New York Ponders How to Stop Cars from Parking in Bike Lanes

You can write all the tickets in the world but you can't stop drivers from parking in bike lanes.

1 minute read

September 27, 2016, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Blocking the Bike Lane

Dave Winer / Flickr

According to an article by Katie Hinds, "the city [of New York] announced it would exceed its original target and install a record-setting 18 miles of protected bike lanes this year, rather than the 15 it had originally planned."

The announcement attempted to change the narrative after an increase in cyclist deaths inspired a protest ride in the city earlier this month. There bike safety narrative in the city has also focused recently on the common sight of cars parked in bike lanes. According to Hinds, "in fiscal year 2016 NYPD traffic enforcement officers issued 71,423 tickets to drivers who blocked bike lane according to city data. That's about on par with 2015, when 72,206 tickets were written. And yet to gauge from the experience of the average cyclist, it would seem that tens of thousands of tickets are both not enough — and can't prevent drivers from encroaching upon bike lanes."

In addition to pushing for more bike infrastructure, some advocates are also pushing ideas like citizen reporting mechanisms of bike lane blockers.

Friday, September 16, 2016 in WNYC

portrait of professional woman

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 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 Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder