Central London Parking...grrr

Anyone know when Westminster will pull it’s finger out and start adding more biker spaces…

Ken’s doing his best to stop 4 wheels coming in so why do I see loads of car bays empty and sardine-can like bike bays?

Westminster Council seem to do sy=urvey after survey and nothing is done.

If they want I can nominate about 20 spots ripe for bike bays - mostly with redundant single yellow stripes.

Here’s a deal Westminster Council. I will rent a line sprayer and solve your problem for £15 per hour plus expenses. Should take me two weeks and cost you a mere £2000 max ( much less than you spend on canapes for the Mayors City Hall function ).

…and a bonus for car drivers - I will mark the bays …

"Solo Motorcycles only between 7am - 7pm " that way everyone wins - and the drivers can park there as if it was a normal siongle yellow in the evenings?

Well - deal?

Im sure i read something last year about them closing a lot of bike bays down and putting more pay and display car parking in !!!

The BMF are “on the case”.

There have been several meetings with Westminster council and we are lobbying hard for more bays - in particular we have asked for provision in St James’ Sq to be improved as we understand the bays there get full very early and are very oversubscribed. If you ever pass through there during the day you will see that a vast majority of the car pays are empty.

We have recently had some success in the South Camden area where 23 new and extended bays have been provded (within the Congestion Charging Zone) and we are hoping that we can use that as a lever to promt Westminster to do the same.

If there are any particular streets where you think an existing bay could be extended, or a new bay provided, please do let me know.

Not surprising really since the number of bikers has something like doubled and the number of bays remained virtually static since the introduction of the C charge.

if there was more bike parking available would mean I wouldn’t have to leave home at 7.30 every day just to make sure I get a space. Also perhaps then scooter riders wouldn’t squeeze their machines into a tiny gap next to my bike making it almost impossible to get mine out…GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Yep don’t know how some get em in there…cannot get mine off the side stand sometimes. Have moved to multi store car parks offered by city of london - they are free, have designated parking for bikes although most allow parking in unused spaces anywhere and they are under cover and only allow two bikes to a space - yippeee!

Try this link for info:

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/B485CE3D-4B1B-4DDB-9BB0-E9589FCAAD35/0/HT_PK_ParkingMotorCycles.pdf

Some days I park in the NCP around the back of Leicester Square near the Swiss Centre. Only £3 a day for bikes !

“Im sure i read something last year about them closing a lot of bike bays down and putting more pay and display car parking in !!!”

There’s one of the new bike pay bays around the back of Hatton Garden in Kirby Street. At first I was put out by it, but when you realise that it’s only 20p an hour to have a dedicated space (i.e. no-one rubbing up against your bike or moving it) with a ground anchor, it’s not such a bad deal. Mind you, I only use it occasionally rather than a daily bike park for work…so it could get expensive over time…

As others have said, check local NCPs and APCOA car parks - they often do a really good day rate 3/4 quid a day, but again gets expensive over time.

I’ve also noticed lots of bays that are no longer bike bays…in some cases we’re getting LESS bays when we really need more. B’stards…

N

Thanks Mini-Mo!

Glad to see someone’s nudging Westminster … hmm let me see suggested streets

Seymour Street W1 - tons of single yellow lines and space for improvement.

Bryanston Street W1 - similar

Old / New Quebec St W1 - space for at least 50 spaces but 20 would be nice.( especially in the dead end bit that stops just before Oxford St.)

I must write to Westminster and suggest the ‘biles only between 8am to 7pm’ idea…

£1.60 a day sounds like a good deal to me…

I’ve spent over £250 on repairs to damage done to my bike when in a free for all bay. Which equates to £4.10 a day over the 3 months I’ve been parking in london.

A real alternative is to convert some of the many empty car park bays to bike bays and then there wouldn’t be such a fight for space. I also have to leave home too early to ensure I get a space.