Austin drivers parked in a bike lane will be cited or towed

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin is stepping up enforcement of vehicles parked in bike lanes. 

Since October, the city has issued more than 70 citations and towed 17 vehicles for breaking that law. 

“We are ramping up, we're hiring additional officers, we will be running two-person teams per shift and they will be focused on bike lane safety specifically,” said Jason Redfern, parking enterprise manager for the Austin Transportation Department.  

Drivers stopping in and blocking bike lanes is a growing concern for people on bicycles or scooters. 

“Rideshare companies are a part of it. We're also getting a lot more of our products by deliveries,” said Chris Riley, board president of Bike Austin.   

Austin Transportation said those obstacles make the road more dangerous for everyone on it, which is why the department will be handing out more tickets and towing vehicles of those who do so. 

RELATED: Austin now ticketing, towing vehicles parked in bike-only lanes

“If a bike rider has to vary or get out of the bike lane, they become unpredictable. Someone in a motor vehicle may not be able to anticipate what that cyclist is going to do. Are they going to dismount and get on the sidewalk or are they going to get in front of me? And so that level of unpredictability is a concern for us,” Redfern said.  

Riley said ideally the city would add more protected bike lanes, but this is a good start. 

“We should've been doing a lot more enforcement in the past and I'm very glad to see ATD stepping up now to take parking enforcement a little more seriously,” said Riley. 

ATD said they need to create safe lanes for cyclists, especially as Austin city leaders work to convince more people to leave their cars at home. 

“We want to encourage people to cycle to work, or where they need to go, and, by us clearing those bike lanes, it just it provides an added level of safety and security,” Redfern said.  

Fines for blocking the bike lane can run a driver up to $300 while recovering a towed vehicle is around $200. However, officers have been asked to help educate drivers first. 

“It's after that initial contact that, if they don't comply, is when we then have to go to another tool in our toolbox and we have to cite somebody,” said Redfern.  

ATD added a new reporting tool to the Austin 3-1-1 app to help people report drivers who are stopped in bike lanes. Under parking violation, there is a dropdown menu for issues. Bike lane is one of the options in that dropdown menu. The app also allows users to submit a picture. 

The transportation department hopes the reports will help identify problem areas where they can focus on enforcement.