WILDWOOD CREST – The Board of Commissioners answered some questions from the public before passing an ordinance prohibiting people from locking bikes, beach chairs, and other objects to public property March 22.
The commissioners passed Ordinance 1398 on second reading and after a public hearing, saying it would be illegal to lock bicycles, chairs, or any other item to fences, railings, or any other property belonging to the borough.
One of the first questions was whether the borough was going to provide enough bike racks to accommodate all the bicycles.
Resident Dave McWilliams said the prohibition in the ordinance was “pretty all-encompassing,” and asked, “What is driving this?”
Commissioner Joseph Schiff, the borough’s director of public safety, said the borough received complaints last summer about there being bicycles and chairs chained to the fencing where the beach showers were located. He said people would be trying to shower and bikes and chairs would be in their way.
In addition, he said, people would store their beach items at the beach by chaining them to something permanent overnight.
“Is it a lack of bike racks or people using what is available?” McWilliams asked.
“People would leave chairs overnight. That was their new storage area for the chairs they take to the beach,” he said.
Schiff added that he spoke to Public Works Superintendent Joe Bond, who is developing a plan to get more bike racks.
Teresa Carey asked if the ordinance was passed, would the town get more bike racks? Schiff said the borough was looking at increasing the number of bike racks regardless. She said there were not enough bike racks, currently, so people were locking bikes to flag poles, fences, or whatever.
Mayor Don Cabrera said part of the problem is people locking items to cable-type railings at the new beach bump-outs. He said people locking items to the cabling is damaging the cables and the wood. Cabrera said the borough is not targeting bikes, but they are trying to keep bikes and other items from getting in the way.
“We’re asking people to use discretion,” Cabrera said.
He said bicycles are a popular mode of travel in the summer and adding bike racks at every street end and in every park would probably not be enough.
He said what is causing the problem is that there are “unreasonable people” who won’t rent a beach box and want to store their items at the beach by locking them to fences and railings.
He said the borough had no enforcement mechanism in the event it really needs to remove items.
“If we really need to remove items, the police and public works will use their best discretion,” Cabrera said.
Katherine Hughes asked what would happen to the confiscated bikes and beach chairs. Cabrera said they would be held, and people could claim them at the police headquarters.
Under the ordinance, there is a $100 fine for attaching personal items to borough property. Police Chief Robert Lloyd said items would be held in a storage facility for a certain amount of time and if not claimed, would be put out for auction. Schiff said the intent is to get people to keep access ways open.
Ordinance 1398 passed 3-0.
Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com.
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