A Suggestion for Denver Parking Enforcement: Focus on Bike Lanes
CBS4 News reported last night that Denver Public Works cancelled 2,400 parking tickets between November 2015 and May 2016, mostly because of “officer error.”
You have to expect some human error in any system, and it looks like these mistakes (which were eventually corrected) amounted to less than one percent of parking violations issued in the city. When TV news crews need a story, though, they can always turn to aggrieved motorists.
But for any parking enforcement agents that really do find themselves in search of legitimate violations, here’s a suggestion: Check out the bike lanes. Denver drivers consistently park in bike lanes, every single day, usually with impunity.
Parking in bike lanes is a serious offense that endangers people on bikes by forcing them to swerve into traffic. But Right of Way Enforcement and Denver PD typically take a reactionary approach to drivers parking in bike lanes, meaning agents usually issue a ticket only if someone alerts them. It’s not an effective way to send the message that no one should parking in bike lanes.
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