At last… Barrow is out!
Cllr Colin Barrow is out, and we see Westminster Council’s dream of night-time parking charges about to fade to a distant nightmare.
This is a great victory for the combined forces of the “No To The Bike Parking Tax” campaign and the “We are against Westminster City Council new parking regulations” campaign. I am sure all at NTBPT are pleased for the businesses and workers of Westminster and are relieved that such a destructive policy has failed.
Westminster Council now need to get rid of the Bike Parking Tax.
We have done our bit for the night-time workers; now we need to remind Westminster Council what our main agenda is, and at the same time let them know we won’t go away until the Tax goes away.
This is a good time to make a difference. Check the NTBPT forums for upcoming events and please try to attend as we need to strike while the iron is hot.
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RETURN OF THE WEDNESDAY EVENING SUPPER CLUB
another great night out , well done to all who attended , lets make the next one even bigger
NTBPT Campaign accounts published, links below
Below are links to the full accounts for all donations and expenses for the NTBPT campaign, can you believe we raised a staggering £89,594.40! Bank statement scans and lists of donors (names censored) are available, as well as all legal costs broken down. Any questions please contact [email protected]
- Account summary & overview of documents for NTBPT Accounts (PDF 94kb)
- Aug 09 to Jul 10 censored bank statements pt 1 (PDF 3.3mb)
- Aug 10 to May 11 censored bank statement pt 2 (PDF 4.4mb)
- Lawyer Costs & Funds Received Schedule (PDF 717kb)
- NTBPT Legal Fund Donors XLS – Names Censored (Excel XLS 344kb)
The High Court Judgement itself in full
Naturally, the whole NTBPT Campaign, and a huge number of outside supporters, are immensely disappointed with the Court’s decision. Before WCC trot out the usual diatribe of “hoping to draw a line underneath this”, let it be clearly understood that there are no large females singing on this side!
Whilst grounds for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court have been submitted to this court (see points 18 onwards of attachment), the anticipated refusal means our case will be taken to Europe, but this time against the UK Government, where legal-aid negates the need for any further fundraising.
We are keen to see whether the ECJ agrees that:-
1) The requirement that an actual experiment must support any “Experimental Traffic Order” can be ignored – when it comes to parking
2) Accurate data upon which Councillors base crucial decisions when adopting new traffic schemes need not be adhered to, since such data is “only a projection”
3) A traffic benefit of demand management need not be supported by any scientific evidence of claimed “increase in demand”
4) Legislation allows for a local authority to declare the termination of discriminatory treatment between different vehicle types, based upon its own ideas of ‘fairness’. (see points 22 to 24 of attachment)
5) The requirement to consult in a fair, conscientious & considered manner can be deemed fulfilled even when all the consultees are deliberately misled as to the actual justification.
We have always maintained that this scheme was intended to raise revenue. The notion that the residents were to be beneficiaries could have lent a modicum of justification to this charge. But this was simply not the case as WCC admitted the scheme was sold as being ‘revenue-neutral’ to the other Councillors, and presented in court as costing the residents a projected £400k per annum.
The actual beneficiaries were to be the two private companies contracted to collect & enforce the scheme – both with unacceptably close links to certain councillors & officers; both of whose contract awards were mired in allegations of collusion & corruption; and both with separate complaints either previously investigated or under investigation by the EU Commission.
Only last month, WCC squandered £600k on an out-of-court settlement rather than have the parking enforcement contract award examined under the public glare of a court case.
However, it was a secondary revenue stream resulting from the new technology of Pay-By-Phone parking – identified by the scheme’s architect Alistair Gilchrist – that we say was the real motivation behind this scheme. As proved by other agencies like DVLA, the trading in the personal data of motorists has a ready and lucrative marketplace. Income was to be derived by selling it through a private limited company, Westco Trading Ltd, and could then be distributed as ‘bonuses’. This found great favour amongst a less than reputable WCC inner-sanctum.
This campaign has long asked why any council should ever need its own private limited company. Could the requirement on all councils to lay open all items of account for a 20-day period lead to the conclusion that WCC have something to hide?
At Point 29 of this judgement, it is stated: ‘The important point is that, in my judgement, the ultimate decision-maker, the Cabinet Member, was not materially misled by the information with which he was provided’. At Point 32 (in reiterating the original judgement): ‘It was ultimately for the Cabinet Member to make a judgement.’
