NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
Mayor Karl Dean has made bicycling a big part of his agenda, spending millions of dollars to build bike paths and lanes across Nashville.
But people living in one Bellevue neighborhood say it's adding up to a waste of money. They have the lanes but say the laws about them aren't being enforced.
"This is the land of cars. It's not the land of bicycles," said neighbor Erica Guenther.
In many spots, the designated bike lanes actually serve as parking spots for residents, and cars often sit parked in them all along Beech Bend Drive and Harpeth Bend Drive.
"Nobody is following the rules," said neighbor Bill Nicks.
Bike riders say the parked cars are dangerous and force them to swerve into traffic.
"This would've been enough for me to ride in had there not been a trash can there and a van right there," said cyclist Mary Kay Graves.
It is against Nashville's bicycle law to park in any bike lane, and the penalty comes with a $10 to $50 fine.
"To me, it would be interesting if Metro wants to turn a little revenue they could sit here and write citations all day long," Nicks said.
Nicks said the law is not being enforced at all, but he follows it by staying parked in his driveway.
However, Guenther said she is going to keep parking on the curb. She said, with a small driveway, her family has counted on street parking for years.
She said she would protest if she were to ever receive a ticket.
"I'd go and take it to the court or mayor or somebody and complain about it. It's just totally unfair," she said. "People need to be able to park their cars, and the cars have priority, not the bicycles."
The bike lanes were installed about one year ago in Dean's plan to make Nashville a more bike-friendly city. A 2012 study found Nashville ranks 37th on the list of safest cities to bike but was ranked ninth in the nation for spending on bike-related projects, with $25 million slated to be spent this year.
Metro police said they don't patrol for cars parked in bike lanes but they will fine offenders if their officers are called to a specific location.
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