Designated bike lanes protect cyclists and allow them to share the road safely with drivers. However, when people park in bike lanes, it defeats the purpose and makes it harder for bikers to navigate busy city streets.
One Reddit user recently captured such an incident and shared the photo to the r/NYCbike subreddit. The image shows at least seven cars parked in what appears to be a bike lane on a city block.
"They do this on purpose – you can't be a resident of NYC and not understand how these green lanes work at this point," one user said.
"Paint is not infrastructure," another quipped.
However, some commenters said it looked like the bike lane wasn't yet official since the road was still being striped, and therefore, the drivers weren't technically doing anything wrong.
"You can still see the layout markings, unfinished thermo markings - in short work in progress," one said.
Someone else added context to clear up the confusion, writing, "A new protected bike lane has been installed from West 38th Street to West 52nd Street, with plans to extend this lane down to West 14th Street by next year. This project is part of a broader effort to enhance cyclist and pedestrian safety on one of Manhattan's busy corridors."
While the drivers may not have violated any parking restrictions, there have been plenty of instances where drivers willfully ignored the rules of the road.
For example, one cyclist shared a harrowing photo of a driver encroaching on them in a bike lane. Another shared a video of an illegally parked car being towed from a bike lane in Chicago — at least that time, justice was served, and the streets were safer for bikers.
Many cities around the world — such as Austin, New York City, Montreal, Bogotá, and Paris — are working to expand biking infrastructure in response to increasing demand as people seek to save money on gas and travel more sustainably, per the Christian Science Monitor.
Riding a bike is also a great, affordable way to get exercise and avoid being stuck in traffic during commutes.
Plus, more bikes on the road instead of cars leads to quieter, less polluted streets, which benefits both people and the environment.
But, it's important that drivers heed parking rules and pay attention while traveling on roads with bike lanes to keep cities safe for everyone, no matter how they choose to get around.
"It'll improve a few weeks after the bike lane is completed," one Redditor shared.
"The amount of money NYPD could make if they DID ticket cars in bike lanes," said another.
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