Our view is that this particular Cabinet Member, being Mr Gilchrist’s flatmate and Co-Director of Westco Trading, Cllr. Danny Chalkley, was also due to benefit financially, and therefore no amount of mis-information would have had any impact on his decision.
Had this information been permissible in this case, we feel sure that neither Judge would have seen Cllr. Chalkley as being the best arbiter of any objections to the scheme.
At point 12 the judge seems to write off blatant duplicity by WCC by stating that ‘the Council has not always been entirely consistent about the objective sought to be achieved by charging’.
An interesting analysis is offered here by Dr. Leon Mannings, a Transport Policy expert, about the skewed consultation, listing duped consultees including MAG, BMF and a representative of the Motor Cycle Industry Association, who attended a meeting with Cllr Chalkley in June 2009 where assurances were given regarding the reasons for the charge as not being demand management – this fact was also mentioned in court.
This would explain the stance taken by the MCIA Chief Exec in an email dated 23 June 2009 to the campaign:
“Although MCI does not endorse Westminster’s pay for parking scheme, there is an argument to suggest that if carefully designed schemes can be put in place, which have ring fenced revenues which will be ploughed back into greater parking provision and an increased number of secure motorcycle bays, then it may be entirely reasonable to charge a nominal fee for parking a PTW, as this would represent direct value for money for riders (not a perceived tax) and a real expectation of ever improving motorcycle parking.”
We were later encouraged to hear that, following the meeting facilitated by Dr Mannings, the MCIA resolved that, should it ever come to light that this scheme was based on “demand management”, it would reconsider its position – since we were of the opinion that the only serious opposition WCC truly feared was the equally powerful industrialists of the MCIA.
Very early in this campaign, the Tax Payers Alliance calculated that the scheme’s roll-out nationwide could result in the motorcycling community forking out £93m to simply park where it has always been free. It has always been our view that such a massive reduction in the buying power of the UK motorcycling public could not be sustained by a specialised retail sector suffering equally with all other sectors in these austere times.
The judgement handed down today bares testament to the way in which both the MCIA and the industry as a whole were misled by WCC. Perhaps a silver lining of this adverse judgement will be the MCIA and the wider industry undertaking a review of their policy toward the tax now that the ‘official reasons’ are clear to us all, and voicing their opposition to it.
Regrettably, Dr Mannings fails to acknowledge the enormous effort & personal sacrifice of a small group of plucky volunteers that make up this NTBPT Campaign who were not drawn in by councillors’ promises. This resulted in their clubbing together, at great personal cost both in time & finances, to not only bring the legal challenge in the first place, but to successfully quarantine the concept of on-street motorcycle parking charges to the borough of Westminster. Yet the great shame behind this voluntary effort was that requests for assistance from more established lobby groups appeared to fall on deaf ears.
In the meantime, we hope that many of our more ardent supporters can put this particular disappointment behind them and continue to support us as we take the fight to the ECJ, safe in the knowledge that our numbers will inevitably swell as those untouched by the WCC scheme fall victim to similar ones adopted by their own council
Shame no one was selling teh hi viz vest at the rally today
Very effective demonsatration today, must have been good. Plenty of visual evidence of “driver rage”!
The clandestine method of texting the venue worked well and surely has to be the way forward.
Big applause to the organisers!!!
I was there, but late… Caught the last few bikes leaving Traf Square then headed towards Millbank Towers.
I came in from Grays (near Lakeside shopping centre) as I don’t work in London, but am 110% behind the cause. Any chance of getting more notice next time??? For us out-of-towners. An extra 30 mins would be great, but I understand the art of surprise is everything.
Well done all the organisers and people who turned up… See you all next time…
Good luck guys,I was with you in spirit.
I am all for any demo which tries to take away any of our rights to use two wheels anywhere.I see this as the thin end of the wedge with more anti bike legislation around the corner.
See you guys around.
NICE ONE,
Well done guys and girls for the demo just gone. have been on previous demo’s but couldnt make this one. Please keep it up, causing the traffic to pile up must be the way forward, this is just an example of how cars cause congestion. We are being taxed like the congestion causers so may aswell demonstrate to the public how much more congestion would be added to the roads if we all gave our bikes up and got in the car. Bring on the next demo, weekend please
The ride out demonstration was brilliant! We need more of these flash demos. The SMS text message notifications is an excellent idea. I hope the SMS system is used on future protests. I’m sure Westminster City Council, Verrus and NSL Services will approve as they love text messages (or is that only when they make money from it?).
