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Sheriff reports 18 December citations; committee presses for safer pelotons, e-bike education
Summary
A sheriff sergeant told Portola Valley’s public-works committee that deputies issued 18 citations in December and investigated a DUI-related non-injury crash; committee members used the report to press for better bicycle-pack (peloton) guidance and expanded e-bike education at schools.
A sheriff representative told the Portola Valley Public Works Committee that deputies issued a total of 18 citations in December — 12 moving violations and six parking citations — and investigated one non-injury collision on the 100 block of Shauny Pass that deputies attributed to a DUI and unsafe speed.
Committee members used the report to highlight recurring safety concerns for cyclists and large group rides. Pat Benon and others described parking and roadway congestion near ongoing construction on Los Franco Road and the Hawthorne site, saying motorists and cyclists are sometimes forced into oncoming lanes around tight corners.
Sergeant Boran (the sheriff’s sergeant who presented the report) said citations were concentrated on Los Franco Road and that parking tickets were dated Dec. 30. He explained that the town’s ability to require safety measures for organized rides depends on whether the ride stops in town: "If they're stopping in the town ... the riders applied for the permit and at that point the town had requirements to meet," he said. When a ride merely transits the public roadway without stopping, he said, it generally remains a public-road event governed by state law rather than a town permit.
On e-bikes, the sergeant described recent school outreach efforts: school-resource officers and school staff have done education in the months leading up to the holidays and plan follow-up training in the new year, focusing on helmet use and distinguishing different classes of e-bikes under the California Vehicle Code. Committee members welcomed the emphasis on education and asked staff to continue gentle enforcement and outreach rather than immediate citation-heavy tactics.
The committee also discussed low-visibility stretches of road (lots of tree shade on Alpine Road) and recommended signage and driver-awareness campaigns. Members asked staff to track recurring peloton runs (the "noon ride") as a predictable time opportunity for enforcement or outreach.
The committee approved the minutes of the Dec. 12, 2025 meeting by voice vote; the motion carried unanimously.
