Austin code proposal could tackle parking in bike lanes

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- This winter, Austin City Council could consider new enforcements to prohibit vehicles from parking in city bike lanes.

Joseph Al-hajeri, parking entreprises division manager with the city of Austin, spoke before the Austin Mobility Committee Thursday about evaluation work underway on the city's legacy bike lanes. That process, he said, is expected to wrap within three months and will provide greater insight into how to best delineate those bike lanes and what forms of enforcement needs are necessary.

City officials are eyeing more visual cues for existing unprotected bike lanes, such as street-level bike symbols, arrows and signage installations. The estimated cost for updating those legacy bike lanes could range between $50,000 and $250,000, depending on the needs, Al-hajeri said.

Austin leaders previously discussed in late March ways to crack down on parking in bike lanes and adjust city code to better enforce those prohibitions. On Thursday, Al-hajeri noted previous suggestions — like an electric bike fleet for mobility service officers and a volunteer enforcement program — aren't being recommended at this time.

Instead, he said staff are focusing on public education efforts following the new code's eventual adoption, alongside a transitional period with warnings for parking violators.

Those efforts join parking ordinance modernization work on the city's behalf, to substantially update current codes and regulations for the first time since 2009, Al-hajeri said. Those include:

• Removing the "pay and display stations" definition from the city code alongside removing the requirement for attaching receipts to vehicles' windshields
• Expanding the city's definition of a parking meter to better incorporate newer technology solutions, such as adding "digital platforms" and "electronic wallets" to better reflect how parking operates today
• Removing geographic or time-based restrictions for meters; currently, there's one code restricting hours in the core downtown area by the day of the week and an established timeframe for the rest of the city
• Adding language to the code to reflect stopping, standing or parking a vehicle in a signed or marked bike lane is prohibited, save for some limited exceptions
• Adjusting musician loading and unloading zones to authorize use of existing zones near live music venue locations
• Adding language for electric vehicles actively using parking spaces
• Updating fine amounts to "reflect policy direction and inflation" since prior updates made in 2009

Al-hajeri said the Austin Transportation and Public Works Department will present its recommended code changes to the Urban Transportation Commission on Nov. 12, before putting it on a future Austin City Council agenda. Originally, Al-hajeri said staff are eyeing a January council date; however, given the upcoming city election, committee chair and Austin City Council Member Paige Ellis asked if they'd reconsider bringing it before council in December.