Motorcycles, mopeds and scooters are the answer to London’s congestion problems as they don’t cause congestion (bikes can filter through traffic jams), which is why they are exempt from the Congestion Charge and motorcycle parking has always been provided free of charge. By charging bikes to park in motorcycle bays in the City of Westminster (CoW), their use is being discouraged which means more commuters and residents will have to either drive their cars into Westminster or use buses and trains which are already over crowded. If every motorcyclist that usually parks in Westminster’s motorcycle bays took a bus or used London Underground there would be even more overcrowding.
I would really like to know what the Conservative Party think about motorbikes as on one hand the Mayor of London Boris Johnson has allowed bikes in TfL red route bus lanes but then on the other hand you’ve got Cllr Danny Chalkley and Westminster City Council (WCC) stealth taxing bikers. What is the Tory policy on Powered Two Wheelers (PTW)?
Another thing that really worries me is Camden Council planning to charge for motorcycle parking bays in the London Borough of Camden. This needs to be stopped before it starts, if you know what I mean. Camden is looking to introduce Pay by Phone parking (cashless parking) this year which will open the door for motorcycle parking charges as they will have a means to charge bikes for parking. We must keep an eye on Camden Council!
Also, what will the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) do with all their unused resident permit only motorcycle bays (the ones with the security ground anchors fitted)? Their current scheme hasn’t worked so the parking bays should all become free like their visitor motorcycle bays, but will they? Or will Kensington & Chelsea try to start charging for every motorcycle bay in their borough? Another council that we need to watch carefully.
NO TO BIKE PARKING FEES!
Bugger. I work in camden.
Was on the last demo. Lot of angry people…..and one taxi driver fully on our side.
Missed this one as at work. So how can we find out about those flash demos?
I am no expert so want to ask. Taking a bike cover, one which can be locked, putting it on a bike and not paying would that work?
If I recall correctly I have read somewhere that parking wardens can not damage your property to check the plate? If cover is lockable you will not be able to lift it to see the plate. No plate no ticket?
Lukas, you can register top right for flash demos.
Yes indeedy, throwing a cover over your bike is the simplest solution to avoiding the tax. I personally have a 1.5 metre chain i creatively wrap round cover and plate. I call it my f**k *ff chain. Works a treat. Never paid a penny in bike tax to thieving Westminster.
Unfortunately traffic wardens ARE now allowed to remove bike covers (or anything else covering your number plate) in order to issue parking tickets, so be careful as you may end up with an unexpected parking fine. It used to be that only a police officer could touch your motorcycle or scooter but now traffic wardens can tamper too, I’m afraid. This change in the law came about at the same time traffic/parking wardens were rebranded Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs). I guess if the bike cover was locked down then the CEO wouldn’t be able to physically remove it so I’m not sure how they would issue a PCN (Penalty Charge Notice) as surely they can’t damage your property, can they? Remember, this is the Westminster Council Parking Department we are talking about here.
You could always remove your number plate so your VRM (Vehicle Registration Mark) can’t be identified, but as this is illegal I wouldn’t recommend it, but I have heard it’s useful if you are not parking for long. If someone does decide to do this they must make sure that they don’t have anything else indicating their VRM, like a tax disc or paper residents parking permit. Bear in mind that the police can legally tow away motorcycles and scooters that don’t have a number plate displayed.
I personally think motor cycles should be treated like bicycles and we should be able to lock our bikes up anywhere (within reason) and use cycle lanes and the green bike boxes at traffic lights that they call ASL (Advanced Stop Lines) just like push bikes, after all, our taxation class is bicycle. Failing that, at least stop fining us and just let us park in solo motorcycle bays for free again, Danny Chalkley!
I have today for the 1st time in over twenty years visted the westend of london on a friends bike, ..
Parked for lunch behind the strand..
Low and behold came back to the bike to find a parking ticket !!!!
I really wasnt aware that you have to pay for your motorcycle parking here in the capital? when did this happen???
I am so glad that I moved to the otherside of the world where at least motorcylist have a real say and this stealth tax would not be even given public air.
I am around for the next rally, lets hope that we can be really heard at the next rally,
I read the future of this great country a while back,, the future isnt for us the motorcyclists its for the ignorants that look down from there high seat in office and demand that they are given freebies as and when,
I love great britain but not as it is today..
