{"id":5670,"date":"2013-11-19T10:05:36","date_gmt":"2013-11-19T15:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com\/blog\/?p=5670"},"modified":"2026-02-11T04:08:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:08:21","slug":"washington-d-c-twitter-bike-lanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com/blog\/washington-d-c-twitter-bike-lanes\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington, D.C., turns to Twitter to enforce its bike lanes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The nation\u2019s capital may have edged up another notch on Bicycling<\/i>\u2019s list of top bike-friendly cities in America with its latest enforcement effort. Coming in at fourth last year<\/a>, Washington, D.C., earlier this month took to Twitter in an attempt to educate drivers about the dangers of using dedicated bike lanes as parking spaces.<\/p>\n

\"Bike<\/a>

A bike lane in Washington D.C. From Elvert Barnes<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Reggie Sanders, director of communications for the D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT), told the media, \u201cIt\u2019s a safety issue. Cars parked in those lanes force . . . cyclists to put themselves in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the agency\u2019s site, an average of 334 cyclists in D.C. were struck between 2005 and 2010, just at a time when its ridership increased (80 percent between 2007 and 2010). And the city is hoping the increased ridership will continue: It\u2019s adding ten more miles of bike lanes this year to the fifty it already boasts.<\/p>\n

Another strong showing in the local cycling community: the daily complaints DDOT receives from frustrated cyclists. Sanders said the complaints are especially acute for the 15th<\/sup> and L streets corridors in the city\u2019s northwest quadrant, where cyclists grouse about vehicles parked in designated bike lanes.<\/p>\n

In response, DDOT is trying to spread its message of safety via social media by photographing ticketed cars and tweeting the images with cautionary text. For example, DDOT<\/a>, which has more than 17,000 Twitter followers, tweeted a photo of a traffic control officer placing a ticket on a van in the city\u2019s downtown. It was accompanied by the caption, \u201cFair warning: If you park your car in a bike lane, this is bound to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The initiative appears popular. One follower tweeted NBC\u2019s coverage of the new effort and, in a message to DDOT, wrote, \u201cI\u2019ve never said this before, but YOU ARE MY HERO.\u201d Another tweeted, \u201cKeep up the ticketing.\u201d Each ticket carries a fine of $55.<\/p>\n

Whether other cities follow D.C.\u2019s lead remains to be seen, but some cyclists in New York City are skeptical of the tactic. \u201cI doubt things like \u2018shame\u2019 have the same weight here in New York,\u201d wrote Howard Hurst, deputy editor of Chalet<\/i><\/a>, an art and cycling quarterly, in an email.<\/p>\n

\"AFI<\/a>

According to skeptics, in Brooklyn, you’re never going to shame this AFI Food Service truck out of parking on a bike lane on Adams Street for half an hour.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe bike lanes are already so unsafe, they are basically unusable, thanks to the plague of unobservant jerks who open their doors without looking both ways,\u201d he continued. \u201cI actually had a guy yell at me for \u2018running into my door.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Avid cyclist Charity Stebbins, who has written about cycling issues and safety for SmartSign in the past, expressed similar sentiments in an email. \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly frustrating to need to swerve in and out of the (relative) safety of the bike lane to avoid parked cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stebbins, like Hurst, isn\u2019t sure that shaming via social media would be effective but is supportive of \u201canything that raises awareness about the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could make some drivers think twice,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

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