Comic-Con 2018: You can only leave dockless bikes, scooters at these four places

San Diego Comic-Con visitors who want to rent a dockless bicycle or e-scooter won’t have free rein at the popular pop culture extravaganza next week.

People will be allowed to park such rentals in only four designated areas in and around the convention center.

Officials with the Port of San Diego and the Convention Center announced the new rules for the suddenly ubiquitous dockless rentals on Thursday, one week before one of San Diego’s largest events of the year, which draws more than 130,000 attendees to the downtown Gaslamp District.

In general, dockless bikes must not obstruct vehicle or pedestrian ways when parked.

Here are the four designated areas for dockless bike and e-scooter rentals:

1. On the grassy corner of First Avenue and Harbor Drive
2. On the grassy corner of Fifth Avenue and Harbor Drive
3. Area adjacent to the pedestrian bridge stairs next to Petco Park
4. Area adjacent to the public walkway in Embarcadero Marina Park North (behind Seaport Village) in the grass area.

Enforcement will consist of people being asked and — if needed, told — to remove their rentals from other parts of Downtown, the Port of San Diego said in a statement.

The dockless bike company Mobike will program its app so that it automatically tells users where to park their bicycle after use, said Port of San Diego spokesman Victor Banuelos.

The city of San Diego and the San Diego Police Department have no dedicated resources or special plans to deal with any concentration of dockless bicycles or e-scooters during San Diego Comic-Con, officials have said.

San Diego police officers will be at the event and it will be up to them to enforce violations of dockless bicycles and e-scooters on site, an official said. The officers’ priority will be on the safety of the attendees.

California law requires bicycle riders under 18 to wear a helmet. San Diego and the dockless bicycle companies encourage all riders to wear a helmet at all times, but they don’t provide one. E-scooter riders must wear a helmet at all times. Bird offers free helmets, which users can request through the mobile app.

Electric bicycles and scooters are not allowed on sidewalks. Non-electric bicycles are OK to use on sidewalks in most cities except Escondido, El Cajon, Carlsbad, Vista and National City where sidewalk cycling has been outlawed. Users are limited to one rider per bicycle or scooter.

The Downtown San Diego Partnership has more details on what’s allowed and not allowed when using dockless bikes and scooters.

Here’s a post about the rules and how to use the bikes you might help find helpful.