2020-2026: Emeryville Police Make Biking More Dangerous By Choosing Drivers Over Bikers

EPD Refuses to Ticket Bike Lane Blockers

Likelihood of Getting a Ticket Keeps Dropping in Emeryville

Bicycling Twice As Dangerous in Emeryville As Before

The City of Emeryville Police Department is forgiving motorists who park and block bike lanes in 2026 at twice the rate as they did in 2020 internal documents show, a public policy consequence that counters general pro-bike safety claims from the City.  Documents obtained through public records requests reveal a growing police tolerance at EPD for vehicles that illegally block bike lanes and put bicyclists in danger in Emeryville, the Tattler has found.

Illegal Bike Lane Blockage on Hollis Street
Putting up traffic cones doesn't make it OK.
Parking on sidewalk is also illegal.
EPD received a complaint but refused to
ticket this vehicle after a biker was nearly hit,
swerving around this blockage.

The documents show only one citation was issued by EPD for 54 civilian calls about lane blocking for the seven month period ending on February 28th, versus in 2020 when one citation resulted from 27 calls over seven months ending on September 30th of that year.  These numbers show motorists looking for parking spots in Emeryville are only half as likely to get a ticket for blocking a bike lane in 2026 as they were in 2020. 

This sort of condoning of bike lane blocking has real world consequences. Bike safety groups and insurance actuaries show how bikers, crossing the solid white line and swerving out into a travel lane from a bike lane to avoid a parked vehicle to be the most dangerous legal thing a bicyclist can do.  As drivers become distracted by increasing numbers of electronic devises in the car, parked car lane swerving by bicyclists becomes even more dangerous.  According to the Nationwide Insurance Company, surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025 revealed a sharp increase in phone-related distractions. For example, 47% of drivers admitted to texting while driving, a 31% increase from three years prior.  

Many drivers in Emeryville have learned police don't ticket cars for bike lane parking.  Scientific research generally indicates that the certainty of being caught is a powerful deterrent to crime.  So while Emeryville has largely given up enforcement, many other urban areas are adopting new technologies to combat the issue as provided for by a recent California law (AB 361) that allows cities like Sacramento and San Francisco to use forward-facing cameras on parking enforcement vehicles or buses to automatically cite vehicles illegally parked in bike lanes.  Emeryville has balked at using the new law.

In 2024 when he was running for City Council,
Matthew Solomon told us he 
supported bicycling in Emeryville.  Now,
that he's in office, he doesn't care as much.

Even as the City of Emeryville has been retrenching on the enforcement of bike lane law over the last six years, the State of California has risen to the public safety challenge, raising fines considerably.  As such, Emeryville leaves quite a bit of potential revenue for the cash strapped city on the table.  The California Vehicle Code 21211 that prohibits lane blocking, allows for fines of $268 for each violation ($238 plus $30 added as a ‘process fee’).  This represents a significant increase over 2020 when the fine was only $59.  Monies received is split between municipalities and the State.

Vice Mayor Matthew Solomon, who ran for City Council in 2024 on a conspicuous bike safety platform did not respond to our queries about this story as well as EPD who also refused comment.

The 2020 Tattler story on this subject is HERE.