Parking in an Austin bike lane is now illegal thanks to new amendment

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin City Council members have adjusted the parking code in an effort to protect cyclists. 

Council members approved an amendment on Thursday which makes it illegal to park in a bike lane, even if there isn't a "no parking" sign. 

You also can't block an EV charging station, or right-of-way closure area for special events. The only exceptions are emergencies or permitted work. 

Austin bikers voice their concerns

What they're saying:

"This started because a handful of advocates that came to us and told us their stories of conflicts about having to veer out of the bicycle lane and get into a lane of traffic reserved for cars," Paige Ellis, District 8 Council Member said. 

Spencer Schumacher, who is on both the Bicycle Advisory Council and Urban Transportation Committee, bikes to work every day. 

"This is, I think, a long time coming," Schumacher said.

He says vehicles stopped in bike lanes is a common encounter. 

"It's frustrating, and I think it frankly should be frustrating for every single person that we've spent millions of dollars on beautiful bike infrastructure, but there are places where you just can't use it," Schumacher said.

Aaron Chamberlain also bikes to work every day. 

"You've got to quickly make the decision to get into the lane of traffic, which sometimes can be hard because it's so busy, and it just makes things unsafe," he said.

Local perspective:

Walter Benny, who is visiting Austin from New York State, shared his perspective as a truck driver. 

"It's next to impossible to park a tractor trailer, especially in a city alongside a road," he said. "I guess safety with a bike lane might be an issue, but for me, if I had my tractor trailer down here, and I wanted to deliver, get something to eat, I just leave it right in the road."

City will give a grace period

Dig deeper:

In a memo, the city says they will do a three-month period of public education, where only warnings will be given to people so they are aware of the ordinance change. 

"There's never a need to run quickly if you come across someone's safety. This is about public safety. When folks park in the bike lane that forces bikes to go out into traffic, people get hit, people get hurt and people get killed," Schumacher said.

When it comes to delivery trucks, drivers with a permit can stop in the curbside travel lane if there are two or more travel lanes in one direction. 

"It's a lot safer to ask a car to go around another parked car than it is to ask a bicyclist to go into oncoming traffic to go around a parked car," Schumacher said.

The city is also doing a curbside management study, which looks at how that space is being used. 

"I do really think that we need to create spaces that people can get to their work, make their drop-offs, and not block traffic," Chito Vela, District 4 Council Member, said.

The city is also considering the option of mailing parking citations in the future, but that is still in the talks.

Schumacher said a volunteer enforcement program is still being evaluated.