Bicyclists applaud DC police's recent effort to crack down on drivers blocking bike lanes

WASHINGTON - D.C. police say they issued 46 citations on Wednesday to people who were blocking bike lanes downtown.

Those who bike to and from work each day say blocking bike lanes is not only frustrating, but it can be dangerous for bicyclists. Many have documented the violations on social media as they have asked city officials to do more.

The District has spent millions to become more bike-friendly, but some of the lanes they have put in for bikes only are being used often as temporary parking spots for vehicles.

FOX 5 captured several bike lane violators on Friday as box trucks and passenger vehicles were parked where bikes should be allowed to travel. But what really caught our attention were videos posted on YouTube from bikers pointing out this continuing problem. Many involved construction vehicles blocking bike lanes without a temporary lane to guide bicyclists safety around them.

In one particular video, a parking enforcement vehicle was captured parked right on the bike lane. Jake Gysland, the bicyclist who recorded the video, confronted the parking enforcement employee about parking in the lane.

"More blocks than not, there is going to be either a taxi, a ride-hailing vehicle or a delivery truck parked in the bike lane," said Greg Billing of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.

He applauds D.C. police for their recent enforcement on violators. However, he said enforcement has been minimal for years.

"We also looked at the hard numbers for five months in 2016," said Billing. "The city cited three-quarters of a million drivers for illegal parking, and only 2,500 tickets of that three-quarters of a million were for parking in the bike lane," said Billing.