Cyclists can now report blocked bike lanes through the city's 311 app and website.
The virtual portals for quality of life, health, and safety complaints added the option to report cars obstructing bike lanes to its set of "illegal parking" violations Monday, Streetsblog first reported.
"You can now report blocked bike lanes, under illegal parking." #nyc311 #bikenyc pic.twitter.com/96a8Qdbd1g
— Mike Cherepko (@mikecherepko) November 1, 2016
Parking a vehicle in a marked bicycle lane is illegal under city rules and violators are subject to a $115 fine.
The NYPD announced a concerted effort to crack down on scofflaws earlier this spring, as part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's ongoing "Vision Zero" initiative to make streets safer for all New Yorkers. The "Bicycle Safe Passage" initiative dispatched more than 1,500 officers and traffic-enforcement agents on a ticketing blitz the third week of May.
But bicycling advocates continue to push for more enforcement as the city expands its bike lane network and this year's death toll for cyclists killed by motorists eclipses the number in 2015.
Cyclists who leave their designated lane to avoid parked cars increase their risk of being struck by oncoming traffic or colliding with opened car doors, advocates warn.
The 311 app and website update makes it easier for cyclists to report bike lane-blockers with location details and an indication of whether or not the problem is a recurring one. The new feature will create a record of user-reported, geo-tagged complaints.
There is, however, no option to include a photo of the offending vehicle. And prompt responses to complaints reported still hinges on the police department's priorities, as cycling activist Doug Gordon pointed out on Twitter.
Good development, at least for data collection. Chances NYPD will respond in a timely manner or report actions honestly remain slim.
— Brooklyn Spoke (@BrooklynSpoke) November 1, 2016
In Gordon's opinion, de Blasio showed a bias against cyclists when he appeared on WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show" in September, recommending that police officers differentiate between drivers briefly dropping off passengers in bike lanes and those double-parking.
For frustrated bikers who need another outlet to vent, the website CarsInBikeLanes. NYC invites users to submit photos of bike-lane blockers, along with their license plate numbers and location, for potential inclusion on a map tracking offenders across the city.
