Doohickie

In Texas, there is no prohibition from parking in a bike lane unless there are signs that specifically say "No Parking." I brought this up with a local bike advocate and public official who is well versed in this kind of stuff. He read the law, and reviewed it with the chief of police and with a local judge and they all came to the same conclusion.

njkayaker

"No cyclists around" doesn't work as an excuse because the cyclist would be blocked even if the driver wasn't aware of it (that is, the law is violated whether or not the driver is aware of it).

The "not blocking" means that it's feasible (and safe) for the bicyclist to pass the parked vehicle.

=============

If the driver is out of the vehicle, the vehicle is parked.

tadawdy

and whose problem is this?

If taxi drivers obeyed the law, they might make less money, too. Doesn't mean I have to give damn about what they want.

noisebeam

Bek nailed it.

chrisb71

that's correct, you don't have to give a damn about anyone but yourself

cellery

And you better never ever be caught walking in that bike lane or captain blowhard will be on the scene to make sure you pay by the good graces of his frame pump.

CbadRider

So if the nearest lane in the road was clear and the cyclist could easily go around the truck, the officer was right.

Daves_Not_Here

I'm glad the police turn a blind eye to legal, productive behavior.

I have a generic delivery truck with no labels -- our staff parks wherever they damn well please and never gets hassled when they make deliveries.

You're right about his peeing in the wind -- he chose to pee, got it all over himself, and is now angry at the wind. A most excellent turn of events.

Poguemahone

Pretty much. I'm not sure if I've ever seen a UPS truck parked legally, outside of the UPS depot....

They're like four way stops or speed bumps, just a road hazard to go around, that's all. Pretty much not worth getting peeved over.

kevin_stevens

From BikesDirect?

KeS

Keith99

There are 2 very different things a delivery truck can do that would be called parking in the bike lane. I know I see thenm totally differently and think the law does also. Perhaps 2 1/2 or 3 ways come to think of it.

A truck can be parted with the wheels withing 18 inches of the curb with the left hand part of the truck partly or completely blocking the bike lane (Lacking no parking signs of course). I have no problem with that and I do not think the law does either.

The half to one case is the same but with wheels more than 18 inches from the curb. That is not legal and does bother me if the truck is blocking a significant part of the bike lane.

The other extreme is cars parked to the right of the bike lane and the truck double parked. Illegal and worth getting pissed off about.

With the police saying it was legal I'm inclined to think this was the first case and a overzealous cyclist.

Keith99

I see them all the time. Of course I work in an office park and there is a loading zone space right outside our front door.

skye

One more reason why bike lanes suck. Why cycling advocates hammer so hard for these useless lines o' crap, I'll never figure out.

kabersch

Stopping or standing - the driver is still in the vehicle.
Parking - the driver is not with the vehicle.

When a delivery driver gets out of his vehicle and takes a package inside the vehicle is parked. If a taxi driver is waiting in his taxi for a fare he is stopped.

In either case the cyclist should have just ridden around the vehicle and continued.

Daves_Not_Here

More information -- I think this is the street where it happened:

https://g.co/maps/4fejk

I've riden this street many times -- it is a calm, sleepy residential area with a wide road, courteous drivers, and light traffic. Getting safely around a UPS truck in the bike lane here could not be easier.

Triode

UPS here does the same. They double park, block a lane of traffic, etc and so on.

If they followed all the parking laws, they wouldn't be able to deliver a third of the volume they do. Shipping costs would be higher, etc.

Sure, it's annoying at times. So what, life is annoying at times.

catmandew52

When I had a Michigan CDL ( loooong ago), I could stop anywhere to make a delivery, as long as it wasn't posted,
NO PARKING
NO STANDING
NO STOPPING
Or a specific city/local ordnance prohibiting such actions. Usually during specific hours.
Standing was interpreted as engine running and signaling device actuated, as not all trucks/vehicles had 4 ways then.
I know that UPS drivers do not leave there engines running anymore, not even for a 60 sec. stop. But, the 4 ways are flashing, even at the delivery door at the back of the building or in a parking lot.
The only city in Michigan, that I know of, that has bicycle specific lanes is Ann Arbor.
I have seen UPS, FED EX, USPS vehicles STANDING in those lanes, making deliveries. They either impede a few cyclists by stopping in the bike lane or impede several dozen cars and possibly an emergency vehicle by stopping in the middle of the street.
Their only other choice would be to not make the delivery.

unterhausen

seems about right, the google streetview vehicle saw very few moving vehicles. There are plenty of people parked in the bike lane, looks like a shared parking/bike lane, which is a bit of an ugly thing

Daves_Not_Here

Good point -- when riding on that road, we're in and out of the lane all the time anyway based on the door zone. A delivery truck is just like another door zone. Riding around obstacles and changing lanes is a pretty basic cycling skill that usually does not involve alot of emotion and drama.

In fact I would go so far as to say that a cyclist who becomes enraged at encountering an vehicle that they must change lanes to pass is the same level of lifeform as a motorist who becomes enraged when they encounter a cyclist that they must change lanes to pass.

sudo bike

True, but the handbook is not the law and can't be used to cite people. I'm not sure what law could be used to cite a motorist for this; the language I found does not prohibit parking in a bike lane absent a No Parking sign. There is one that prohibit blocking a bike path or trail, and some argue the language could still be used in defense of bike lanes, but I think that is theoretical and I wouldn't hold out much hope for it.

EDIT: Here's the bike path law:

And the relevant Streets and Highways Code:

So, unfortunately, since they specify subdivision (a), I don't think it could be read to be against the law, at least not using this law. I'd be happy to be proven wrong though, since I think it's silly.

KD5NRH

Sure they could; they can just send out the little "We're pretending we knocked on the door. Come pick up your squashed and oil-soaked package at the depot in the back lot of the topless bar between 10:57 and 11:13 on New Year's Day or February 29th or we'll return it to the sender." cards via USPS.

Do they deliver anything else?

Paul Barnard

That is not correct. Most states have provisions for the loading and unloading of passengers and packages.

Example of a State Statute ( Illinois) defining the term parking
625 ILCS 5/1-156 Park or Parking
Sec. 1-156. Park or Parking. Means the standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, otherwise than when temporarily and actually engaged in loading or unloading merchandise or passengers.

Paul Barnard

They are not universally useless. Coastal MS has done a good job of developing some very useful dedicated bike lanes.

Paul Barnard

Nope, see the above post.

Stealthammer

I have never been "militant" about sharing the road and would never have given the UPS truck a second thought, and I really strain to see why any rider would let something so insignifcant take up any headspace and ruin an otherwise nice ride. If some @hole ran him into a parked car or turned in front of him at an intersection I would understand the attitude, but getting upset over a parked truck that could have been passed without further regard?


Me thinks that the rider was being stressed out but other "forces of life" and used the truck as an excuse to vent.....