Bicycle lanes are traffic lanes, not a place to park your car
NO PARKING IN THAT BIKE LANE: Next week, that new city ordinance goes into effect, meaning if you park your four-wheeled vehicle in a bike lane, even just for a quick errand, you could get a ticket.
Under state law, bicycles are considered vehicles. State Statute 66-3-702 is titled “Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles” and says, “Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle” save for special regulations within sections 66-3-701 through 66-3-707 NMSA 1978.
Thus, bike lanes are essentially traffic lanes, and so you wouldn’t park your car in a traffic lane, right?
Petra Morris, planning manager for the Albuquerque City Council, explains in a news release that “in June the Albuquerque City Council passed O-18-14. This ordinance amended Section 8-5-1-1 of the Traffic Code to add bicycle lanes to the list of locations where stopping, standing and parking are prohibited. This ordinance goes into effect on Dec. 19.”
Councilor Isaac Benton sponsored the ordinance, and at the time he told the Journal, “Bicycle lanes are travel lanes, and it can potentially increase conflicts for cyclists using a lane to have to weave in and out of motor vehicle traffic to avoid cars parked in a bicycle lane.”
The city has put together the accompanying graphic, which is also available in Spanish. Both are at cabq.gov/municipaldevelopment/residents/ parking/no-parking-in-thebicycle-lane.
And while the ordinance goes into effect Dec. 19, Morris says the Albuquerque Police Department will have a grace period and issue warning citations through Jan. 31, 2019.
The published ordinance does not give a fine amount, but the Metropolitan Court website has the standard parking fine at $25 plus court fees.
SPEAKING OF TRAFFIC
LAWS: Crossing guard Chris Timm emails, “Standing on a corner and observing traffic five days a week, I am wondering if driver’s education and testing in New Mexico includes the requirements to:
1) Stop both ways (except for traffic on the other side of a median) when a school bus has its flashing lights and stop sign displayed (66-7-347 A),
2) Not to enter a pedestrian crosswalk until all pedestrians — and crossing guards — have exited the crosswalk (66-7-334 says drivers shall yield to pedestrians in crosswalks) and
3) Not to pass or make a U-turn in school crossing zones when the flashing lights are activated.
“Given the number of drivers who seem oblivious to those rules, either we have poor driver’s education or way too many dumb and less caring drivers.”
Editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@ abqjournal.com; or P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103.