Free bike parking scrapped permanently

Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

"Since August Westminster has charged riders to use roadside motorcycle parking bays which are traditional free. The daily charge currently stands at £1."

What's the problem? It costs (significantly) more than that to park a car for 1 hour in Westminster. Laughing

For what reason(s) should motorcycles be completely exempt from parking charges?

and · World Chat Champion Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Karma :

Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

hellobaby · Nova Slayer Joined: 24 Apr 2008 Karma :

You need to read up on the topic and anyone living in London and traveling to Westminster would know that they have some of the worst parking bays I have seen in London and even if it is £1 I wouldn't feel safe leaving my bike parked there for an hour let alone a day.

Besides this is nothing more than a tax where you gain nothing from since all the council is doing is trying to fill the deficit that they have created through mismanagement of the money that they are allocated by the Gov. And to say that it used to be free parking is utter bollocks as well since you pay road tax etc which covers being on the road and the parking bays are part of that road, the only reason to pay for parking is to reducing the number of parked vehicles on the roads of central London, which as has been said already should not be targeting bikes since they take up significantly less space that even the smallest of cars.

Also why would London come to a standstill, what is so special about London that it couldn't follow the example of other cities which have mobilised the millions through motorcycles/scooters while still providing a competent transport network. I have never heard of a traffic jam caused by scooters, just have a look at cities like Taiwan or Vietnam where most people ride two wheelers.

This is a tax nothing more, and dont try to convince other people just because you think that there should be a comparison made with cars, fact is a motorcycle is not a car so should not be treated as one and should be treated as the solution not the problem.

Rant over
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Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

Its only £1...

But how does this differ from the extortionist arguement?.

I.e. a bloke with a bat comes to your house and demands your garden, if you say no you get beaten up, so you give him your garden.

The next day because he is seen that you are compliant he demands a room in your house. So you give it to him?.

What stops him or the council jacking this £1 to £5 ~ £10 ~ £15 in a short space of time?.

The only thing that can stop the charge from £1 jumping up is denying the allowance of them to charge the £1 in the first place.
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The Shaggy D.A. · Super Spammer Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Karma :

Just another reason to avoid London.
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Doovy · World Chat Champion Joined: 21 Jul 2008 Karma :

i ride into central london sometimes, as im only 30 mins out from there, and unlike car parking where the space in bays are adequate, the bike bay is just a car space with a different label.

its a free for all and ive seen bikes pushed and knocked and scraped because there is no order to it.

its not like you really get a traffic jam of motorbikes on Oxford Street?!

i still pay it because you have to, but unfortunately not with a happy face knowing my £1 is going to the greater good for bike parking.
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multijoy · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Oct 2008 Karma :

It's worth noting that Westminster's implementation of the parking tax is currently under investigation by the EU commission as they managed to do some ropey procurement deals to implement the 'pay-by-phone' system (under the guise of a framework agreement).

NTBPT's report & demand for an inquiry

If you want a text book example of how not to do it by the book, this is it!

TUG · World Chat Champion Joined: 12 May 2007 Karma :

slyrob · Traffic Copper Joined: 03 Jan 2010 Karma :

i agree with itchy, once in place the charges can only increase, anyone recall the congestion charge promises? i would also expect that if i am going to be charged to park my bike i should be given a marked space similar to when i park my car that affords a small level of damage protection. This will take up more space and therefore be pointless. It seems they will eventually remove all the advantages of riding a bike in London that have made me change my mode of transport. If so i will return to taking my large V6 four wheel drive through London's narrow streets which coincidentally i don't pay congestion charge for due to the seriously dubious green advantage of running on LPG Rolling Eyes

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