How to get trucks out of the bike lane, safely

As the weather turns more wintery:

Buffalo is making fun of the "snowstorm" that hit Denver last week

I have seen less regular bike commuters in the mile high city. It doesn't come as any real shock, as the bike lanes are almost never cleared (despite assurances that they would), and drivers have once again decided that parking in the few clear bike lanes is totally acceptable.

Actually it's pretty funny. Denver Public Works used to have a dedicated website letting the public know of their snow plan, and included which bike routes would be plowed. They have now let their domain expire: www.denversnowplan.com

Now when I can, I call the police non-emergency number, (720) 913-2000, to report the cars that are unattended, or have been obviously parked there for multiple days. When there are people in the cars, I tend to tell them, nicely, that they are parked illegally. This doesn't often go so well.

It's a weird thing how defensive drivers get when you point out their obvious lawless behavior. 2 weeks ago I had a gentleman threaten me, then drive up the street and wait for me to pass before threatening me more. This is that lovely gentleman:

Well today I again had a chance to chat with 3 drivers on my ride to work. I think I also figured out how to get the people to move without death threats: CALL THE POLICE BEFORE SAYING ANYTHING TO THEM.

Driver on 16th Ave,                            Driver on 15th St,

parked illegally next to a parking lot          Drove inside the bollards to park

The driver on 15th st also had another pickup behind him. Both of them drove around the plastic bollards that divide the bike lane from the rest of the roadway to park next to a "No Stopping Anytime" sign. The Driver on 16th ave was almost blocking the driveway to a parking lot. A lot of good bollards or parking lots do...

So in both cases I snapped a photo, then immediately called the non-emergency police number. Both times the drivers came out to claim that they were doing nothing wrong, and that I shouldn't be reporting them. But, seeing as how I was on the phone with the police, they left rapidly, hoping to avoid a ticket.

I even had another cyclist ask who they should call to report other cars blocking bike lanes. I would like to think that more calls to the Denver PD would mean more enforcement, so the idea or increased reporting should be a good thing. Else Denver cyclists can adopt the growing trend of shaming drivers with stickers, but I get the feeling that drivers don't really care.