Ellis pushes resolution to increase safety, prevent bike lane parking

City Council Member Paige Ellis, who chairs Council’s Mobility Committee, is sponsoring a resolution on this Thursday’s agenda intended to make cyclists and pedestrians safer and raise awareness of the risks of parking in bike lanes. Joining Ellis as sponsors of the resolution are Mayor Pro Tem Leslie Pool and Council members Natasha Harper-Madison, Ryan Alter and Zo Qadri.

If approved by Council, the resolution would direct the city manager to initiate amendments to the city’s traffic regulations to prohibit vehicle parking in bike lanes throughout the city, budget for a fleet of e-bikes for Transportation Mobility Service Officers and create a Volunteer Bike Lane Enforcement Program for changes to the parking laws.

It is currently illegal to park in bike lanes where signs indicate that it’s prohibited. If the resolution is adopted and becomes part of city code, it will be illegal to park in any bike lane citywide. Ellis and her co-sponsors are requesting that the city manager develop and implement a bicycle-friendly driver training program for first-time parking violators, which would allow them to have the ticket fee waived. They also propose a six-month grace period before enforcing ticket fines.

Ellis told the Austin Monitor on Monday, “This resolution is about making sure people can safely get to their destination, acknowledges the impact of transportation on family budgets, and is a way individuals can help combat the impacts of climate change.”

She said, “I’m proud to lead on initiatives focused on mobility and public safety, especially as we address infrastructure needs in our community and the necessity for multimodal accommodations. Safety efforts around bike lanes are not just about a few folks who enjoy biking as a leisure activity. By correcting and bringing awareness to dangerous driving behaviors, we create a safer environment for everyone on our roadways, including those who don’t own a vehicle or choose alternative daily transportation.”

For Ellis, the proposed change to city regulations “also moves us closer to our goals adopted in the Vision Zero initiative, the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan, Austin Strategic Mobility Plan and the 2023 Bicycle Plan.” She concluded that the resolution is just the latest effort by Council to show “its commitment to creating a more resilient, safer, and inclusive Austin.”

The resolution directs the city manager to provide a memo to Council by May 28 on recommended visual cues for unprotected bike lanes with the projected cost, as well as progress on acquiring the electric bicycle fleet, including recommending a funding source. Ellis and her co-sponsors are asking the manager to bring code amendments back to Council by October.

Ellis’ resolution notes that Transportation Mobility Service Officers currently respond to residents reporting parking in bike lanes to 311. However, this “results in poor enforcement outcomes due to the limited availability of mobility officers and the delay in response times.” According to the resolution, Houston has made parking in dedicated bike lanes illegal since October 2020. That city has also created a bicycle-friendly driver training program, which has improved compliance with the law and improved cyclists’ and drivers’ safety.

The Austin Ghost Bike Project, Safe Streets Austin and Farm&City released a statement Monday calling on local and state elected officials to reduce vehicular fatalities and serious injuries across the state to zero. The group announced an International Ride of Silence that will begin at Austin City Hall at 7 p.m. May 15.

One of those to be honored in the ride is Keith Culver, who was killed in Austin in March 2022 while riding his bicycle from California to Florida. Although his friends offered a $50,000 reward for information on the driver of the vehicle that killed him, that driver has not been identified.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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