AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Transportation and Public Works Department has tweaked a stretch of roadway in northwest Austin to better protect cyclists while expanding parking access.
A department spokesperson said crews recently installed parking pockets along Far West Boulevard between Northledge Drive and Hart Lane. Those changes were made due to heightened parking demands for the intramural fields fronting the roadway, the spokesperson added.
Prior to their installation, officials noted there’d been “habitual parking” in the bike lane, limiting cyclists’ access. Vehicles parking in bike lanes can lead to “unpredictable behaviors,” officials said, such as quickly rearing out of the bike lane into the through lane due to the parked cars.
“The changes provide separation for people on bicycles, protection for pedestrians along the sidewalk and space to park along Far West Boulevard where they could not legally do so before,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Parking in bike lanes has been a continuous issue that city officials have been monitoring. Between August 2023 and late March 2024, city officials cited more than 300 people for illegally parking in bike lanes.
Back in April, Austin City Council voted to initiate a code amendment change process that will return to council for full consideration Oct. 24. The goal is to restrict parking in bike lanes citywide, with a six-month grace period planned for city officials to issue warnings and educational information before formal citations begin.