RICHMOND, Va. — On Patterson Avenue in Richmond's West End, what used to be routine neighborhood parking is now costing some families hundreds of dollars.
Beginning May 1, the city started enforcing a new ordinance, approved April 27, cracking down on drivers who park in bike lanes and the buffer zones that separate those lanes from traffic.
The change affects the entire city and is aimed at improving safety for cyclists and encouraging drivers to slow down.
But on Patterson Avenue, some residents say the change came fast — and without warning.
"I got two tickets since they rolled it out," Gianna Stanley, who has lived on Patterson for years, said. "We were given no notice that this was even an issue."
Stanley says she was parked correctly and still received a ticket.
When she contacted the city clerk's office after receiving her first $65 citation, she claims she was told the way she was parked appeared acceptable.
"My next step is to go to the traffic court to see a judge," Stanley said. "I just want a safe neighborhood for my family, for my neighbors and for the bicyclists as well but there's a way to do that, that's intentional."
While some families feel blindsided, cycling advocates argue the city's tougher enforcement is long overdue.
Natalie Rainer, Engagement Manager for Sports Backers' Bike Walk RVA, says illegally parked cars force cyclists into traffic and create dangerous blind spots.
"The buffer zone is really designed to give enough space for cyclists to ride safely in the lane with a car door opening completely," Rainer said. "Any time a bike lane is obstructed by a parked vehicle, construction work, anything that forces cyclists to leave the bike lane and merge into traffic, it really puts us in danger."
Rainer says this is not about convenience but survival. She was hospitalized four years ago after a drunk driver hit her and killed her cycling partner.
Richmond City Councilman Andrew Breton, who supported the ordinance, now acknowledges the city stumbled in how it enforced the changes.
"I believe the city should have implemented a warning period after the law was changed to give people time to understand the new standards, and also give the city time to clarify the standards," Breton said. "The concerns I'm hearing are the concern that some of the parking lanes are not wide enough to comply, and so I think it's important that the city's engineers analyze how true that is. I've also heard the complaint that they didn't have enough time to learn about the new standards to adapt their parking methods, which I fully agree with when I approved this ordinance."
When asked how many tickets have been issued so far, Breton said he did not have a specific number.
"I'm not sure, but I've certainly gotten a lot of emails about it," Breton said.
Breton says he expected education first — not immediate ticketing from Richmond Police and SP Plus, a third-party system issuing the citations.
He is now pushing for Richmond Mayor Danny Avula and Department of Transportation leaders to pause zone violations and potentially forgive tickets issued during the rollout.
"We want to keep our pedestrians safe. We want to keep our streets safe, but we want to make sure that people have time to adapt to quick changes," Breton said.
"We're going to spend the month of May to clarify those standards and give people time to adapt," Breton said.
To park legally near a bike lane, a car must be parked within the white parking zone lines and tires cannot touch the white lines of the buffer zone or bike lane.
City leaders say drivers who do not comply should expect a ticket.
Breton says he is hoping the mayor's office will announce this week whether tickets issued during the early enforcement period could be dismissed.
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