IMPORTANT - Bike Parking Fees - Let's Stop Them!

[D-Rider]

You may or may not be aware that Westminster Council has been running a trial scheme to charge for parking in a motorcycle bay.
This is no longer a trial but has just been made permanent.

The concern is that this is the thin-end of the wedge and it will rapidly roll out nationwide.

The BMF and others are urging motorcyclists to support a Legal Challenge to this. From what I've read, it is believed that this challenge has a good chance of success and should kill this off for good.
The way we can support this is to donate to the fighting fund .... the idea is that we all make a relatively small contribution towards a £50,000 fighting fund (to ward off annual bike parking fees of £93 million - the estimate if fees are rolled out nationwide)

What's more, if we win and costs are awarded to us, we can get our money back.

It seems worth it to me - to try to protect another of biking's benefits for ourselves and future generations.

The campaigning group are Notobikeparkingtax.com - you can find out more and donate through them:
http://www.notobikeparkingtax.com/detai ... ting-fund/

Other info:

• MCN
  
  BMF
  
  Crossroads Rider
  
  UK France Bikers

Free bike parking scrapped permanently

By Steve Farrell -

General news

22 January 2010 11:56

Free motorcycle parking will be scrapped for good from Monday under a decision by London’s Westminster City Council.

A controversial trial of charging riders will be made permanent under a new bylaw.
Announcing its decision, Westminster said: “The permanent traffic orders will come into force from Monday 25 January.”

But campaigners believe the move can still be defeated in court. The British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) is urging riders to donate to a “legal fighting fund” which has already reached £30,000. The group says action is needed to save free bike parking nationally.

A spokesman said: “Westminster City Council’s decision to make permanent their controversial scheme for motorcycle parking charges could have national implications and therefore makes it more important than ever that motorcyclists fight this retrograde move…

“Currently standing at some £30,000, the fund needs at least another £20,000 to meet the expected minimum legal costs of £50,000.”

Warren Djanogly, leader of the campaign group No to the Bike Parking Tax (NTBPT), said the council’s “decision to make the scheme permanent has opened a window for us to launch a full legal challenge”.

Chris Hodder, the BMF’s Government Relations Executive, said: “The only option now available is to overturn the scheme in the courts.

"If we don’t, this could spell the nationwide end of free parking for motorcycles. Now is the time to stand up and be counted and support the NTBPT fighting fund.”

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

Find more details on the legal fund and the next demo ride at www.notobikeparkingtax.com

[HowardQ]

Yeh Andy, but the real income from this won't be from the charges to us for parking.
It will be from the fines we have to pay when not displying a ticket!
Blown away, washed off in the rain, nicked by somebody else, or just not displayed in a position where the attendant could easily find it.

Totally agree with you!

[D-Rider]

Yeh Andy, but the real income from this won't be from the charges to us for parking.
It will be from the fines we have to pay when not displying a ticket!
Blown away, washed off in the rain, nicked by somebody else, or just not displayed in a position where the attendant could easily find it.

Totally agree with you!

Apparently in Westminster it's a "pay by phone" system .... I presume this means you can't actually park unless you a) own a mobile phone and b) have it with you.

[Nooj]

How exactly do they hope to stop it permanently? Governments and councils can do whatever they please, if this case is successful the council will just change the wording of the proposal and do it anyway.

[D-Rider]

How exactly do they hope to stop it permanently? Governments and councils can do whatever they please, if this case is successful the council will just change the wording of the proposal and do it anyway.

TBH I don't know - I spent a bit of time looking but couldn't see anything posted to explain.

Then i thought that if the organiser is willing to risk personal bankruptcy if the case fails and if there is a belief that it can be stopped permanently, then better to do something than just sit on the sidelines, let them fail to raise the money needed to fight this and let it proceed unchallenged.
At least if it is challenged it sends a signal that we're not taking these things lying down and others may think twice before proceeding along similar lines.

I posted this on my local forum - predictably got responses that were fairly negative along the lines of "my tax disk says 'bicycle' so I can park it in cycle racks" and "why bother, just park it on the pavement"

I also posted up news that following a trial period, Birmingham is going to open up all bus lanes to bikes ... I suggested we consider lobbying Coventry for similar. Responses along the lines of it being pointless as we don't have that many bus lanes and most are in the city and we'd be better off filtering.

Sometimes I wonder whether the biking community can look at anything positively!

[Samray]

Sometimes I wonder whether the biking community can look at anything positively!

Not very good at conformity, even in our own interest.

[HowardQ]

Problem is Andy that most of the biking community, (other the some of our Harley friends), don't get together very often, very easily. Most of us are independent people who enjoy bikes and do not enjoy politics or even like politicians, (I'd like to see them all shot along with the BWankers. I go out on a bike, usually on my own, to get away from the crap of the day to day grind.
So we don't come together too easilly, even for a bike meet!
Most of us are very willing to do something like sign a number 10 petition, if it's quick and easy, as it is now online. We will also come together in large numbers for something which we think is really worthwhile like an Easter Egg or a Santa on bikes run for kids.
Fighting something like this issue is much harder, as you really have to deal with politicians and even the BMF and other groups have struggled to work together for years.
The biggest problem is not being able to talk to people who are interested in any form of common sence.
In reality you have a much better chance of success by lying your socks off about something that people might be likely to believe, global warming anybody?
Using the arguments about bikes being good in traffic and economical (??) transport always helps, but most of us don't give a toss about economy, whilst out having fun at the weekend.
I'll run an economical car in the week and do my best, but come the weekends I just want to get out on the bike. To be honest I am much more worried about thousands of roads where speed limits are quietly being lowered all around the country, and the incredibly dangerous state of our roads, which will kill bikers on a regular basis if something is not done.
Still support your views though!

[HisNibbs]

Last time I went into the 'city' on a bike I couldn't park it anyway. All the bays were over subscribed. I tacked onto the end of one bay, half in & half out. Got a ticket..

The danger is not so much London but of it being the thin end of the wedge for other cities.

However I tend to be apathetic on these issues as there is just too much to complain about or that ought to be fought, and I don't particularly want to do either. I wish those who do, well though.

[joecrx]

fer feck sake , i thought the goverment was trying to get people on bikes

[D-Rider]

fer feck sake , i thought the goverment was trying to get people on bikes

depends what you mean by "trying to get people on bikes"


.... and this is a council thing not a government thing