Buffering Communications
RVA 5x5 - June 5, 2026
No algorithms. No content filters. No A.I. — Honest and insightful analysis from Richmond, VA.
The city’s latest communication and operational fiasco has been a hot topic for weeks now about cars parked in bike lane buffer zones, the city’s new law, and the bungled rollout that reads a bit like a Shakespearean tragic comedy. Why is it that Shakespeare is often invoked when talking about many operations of city government? He was inspired to write so many great plays with that theme without having ever visited our Richmond, but you would never know it. A topic for another day, perhaps.
On May 1st, the city began ticketing people $65 for parking in the bikes lanes and buffer zones designed to protect cyclists as part of a safer streets initiative intended to protect two-wheelers from being “doored” from passengers exiting cars. The wide buffer zones also ostensibly slow down traffic in travel lane by having cars closer to the travel lane than the bike lane.
The issuance a flood of tickets in early May caught many people off guard not for parking in the bike lane itself but for having parked heavily or partially in the buffer zone, and in many cases even for having a tire on the white line demarcating the parking zone from the buffer zone.
Byrd Park Bike Lane - Photo: Graham Moomaw, The Richmonder
The problem with the city’s approach was twofold. First, it showed the city’s failure to layout and convey a clear and coherent communication plan about changes coming to city streets; second it showed the vast disparity between local officials proactively communicating with their constituents, like 1st District Councilman Andrew Breton, and those that don’t, like the Mayor’s Office.
The city announced on April Fool’s Day that they would be issuing warning to cars parked in bike lanes throughout the month and begin issuing $65 citations to violators beginning in May (Bike Month). There was no press release on the Mayor’s press release page or the Police’s press release page. The announcement does appear here on a random, hard to find page with other police news and WRIC picked up the story as did The Richmonder.
The release said:
To increase awareness and education of the lanes, Mayor Danny Avula has initiated a month of safety reminders – violation warnings instead of citations – for drivers who park illegally in designated bike lanes.
Mayor Avula was quoted saying: “This safety initiative is a reminder to not park or block bike lanes,” said Richmond Mayor Danny Avula. “It can be very dangerous for people who ride bikes and people who drive vehicles. Thank you for helping us keep Richmond roadways safe for all!”
The city even put out a video on Instagram with an officer explaining not to park in bike lanes and why it was important to keep the lanes clear. One word you did not hear or read in that release or video was “buffer.” That’s because, on April 1, it was not illegal to park in the buffer zone that protected those in bike lanes from car doors. There was also no warning in the announcement to people that the city would begin to issue citations for partially or barely parking in buffer zones.
On April 13, 2nd District Councilwoman Katherine Jordan introduced an ordinance to broaden the state code’s definition of “bicycle lane” to include the protective buffer zone as part of the actual lane on the city streets that have the painted bike lanes and buffer zones (some streets just have a bike lane without the buffer, or a very small one, separated by those ugly bollards). It reads:
“…the term “bicycle lane” [has the meaning ascribed to that term in Code of Virginia, §46.2-100] means that portion of a roadway designated by signs and/or pavement markings for the protection and preferential use of bicycles, electric power-assisted bicycles, motorized skateboards or scooters, and mopeds.”
The legislation was heard at the Land Use, Housing, and Transportation Committee on April 21st, where Daniel Wagner, with the city’s Department of Transportation, said the city would have to work with the police and Standard Parking (the city’s parking vendor) ”to do some training to make sure that they know that that buffer zone is now included within the area that it’s illegal to park. So we’ll be we’ll need a little bit of lead up time to make sure that they’re well versed in that.
This was the first sign of disconnect. The city was going to tell the people who enforce the law of the change but hadn’t yet told residents about the change. 1st District Councilman Andrew Breton, by far the biggest cycling advocate on City
