail narrower than five feet whenever a pedestrian or an equine is within 50 feet. The city posts a list of locations where these devices are prohibited entirely, on file at the City Clerk's office and updatable by the City Manager without a new ordinance.