Volunteers Count Almost 700 Vehicles Blocking D.C. Bike Lanes in One Day

Forget bike counts. The new thing in bike advocacy is cars-blocking-the-bike-lane counts.

1 minute read

May 26, 2019, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Could not retrieve the remote URL (https://youtu.be/B0doyajXDGA).

"[M]ore than 60 people spread out across DC for a coordinated effort to capture in real-time just how many cars and trucks block bike lanes during busy times," report Mark Sussman and Rachel Maisler.

The findings of that effort justify a lot of the public frustration of people on bikes about the inadequacies of painted bike lanes: "Volunteers submitted nearly 700 bike violations," on one day, May 15, 2019. That's "25% of the 2,900 citations that the city issued for blocked bike lanes in all of 2018," according to the article.

Volunteers used the How’s My Driving App to report the violations. "The app, launched in January, allows people to capture driving behavior like standing in a bike lane or blocking a crosswalk. The app draws data from the DC DMV website and shows the user a summary of how many tickets a vehicle has. It also generates a report they can tweet at DC 311," according to Sussman and Maisler.

The volunteers are calling the effort the Data-Protected Bike Lane project.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 in Greater Greater Washington

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

A coal power plant in Iowa billows smoke into the air.

Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand

For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News

A sign on a fence describing the rain garden behind it.

NYC cools commuters with city's first rain garden above a bus stop

New York City officials say the plants in the rain garden can absorb 16 gallons of rainwater during heavy storms.

4 hours ago - Gothamist

A map showing Brightline West's intended route from  Las Vegas to Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Brightline West’s future may rely on $6 billion federal loan

The company has until Nov. 2 to make a $400 million equity investment into its proposed high-speed rail line.

5 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.