Attention bicyclists! Next time you notice some ass hat has decided to park their car in a marked bike lane, you can call 311 and have the vehicle ticketed by one of three city of Austin Public Works Department Bicycle and Pedestrian Program staffers, who’ve recently been deputized as badge-toting parking enforcement officers. Bike program project coordinator Nadia Barrera says she and two others can now ticket cars illegally parked within painted full-time bike lanes, as well as bike lanes where parking is prohibited during certain times as designated on signs. The move is partially meant to ease the burden on the Austin Police Department, which previously received such parking violation calls. She said a first offense parking ticket will cost drivers $40.
In other bike lane news, Barrera says 311 calls to report debris in bike lanes, which can be very dangerous to cyclists, will now be expedited to the Public Works Department, which she says will be able to clear the debris faster than Solid Waste Services, previously tasked with the job. For more local bike info and a map of Austin’s bicycle routes, color-coded by ease of use, see www.ci.austin.tx.us/bicycle.
This article appears in 2007.