I have had a great idea for increasing motorbike parking in this area of London (W1)! I have recently posted about the halving of the bay I usually park in- in Bolsover Street, with the consequent loss of about 10 spaces. This has really got my goat. I’ve been reading the old posts on the subject here so I’m a bit better informed but I still can’t understand Westminster’s policy. Yesterday I had a brainwave: There is a huge, massive no gigantic area of pavement on Great Titchfield Street that is wasted on the one or two pedestrians who use it. Why can’t Westminster just reduce the pavement width and making the space gained motorcycle parking? Bingo- hundreds of new spaces- very little cost- everyones happy no?
The point is that they just want extra cash. With the congestion charge over the last few years and the western extension last year, they have lost a lot of income as people have stopped using their car. To compensate for the loss, they want to make us pay for parking our bikes.
You can say to them wahtever you like, they just don’t listen and keep lying about the true reason why they want to charge us. The key thing that gets me though is that Westminster is the only council which is planning to charge us for parking. Chelsea have decided to keep free bays, Fulham allows motorcyclists to park in car bays for free, Islington have also decided to maintain their free bays. It’s just Westminster who refuse to understand and recognise that motorcycles are actually a much better option for the environment. They are just after the money and keep pretending they’re not, which I find absolutely disgusting.
I agree 100%. Camden have great places for bike parking and rails to chain your bike to as well. I’ll walk down from Camden if they expect me to pay for parking as it would cut into my household budget. I suppose they would not give a **** that my kids don’t eat. Every penny counts.
All the other council’s m/c bays do not have the authority of a TMO (Traffic Management Order), this means cars can actually legally park in the m/c bays with no come-back - just be glad they rarely do. Westminster will be the first council to give m/c bays a legal existence, and to provide security measures in many of them.
Those TMO’s cost money, around GBP2000 per bay. The signage costs are trivial in comparison. In the end there will be over 500 more m/c places in Westminster, and they will be individually delineated - although I expect two small scooters will fit into one space just fine. The total area of the bays will nearly double.
However I am against Westminster charging for these bays - but if Westminster had asked the residents (as they could have done - they considered it) I expect there would be far fewer bike bays. So although I don’t like it the outcome is probably the best bikers could have achieved.
It may be worth revisiting the charges in say three years time when the set-up costs will have been paid off, and the running costs accurately known. Perhaps then only bays with security measures would be charged - and at GBP1.50 per day that’s not outrageous.
All the other council’s m/c bays do not have the authority of a TMO (Traffic Management Order), this means cars can actually legally park in the m/c bays with no come-back - just be glad they rarely do. Westminster will be the first council to give m/c bays a legal existence, and to provide security measures in many of them.
This is untrue - in Chelsea for instance, if you park your car in a m/c bay, it will be taken away to the car pound or at least you will be issued with a ticket.
Chelsea have resisted from charging all motorcyclists to use m/c bays. What they have done instead is to charge residents for parking their bike in car bays or in m/c bays equipped with security anchors. Visitors can still park for free in designated m/c bays (with no anchors) and residents who do not wish to pay can also park for free in these m/c bays.
Fulham are not charging at all and everyone can park their bike for free in car bays at any time.
If Westminster are so much after money (because honestly they are and have always been), why can’t they do like in Chelsea, i.e. charge residents who want to park with additional security or in car bays and let others park in free bays? I asked them the question a while back and obviously never got an answer. What could they reply anyway other than “we want to make money and are desparate for more money”?
Honestly, I think Westminster is trying to justify their decision of charging by spending unecessary money to build anchors and other devices everywhere, when they could build such devices in a number of bays and, like Chelsea, give people the choice to attach their bike or not.
I work in Westminster but less than 5 minutes walk from Chelsea hence will park my bike in Chelsea (in a free m/c bay) to avoid the Westminster charge.
I wonder what will happen to parking slots which are off the pavement and in which it is legal to park.
