Motorcycle Parking, would you be willing to pay?

[raesewell]

A very interesting concept, watch the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBn1kpAtCkI&ab_channel=MotorcycleActionGroup%28MAG%29

[richtea]

Interesting, but I'm not in agreement with the main argument. I'm not sure the emotive phrases help the motorcyclist's cause either ('assault on our wallets', 'fleecing', etc).

In my opinion the vital point he makes is that most transport plans don't consider motorcycles. That's the real point to argue, not the cost or lack of parking.

It's simple - parking issues would be solved if there were more motorcycles (assuming they reduced car usage). There are ~30 times more cars than motorbikes in the UK (41m v 1.3m).
Without greater numbers of motorbikes there's:
- no business case for private companies, and
- no social case for councils

There are other subtleties:
- motorcycle parking is more seasonal than car parking, which hits the bottom line (especially of larger bike owners who can afford/might pay for extra security, helmet storage, etc)
- motorcycles are generally worse at emission reductions (poor mpg per person except for the smallest of bikes, electric motorbikes are rare, not sure many/any manufacturers bother with recyclable materials)
- 'security' - bikes are inherently nickable due to their size, so expect to pay a premium over a car for that sort of service, not less because they take up less space

On a positive note, two of my favourite bike parks:
Aberystwyth and Skegness

247 miles apart - I'm sure there's a day trip right there, maybe with a mid-way stop.
My new book will be out soon: Motorcycle Parks of Britain^(tm)

And no, I'd prefer not to pay. But that's not a motorcycling thing - it's true of car parking too (but I am slowly changing my mind on this after many years - that parking charges are necessary). I'd prefer the costs were wrapped into business rates and the businesses will charge me a little more for the goods/services. The reason parking charges exist is very often to suppress usage. It's certainly worked in Banbury - the centre is completely gutted of useful shops. Although if I need my nails doing, followed by a haircut, and nip into eCigWizard for a relaxing vape after my new tat is finished, then I'm sorted for parking - at a cost.

[Phmode]

Firstly, am I the only one who thought that was our Martin (#fjtwelve) when the vid started. In fact, it was a couple of minutes in before I convinced myself it wasn't.

If you commute into a big city then this is of vital importance to you. But you are one of only 3% of UK road users who only have two wheels and probably as low as 2% on an average weekday. Supermarkets probably don't stock stuff that only 2-3% of their customers 'might' buy. It is simple economics.

I'm retired so don't commute anywhere and the free bike parking bays in the local authority parks in Hereford and Cheltenham are almost never fully (or even partially) utilised when I pop in to town during the week. In fact, I asked the parking warden in Cheltenham about parking my bike in one of the car parks and he was stumped. No one had ever asked and he had never seen a motorcycle parked in there even though you can see a couple on Google Maps. 'You can park it in the bicycle bays, no one ever uses them.'

Whilst I applaud the efforts to change the status quo, I think we are a bit like King Cnut (or Canute for David  ) trying to stop the tide from coming in.

About 20 years ago I rode up the M1 to Yorkshire and stopped at a service station for a break. I was amazed to find the entrance to the building had a wall full of biker's storage lockers, free to use and big enough for your kit. Most bikers never even saw them and just walked past carrying their helmets and promptly 'cluttered up' the tables in the cafe just like we do everywhere else.

It's a tough one alright. Brian

As a PS, I found this chart of motorcycle use by country...

https://www.nationmaster.com/nmx/ranking/share-of-motorcycles-in-total-road-motor-vehicles

...which was a real eye-opener. UK are 34th out of the 40 countries shown.

[fjtwelve]

Brother from another mother. He even sounds a bit like me. Spooky

[Matt]

Ah that's the fella I met at the helmet smashing demonstration that Richard put me onto in the summer. It's weird as he's more animated in conversation, but he appears to have read too many articles on how to stay calm and slow down whilst presenting. Am sure/I hope he'll get better!

I agree that the silly BS bingo terms do little to generate any impetus from me. I got to the end of the video and was still waiting for the CTA (call to action fnarr).

[raesewell]

On the French Duffers first trip to Luxembourg we stopped for lunch in Bastogne near the Belgium Luxembourg border and they had dedicated motorcycle parking with the locker thingies, very forward thinking. Looking at Google streets I can see that Moto parking is still there but the lockers have gone.

Here you can see the lockers in the background


Here is a Google street view from 2023 and there they are gone
Click Here for street view

[black-k1]

I think we bikers have to face the realities of life. There are too few of us bikers to be of commercial interest and too few of us as voters.

There are almost as many people out there who "know" motorcycles are simply death traps ridden by selfish, self-centered organ donors as there are hose who have a positive view of motorcycles so by aligning with bikers councils/commercial organisations are alienating others. Add to that the fact that the average of a biker is such that most of us won't be here for very long and the best approach for most decision makers is to bury their head in the sand and ignore any problems.

We are not a direct "green" alternative though we do have better green credentials than cars as, while the mpg of big bikes may not be better than gars overall, we spend a lot less time idling in traffic jams and causing congestion.

All that negativity means I think we have to make the most of anything and everything that comes along and, as such, I'm pleased that MAG are doing this work and have had these conversations. (I've just paid my £30 for this year! ) I'd be happy (or more realistically - no more unhappy than I am when parking my car) to pay for bike parking but it needs to be at a reasonable rate. I'd see a reasonable cost based on the area used compared to a car so somewhere between 25% and 30% of the cost of car parking as a maximum.

And thanks Brian, I initially thought you'd mis-typed! 

[richtea]

We are not a direct "green" alternative though we do have better green credentials than cars as, while the mpg of big bikes may not be better than gars overall, we spend a lot less time idling in traffic jams and causing congestion.

Very good point! 

> I think we are a bit like King Cnut (or Canute for David  )

And thanks Brian, I initially thought you'd mis-typed! 

I'm pleased Brian didn't get around to describing me. Not many spellings left.

Which reminds me of a Bob Monkhouse joke:
"Whenever people go past they seem to think I am from Kent!"

And he was. From Kent, that is.

[Phmode]

The whole merry go round is a vicious circle (as it were  ) .

I flatly refuse to pay for parking the car in the city so go by bike unless its minus an awful lot.
So, I don't go into town much.
So I buy almost everything online. Where there is ample parking for bikes and cars alike.
So the shops don't do as much business and can't afford the business rates.
Then the useful shops close and the vapour-ware types move in.

The local pub in Sheila's village had a 300% increase in their rates  . How in the name of all that holy can anyone justify that?

-- set flame on -- They are going bust anyway cos they don't open when it is dark or during the day and they don't serve the sort of food that most ordinary folks want to eat. And they charge for condiments...no, really! And 30p for hot milk with your Americano. The pub in the next village only sells beer and crisps except on Friday evenings when it's pizza night. The pub in the next village but one is fully booked from now to eternity, opens literally all day (I think they may close at night), sells everything from crisps to full blown high end meals and everything in between including breakfasts and coffee till the drinkers arrive. Oh, and they let bikers park in their private staff car park. Wonder why they are so busy? -- set flame to off --


Now Hereford and Worcester councils are about to declare bankruptcy (which technically they can't do) so the cost of parking the two bikes I have seen in one of their car parks will be about £3 trillion just so they can afford to pay off their debts and maybe repaint the M/C sign on the floor.

PS And yet another Martin impersonator!