Parking on public streets could soon become a little harder to find in Sammamish neighborhoods.

Public Works Director Laura Philpot addressed the council Monday with a set of proposed regulations that would alter parking on the Plateau.

Under the proposed ordinance, drivers would be prohibited from parking in any lane marked as a bike lane — something most surrounding cities already abide by. Philpot stated that she consulted with the Cascade Bicycle Club, which said bikers depend on the lanes to be free.

“They had a great deal of concern that if it’s not going to be solely dedicated as a bike facility then it shouldn’t be marked as such,” she said.

Deputy mayor John James cautioned the council about creating too many bike lanes and taking parking options away from residents.

“Going forward, if we adopt this, I think we have to be very careful as to where we put bike lanes because we may take away parking from people who may otherwise not have access to parking on their own lot,” he said.

Mayor Tom Odell supported James. He also raised concerns over people parking on sidewalks — something that is already illegal under the Revised Code of Washington, which Sammamish follows.Odell asked that there be a more clear wording of the rules in any ordinance.

Other parking regulations proposed to the council included a 72-hour parking limit on the street, making parking of unlicensed vehicles illegal and not allowing residents to park next to mailboxes between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

It would also require a 24-hour ban in front of collective mailboxes, which includes five or more connected boxes. The existing code restricts vehicles parking in front of mailboxes between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

According to Sammamish Police Operations Sgt. Peter Horvath, there were 41 parking tickets issued within Sammamish in 2011. There were 61 warnings and a total of 164 parking violations reported.

“We don’t have a parking enforcement officer, but we do respond to complaints,” Philpot said.The council will continue to discuss the proposed ordinance at its May 1 meeting.