Is Austin really putting a bounty on bike lane blockers?

There are a growing number of cities in North America that are making some solid moves to take urban cycling seriously, and Austin, Texas is one of the most exciting ones. Case in point, it looks like the Texas town could reward those who report vehicles blocking bike lanes that are subsequently ticketed. It’s enough to make an old critical mass supporter weep for joy.

Austin’s Urban Transit Commission voted — unanimously we must note — to recommend a new program that encourages people to send in photographic evidence of vehicles blocking bike lanes via the city’s 3-1-1 mobile application. If the offender is subsequently ticketed, 25 per cent of the revenue will be remitted to the person who made the report.

It is just one part of Austin’s Strategic Mobility Plan, which has the ambitious goal of a 50/50 transit mode share.

In the report on the program, Austin UTC staff noted, as did Momentum in an article last week, that the “key reason people give for not choosing to bicycle more often is the real and perceived dangers created by a lack of safe route.”

Just like the movie Field of Dreams, studies show that if you build it — in this case, safe and separated cycling infrastructure — they will come.

The UTC recommendation references a New York City program of a similar nature regarding the reporting of idling trucks to aid in that city’s effort to reduce air pollution.

The recommendation also makes the following important points:

● Separated, protected, and obstruction-free bike lanes are the number one method to ensure the safety of users of bicycles, scooters, and other active transportation methods

● The 10s of millions of dollars allocated by 2020’s Prop B active transportation bond is effectively wasted when bike lanes are blocked

● Getting more people on bikes more regularly effectively increases road capacity, reduces pollution, fights climate change, and increases joy.

The new program will also include new signage and a public awareness campaign to make drivers aware of what’s happening.

“Bike lanes are something we spend money on, and study after study shows that safe, separated infrastructure or the perception thereof—or the lack of this—is the number one reason why people … say, ‘This is why I don’t ride my bike more,'” said UTC Chair Mario Champion, in an article on Communityimpact.com.

Following the UTC recommendation, the program will now head to city council for consideration in the future.