Okay, I agree with the arguements for free parking but what about my original question. I walked past this massive pavement in Great Titchfield Street again today and it really is wide enough to have a white line painted down the middle of it and half given over to motorbike parking. Why not?
On ‘secure’ parking…I don’t get it. We’ve got locks, datatags, immobilisers- why does Westminster think we need ground anchors or whatever they are proposing? Is the crime rate really that bad round here. If they intend to put ground anchors in the existing free bays the amount of space will go down. Compulsory clamping of cars for their own protection next?
Dave
I am sure once Westminster, and other councils work out how much they can charge loads of areas which are not currently available for parking will be turned over to motorcycles.
I know the spot you mean. There’s frequently cars parked on it as well. Simpler would be to just stop enforcing the M/C parking laws on bits of pavement that don’t cause anyone any problems. But that would too sensible.
What have they done in Bolsover st? Is that the bay outside the back of the restaurant?
I also don’t get the need for secure parking as I also would have thought that an alarm and chain was enough, but judging by the sticky thread in this forum, there’s been a lot of thefts in Soho of bikes that had exactly that.
Don’t forget the demo. Hanover Sq, Sun 28 Sept, 10:30am
I’ve not got round to doing this yet, but if you register as a car and park on the car bays you only pay by the minimum time - which is 15 minutes I think. Which is good for me as I only ever visit Westminster occasionally for short periods. Like visiting the bank to put cheques in.
Talking about Kensington and Chelsea, I think they have messed up royally with the M/C parking. There are loads of the permit bays which are totally empty all day every day, while the free ones are totally full all the time. (Quite naturally) So they will have to make a decision whether to return the unused M/C permit bays to car pay and display or resident permit - which obviously they make money from. Or start charging for everything. Because K&C is also “suffering” (ahh shame) from less parking revenue due to the Congestion Zone. What would help is to ban “commercial” bikes from the free bays. Because half of the space is taken up by fleets of Pizza/Food delivery scooters, which never move during the day.
“if you register as a car and park on the car bays you only pay by the minimum time - which is 15 minutes I think.”
I find that hard to believe.
Demo Sunday. Hanover Sq, Sun 28 Sept 10:30am. Be there.
BE THERE SUNDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER, HANOVER SQUARE W1 @ 10:30AM!!! We need as much support as possible, lets protest against these charges and make people hear us, tell everyone spread the word everywhere! For more information visit http://www.notobikeparkingfees.com
After the demo I checked Bolsover St again. Definitely no signs to explain how to pay the M/C charge. Which to my mind means that bay is free. However a call to the council and they said all M/C parking in the borough is chargeable regardless of the signage. Which doesn’t sound right to me.
JUst in case anyone on here missed this “uh hum” well publicised event…
http://forum.notobikeparkingfees.com/
I’d recommend keeping an on this group and giving them all the support we can…
http://www.notobikeparkingfees.com/
(sorry this is an additional edit with link to site Home)
[quote]
jbond (24/09/2008)
“if you register as a car and park on the car bays you only pay by the minimum time - which is 15 minutes I think.”
I find that hard to believe.
Here is Westminsters reply to my question about it
"Dear Mr HXXXXX,
Thank you for your enquiry, The charge is a flat rate of £1.50 a day, motorcyclists will be able to move between motorcycle bays during the day for no extra cost. you still can park in standard Pay by Phone or Pay & Display bays for the length of period you require, but you will need to pay the standard charges for the zone you are parking in.
Regards
Parking Enquiries
Right. So if you park in a car bay you are treated like a car and pay something like £4 per hour. Which is what I’d expect.
“Right. So if you park in a car bay you are treated like a car and pay something like £4 per hour. Which is what I’d expect.”
It depends where - different prices apply I believe. Where I normally go in Westminster (Queensway) it is £2 per hour
But if you are going to be parked just 15 minutes and it is a £2 per hour area then it certainly is cheaper than the £1.50 per day.
If you are going to be parked longer than 45 minutes the £1.50 is obviously the cheaper option.