10.10.020 Findings and purpose.
After public hearings and receipt of testimony, the City Council finds and declares:
A. That the City of Sebastopol encourages people to walk and ride bicycles rather than drive motor vehicles in order to lessen traffic congestion, improve air quality, and improve public health;
B. That people walking and riding bicycles are vulnerable users of the City roads, sidewalks, and/or pathways;
C. That harassment of vulnerable users on the basis of their status as pedestrians and/or persons riding bicycles exists in the City of Sebastopol;
D. That existing criminal and civil laws do not effectively prevent the unlawful harassment of vulnerable users because of their status as pedestrians and/or persons riding bicycles;
E. That unavoidable hazards exist for persons walking, running, and/or riding a bicycle on City roads, sidewalks, and/or pathways, and that these hazards are amplified by the actions of persons who deliberately harass and endanger these vulnerable users because of their status as pedestrians and/or persons riding bicycles; and
F. That because people have a right to walk, run and/or ride a bicycle in the City of Sebastopol and should be able to do so safely on City roads, sidewalks, and/or pathways where allowed, it is against the public policy of the City of Sebastopol to permit harassment of these vulnerable users due to a person’s status as a pedestrian and/or person riding a bicycle.