Vehicles Blocking Bike Lanes
- Afsaneh Jabbar
- Oct 3, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 5, 2024
On my daily walks around Sunnyvale, I often see vehicles parked in the bike lane. They are often commercial vehicles, and they are sometimes even parked on the sidewalk. They are parked not just for a short time but for hours at a time. They do so even when parking or loading zones are nearby. California Vehicle Code CVC 21211(b) prohibits vehicles from stopping or parking in the bike lane, even for a short time. We see many vehicles parked in bike lanes because our society condones it and DPS doesn't enforce this law.
Parking in the bike lane puts cyclists in an unsafe situation. Cyclists have to unexpectedly swerve into the vehicle lane to get around parked vehicles, raising their chances of collision with moving vehicles or with the parked vehicle.
Similarly, parking on the sidewalk inconveniences pedestrians and, if the sidewalk is impassable, forces pedestrians out onto the roadway, creating a safety hazard for pedestrians.
School zones also have many vehicles illegally parked or stopped in the bike lane during school drop off and pick up times. Parents driving their children to/from school illegally stop in the bike lane, putting student cyclists at great risk of collision. Students cycling in the bike lane swerve into traffic to avoid the parked car or squeeze past in the door zone, both risky maneuvers. Instead of driving their child right to the edge of school, parents could instead legally park their car a block away and let their child walk the last block to school. Doing so would greatly improve the safety and efficiency of school traffic for everyone.
Consistent with Sunnyvale's Vision Zero goal of eliminating severe traffic injuries and deaths by 2029, we must require the City to enforce CVC 21211(b), by issuing fines to any vehicles stopped in the bike lane. It is unacceptable that drivers completely disregard cyclist and pedestrian safety, especially when there is parking located nearby.
We can take action to make Sunnyvale streets safer. Whenever you see an illegally parked vehicle in the bike lane, report it to DPS. Call the Sunnyvale non-emergency DPS number to report the violation: 408-730-7100. You can optionally wait for DPS to show up, and call again if they don't. In addition, ask Lt. Juan Galazzo of the Sunnyvale Traffic Enforcement Division to issue a warning to the owner of the offending vehicle. Email Lt. Galazzo (jgalazzo@sunnyvale.ca.gov) a photo of the license plate, the location, and the time. Bay Area Bicycle Law expounds on the benefits of reporting. With enough people reporting and DPS issuing citations, we will see better adherance to the law prohibiting parking in bike lanes.
About the Author
Afsaneh Jabbar is an environmental, public health, and safety professional. She has 15 years of experience directing operations of municipal utilities.
