AUSTIN, Texas — Last week, KVUE reported on the lack of parking spaces available at Lake Austin's 360 boat dock.
People wanting to get into the water resorted to illegally parking on the sides of the highways and even in the median of the Texas 360 Loop.
However, people say even if they park in spots where there are no official "no parking" signs, they're still being penalized.
Reinaldo Labrador said as it gets hotter in Central Texas, cooling down in the water is ideal.
“Enjoy time with your friends. It's good to socialize, you know, you get a group of friends together, rent a boat, go to the lake,” Labrador said.
Labrador and his friend, Briana Ellsworth, said Lake Austin is a popular choice. Ellsworth said you can tell that by the parking – or the lack of it.
“[It's a] free-for-all,” Ellsworth said. “It’s stressful because most people who are going to the lake are going in groups. So, obviously, carpooling is good, but not everyone can. So, you know, there's going to be a lot of cars there.”
Labrador said as long as he's known, if there isn't a "no parking" sign present, it's OK to park somewhere.
“I have gone to Lake Austin several times before and never had a ticket and have parked in the same spots that we were parking in at this time,” Labrador said.
Over Fourth of July weekend, he said that changed.
Last Saturday, Ellsworth and Labrador said they hit the lake with friends and asked the Travis County Parks employees where they could go.
“He just said '[Park] wherever you can find a spot,'" Ellsworth said. “So, that's what we did. We found a spot.”
They say they parked under the 360 Bridge, near the grass, where they've parked before. They said there was no "no parking" sign.
“When we went back to the cars, there was a ticket on every single car,” Labrador said.
He said about 30 to 50 other cars in the same spot also got ticketed.
“It’s just a little misleading, you know, because they said you can park wherever you can find a spot and then we all got tickets,” Labrador said.
KVUE reached out to Travis County officials about the rules. A spokesperson said that the only official parking area is near the dock where boats can unload.
APD said in a statement that they enforce and ticket people who park illegally when they are called out to do so.
But it's unclear who enforces every other part of the area, like under the bridge.
Ellsworth said she wishes there were clearer instructions.
"Just be clear with us," she said. "Say, 'You can park in this spot; however, you may be subject to a ticket or a citation.' Or have signage that's really clear on where it is OK to park."
Travis County officials said for any of the county's boat docks, parking is first come, first served, so people should plan accordingly.