Because the Travis County deputies who answered a recent Ask A Cop question declined to allow us to use their mugs, I get to answer one of our more interesting questions lately. I decided to call the column “On the Westbank” so I don’t get charged with impersonating a police officer.

The question comes from a perplexed parent who is not sure if it is against the law for parents to stop and drop off students in the bike lane on Westbank Drive that runs right in front of Westlake High School.

 

 

Q: With the bike lane and the no-parking signs, why is it OK for parents to turn this area into a pick up area every afternoon? Allowing this pick up area to continue causes a huge delay in traffic movement, endangers bike riders who are forced to ride in the street rather than the designated bike lane, and it becomes an even greater danger for those students who cross the street to enter their parent’s car, often no where near the designated crosswalk. Why does the police department not enforce these safety laws and seemingly look the other way?

 

 

A: The short form of the answer comes from public information officer Roger Wade, with input from traffic unit supervisors Lt. Richard Gruetzner and Sgt. Manny Mancias is no, it is not against the law.

The long form of the answer by these traffic unit experts is as follows.

“First, this area is in the county and not the city of West Lake Hills. In this case, it is not the police but the [Travis County] Sheriff’s Office that is the enforcing agency, and let me assure you that the problem occurs everywhere there is a school, not just on Westbank Drive.

“Secondly, we do not look the other way. According to the Transportation Code, a person may stand or stop in a no parking zone to pick up or discharge a passenger. They may also stop in the lane closest to the curb to pick up or discharge a passenger, which includes the bike lane.

“The best answer may be to know when school lets out and to avoid the area during that time so you don’t have to sit in traffic, just like when I avoid rush hour on IH 35 to cut my commute time in half. If you can’t, please be patient and watch out for those children who don’t watch out for you.”