The D.C. Department of Transportation began a new push this week to ticket cars parked in bike lanes -- and the agency is taking to social media to advertise their cause.
Monday morning, DDOT tweeted a picture of a traffic control officer ticketing a van in downtown D.C., with the text, "Fair warning: If you park your car in a bike lane, this is bound to happen."
DDOT spokesman Reggie Sanders said the department received hundreds of complaints about cars parked in designated bike lanes along the 15th Street and L Street corridors in northwest. According to Sanders, cyclists said they were concerned for their safety.
In response, some traffic control officers took to the streets, ticketing any cars parked along the bike lanes. The cost of one of those tickets is $55.
"This isn't punitive," Sanders said. "It's about education."
According to the DDOT website, an average of 334 cyclists were struck in the District between 2005 and 2010.
As of 2012, D.C. had more than 50 miles of bike lanes, with plans to increase that number to 60 by the end of 2013.
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"Cars parked in those lanes force those cyclists to put themselves in danger," Sanders added.
DDOT has more than 17,000 followers on Twitter. It continued the ticket tweets Tuesday with a photo of three ticketed cars along 15th Street NW.
"We're going to do this as long as necessary," Sanders said. "When people come into the city, they need to know the rules."
Another ticket written; another inductee into the Hall of Shame. Please, please don't park in our bike lanes. pic.twitter.com/ooiVegMtgn — DDOT DC (@DDOTDC) November 4, 2013
