William Whitworth / KUT News A cyclist navigates around a car blocking the bike lane at the intersection of 10th Street and Congress Avenue. Austin City Council has approved a rule making it illegal to park in a bike lane.
Thursday’s unanimous vote means violators will be ticketed and fined. Fees could range from $50 to $300.
Council Member Paige Ellis said several people in the community had expressed concerns about bicycle safety on busy downtown roads. If a car is in a protected lane, the cyclist is forced onto sidewalks or traffic, putting the cyclist, drivers and others at risk.
Ellis said the change makes it safer for everyone.
“What you see, especially in the downtown area, is food delivery drivers or other sorts of ride-share services stopping in those bike lanes,” she said. “And it’s not that we don’t want people to be able to do these services, we need those as well, but it’s creating unsafe conditions for cyclists.” A car is parked in a bike lane near a "No Parking in Bike Lane" sign. It’s been more than 15 years since most of the city code around parking was last amended. Since then, the way people travel downtown has changed. Food delivery and ride-hailing, like Uber and Lyft, have become more popular. The city has also become a testing ground for electric and driverless vehicles.
City staff said the goal was to bring Austin’s code into the 21st century.
"It really is a modernization of the code to reflect the operations […]
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