No To The Bike Parking Tax
19th August 2010 – Update
On the 25th September the “No To The Bike Parking Tax” campaign is organising its second Long Way Round – The Other Way Round – London – Still Standing Still Being Counted – lap of the M25 demo.
The NTBPT campaign has now applied for permission to appeal the court decision made last month in favour of Westminster City Council with regards to the legality of the bike parking tax.
The NTBPT campaign has also announced that in October, they will be riding en masse to the EU Commissioners’ Office in Brussels to officially submit a demand that an investigation be immediately launched into the violations of EU Directives.
More details at www.notobikeparkingfees.com
Backing the “No To The Bike Parking Tax” campaign
Right to Ride is backing the “No To The Bike Parking Tax” campaign.
The campaign is a non-political action group representing motorcyclists and scooterists who object to illegitimate introduction of parking levies by Westminster City Council and any other authorities.
As the “No To The Bike Parking Tax” campaign says:
“We must consider the far-wider concern of what non-action against this experimental traffic order will have on the parking strategies of all other Councils in the whole land.”
Or for Northern Ireland our Government and it’s agencies.
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“No To The Bike Parking Tax” – What The Campaigns About
We must consider the far-wider concern of what non-action against this experimental traffic order will have on the parking strategies of all other Councils in the whole land.
We plan on organising regular protests on the streets of London, protests with purpose.
Answering Our Critics
The main criticism apparently being levelled at our opposition to this scheme is that of: “Car drivers have to pay, so why shouldn’t bikes?”, to which our response is:
- There is a severe shortage of car parking spaces – the small area taken up by a motorcycle is a very efficient use of roadside. At least 8 bikes can be parked in the same space leaving potentially 7 car spaces unused – this should be encouraged and not taxed.
- PTWs (Powered Two Wheelers) reduce the overall congestion in a city and so their use should be promoted and not discouraged with an immoral levy.
- Motorcyclists are a hardy bunch travelling exposed to the elements and at higher risk of injury than 4 wheel road users. Ask critics if they would consider changing to 2 wheels and you are likely to get a negative response. We are a hardy bunch.
Our Mission
The total withdrawal of all parking taxes levied on motorcyclists and scooterists and a full refund of all fees paid to date by riders who had no other option but to pay them.
We further wish to inform riders that this crazy tax is only an EXPERIMENT and that all can contribute their objection to a review body that can overturn its full scale introduction.
Action Plan
We aim to achieve the goal of the abandonment of this parking charge experiment (scheme is due for review by Westminster City Council) by making the views of riders known through a legal challenge (please donate), protest, lobbying, legal direct action and official objections.
Protests
We plan on organising regular protests on the streets of London, protests with purpose, for details of our next protest visit the events section on our website.
We hope to see you at the next one!
Direct Lobbying
We plan to lobby councillors to overturn this experiment and advise them of the weakness of the argument regarding the purported benefits.
We hope to also bring to the councillors attention the bad feeling this is creating among both their residents and commuters who greatly add to the Westminster Council economy.
What’s so bad about charging motorcycles to park when cars have to pay?
Rather than asking why shouldn’t bikes pay, ask yourself why should cars pay?
Cars should pay because:
- They pollute,
- They congest,
- They take up a large amount of road or kerb space,
- They cause significant wear and tear to road surfaces,
- They demand large-scale and complex parking infrastructures to accommodate them,
- Their use needs to be controlled and/or discouraged.
- Motorcycles/Scooters however:
- Do not pollute as much as cars,
- Do not congest at all,
- Do not take up large amounts of road or kerb space,
- Do not cause wear and tear to road surfaces,
- Do not require large-scale and complex parking infrastructures to accommodate them,
- Their use needs to be encouraged and promoted as an alternative to both cars and the already overburdened public transport system.
We will let the campaigns website speak for itself – view it at www.notobikeparkingfees.com
Motorcycle Safety In Northern Ireland – The Rider’s Perspective
Dedicated motorcycle parking in Northern Ireland does not appear to be a priority for most local authorities.
Motorcycle parking in Belfast relies on “dead space” areas for motorcycles to park and one specific area at the “Black Man” has been used for decades by riders to park, utilising the barriers in place to secure their machines.
In some circumstances, the initiative to include motorcycle parking in towns in NI has come from the motorcycle community itself.
A recent example has been the inclusion of secure and dedicated motorcycle parking facilities in Newtownards, County Down.
However what happens if the authorities decide to regulate or charge for this free parking and “dead space” areas?
Scottish Guidance for Road Authorities on Motorcycles.
“Motorcycle users will naturally look for parking opportunities close to their destination because the relatively small-size and flexibility of the motorcycle allows easy progress through traffic and the exploitation of marginal parking opportunities without causing obstruction.”
“Any difficulty in finding a suitable formal parking area will tend to negate the natural advantages of motorcycle use, if riders looking to park for any length of time are to use formal facilities, they need to be able to find them.”
“Physical security need not be difficult or expensive to provide, and inclusion of fixed robust features such as rails, hoops or posts designed to provide a simple locking-point for securing motorcycles is often all that is required.”
Motorcycle Parking – Northern Ireland
Standards for motorcycle parking are specified by the Northern Ireland Planning Service as follows:
Parking provision for motorcycles will be assessed on demand.
The number of motorcycles in use in Northern Ireland is approximately 2% of the total number of cars.
Where provided or required the location of motorcycle bays within a development should take account of the requirements of users and recognise that they are vulnerable in tight or enclosed space.
Motorcycle theft is also a problem that concerns most riders.
The provision of carefully planned, secure parking facilities which provide for natural surveillance can help to reduce this concern.
Additional security can be afforded through the provision of security bollards or inground motorcycle clamps to which motorcycles can be chained.
Purpose built security systems are also available which clamp the front wheel of a motorcycle and include combined storage facilities for clothes and accessories.
However the Roads Service in Northern Ireland already has consulted on residents parking schemes and issued a draft policy to allow the Department to introduce Residents’ Parking Schemes.”
In 2008 following a consultation exercise on proposed residents’ parking schemes in the first five areas in Belfast City Centre the proposals were rejected by the majority of the residents, mainly due to the cost of a residents permit.”
The initial proposal was to charge for parking schemes of £80 per house but the department has now decided to issue residents’ and business permits free of charge. As a result of this and other changes to the proposal the department is now re-consulting with residents and businesses.”
Draft Policy – Residents’ Parking Schemes
1.9.2 In the case of a motorcycle the ticket must be placed in a conspicuous position in a vehicle-mounted disc holder in front of the rider’s seat.
Roads Service is responsible for – 367 off street car parks with 31,240 spaces – 1 multi-storey car park containing 840 spaces.
In Belfast, there are approximately 1,300 on street metered parking spaces.
Links
Motorcycle Safety In Northern Ireland – The Rider’s Perspective Click Here pdf 2.9mb
Virtual Library – Secure Parking Click Here
www.roadsni.gov.uk/index/consultations/consultations-2.htm
www.roadsni.gov.uk/draft_policy_for_residents__parking_schemes.pdf
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