Bicycle Austin forum

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,471

Website

City cracks down on parking in bike lanes (Jan. 2020)

Catching up on my reading, I came across a couple articles from Jan. 2020 about the city cracking down on cars parking in bike lanes.

I'm floored that the City cares about this now.  It's a big change from the old days.

https://communityimpact.com/austin/nort … ove-safety

Darron

Member

Registered: 2014-05-22

Posts: 131

Re: City cracks down on parking in bike lanes (Jan. 2020)

Looks like the city is going to pilot a bounty system. 

"In an effort to help city employees cite vehicles for illegally blocking bike lanes, the Urban Transportation Commission unanimously approved a “bike lane bounty” program at its meeting Tuesday night."  "The next step for the proposal is going before the Mobility Committee at their next meeting. If it is approved there, an official draft will be written."

https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2 … oney-soon/

Jack

Member

Registered: 2013-03-27

Posts: 345

Re: City cracks down on parking in bike lanes (Jan. 2020)

Bounty system is a good idea.  It has worked pretty well, I understand, for the NYC anti-idling program.

MichaelBluejay

Webmaster

From: Austin, TX

Registered: 2008-05-26

Posts: 1,471

Website

Re: City cracks down on parking in bike lanes (Jan. 2020)

I floated the idea to the City about 30 years ago to somehow deputize citizens to be able to ticket cars illegally parked in bike lanes, but it was a non-starter.  Bounty system seems to get around their concerns.  But even though bounty system is an easier sell, I think that 30 years ago they still wouldn't have gone for it.

dougmc

Administrator

Registered: 2008-06-01

Posts: 635

Re: City cracks down on parking in bike lanes (Jan. 2020)

I floated the idea to the City about 30 years ago to somehow deputize citizens to be able to ticket cars illegally parked in bike lanes, but it was a non-starter.

Oddly enough, the city *did* (and still does?) this for people parking in handicapped spots, basically deputizing citizens to issue tickets.

For the proposed (and not yet approved if I understand correctly) bike lane parking bounty, it sounds like a citizen will make a report, and then the city will send out somebody (a city employee) to check and if a violation is found, issue a ticket, and if/when that ticket is paid, *then* the citizen might get paid, if everything works out.

I suspect that they won't issue tickets just based on a picture -- it'll require a city employee to see the violation -- and that they definitely won't let citizens issue tickets on their own.  (They could if they did the training and background check like the existing handicapped parking system, but to add a bounty to that?  That would create an unacceptable conflict of interest.)