This isnt meant to patrionise anyone just cant belive we have let this happen to our great country.
I
10th March. I work around London doing maintenance work, my office in Victoria. Took me half an hour to cross Lambeth Bridge. Why so slow? Roadworks? An accident? No. Around 15 motorycles driving round and round the roundabout on the north side protesting about parking charges. Why are they impeding my and everybody else’s work? Do they think by grinding London to a halt and stopping people getting to work they will gain support?
loving the breakfast club meetings
would it be worth doing one on a saturday, i would have thought the increase in people who turn up would ensure more chaos, or it it the weekday traffic you want to hit
well done with it
simon
Reading about this in Aust., if only we Aussies had the balls to demo for what we deserve. Keep it up fellas.
Although this is about bikers rights … have you thought about doing a protest in your cars. Just think of the chaos if 500 cars were orchestrated. If the council want to treat you like cars (parking fees), show them what traffic would be like if there were no bikes at all – wish I was there !!
Good luck
sorry guys, can’t make it to today’s club, bikes off the road but after reading swampfox’s post i might bring the car!
keep up the good work.
joe
Traffic news central london:
London – Queueing traffic on Trafalgar Square , Motorbike demonstration at Trafalgar Square, congestion on A4 Piccadilly Circus to Piccadilly Circus, on A3211 Victoria Embankment to A400 Northumberland Avenue, on A3212 Parliament Street to Parliament Square and on A301 Kingsway Tunnel to A4 Aldwych, , in Westminster
Last updated: 24th March 2010 at 08:31
Well done lads!
It’s strange how many boroughs in London allow motorcycles and scooters to park in residential bays and pay & display bays totally free of charge yet Westminster Council don’t even let bikes park in dedicated on street motorcycle bays for free.
These Wednesday Morning Breakfast Clubs (WMBC) and Wednesday Evening Supper Clubs (WESC) are good fun and a brilliant way to show Westminster Council that we are not going away until they scrap the bike parking tax.
It’s not just the parking toll that annoys me, it’s the fact that you have to have a mobile phone with battery power and signal (and also calling credit if you are on a pay as you go tariff) not to mention the need of a credit or debit card as a means of payment and having to stand in the street waving your card around in public. It was bad enough trying to avoid the parking attendants, CCTV camera’s and Smart cars before the bike parking tax was introduced but it’s now even worse as there is nowhere where stopping is allowed (for motorcycles or any other vehicles).
It’s a shame car drivers aren’t doing their bit to challenge Westminster Council, as we are all getting ripped off. The only other road users that take a stand are the London taxi drivers (black cabs). The NTBPF campaign makes me feel proud to be a motorbiker (well a scooter-er, it that’s a word). That reminds me, I love the way you get all sorts of riders on the ride outs, no beef between the Mods and the Rockers
)
Until the next gathering……..
Great demo! Here in New York City, we have no motorcycle parking at all. The Mayor seems uninterested in bikes as anti-congestive measures and, in fact, the police here stop you with no cause, just to see if they can find a rider without proper paperwork or expired inspection sticker. I’ve been stopped three times in one day to “show paperwork.” Best of luck to you!!
If you think causing a ‘critical mass’ style obstruction to highway is going to endear you to the public then you’re nutz!
I fully support your view that Westminster are bang out of order and for that matter a bunch of deceitful b***ards… But if the ‘Wednesday Breakfast Club’ is you’re latest tactic as a biker I want nothing to do with you!
Quite simply you’ve lost your way.
Where can I buy a Hi Viz campaign vest?
Loving the work lads and lass’s. Just joined your cause and agree whole heartedly. Just another nail in the coffin of this Motorcyle-phobic country!! I will try to get to one of the upcoming protests, but distance may get in the way. Keep it up, we’ve got to make this stick.
OI! jessica, the word wud b SCOOTERIST!!! lol so u mada mistake, dont worry till ur mistakes r as big as Ali Gs & Dannyboys lol. never thort id go ona ride out wiv mopeds, scooters, ponces in nylon (oh sory cordura), i wud sa & women riders!!! but their bike mite b faster than mine & they’ll catch me lol.
But as we’re all fightin 4 the same cause itsa pleasure 2 ride with all of u.
just wish sum o these scooters & BIG BIKES wud get sum decent hooters! loud twins in HALFORDS only £20. b herd & then b seen. look fwd 2 ridin 2gether!!! (but dont tell me wife lol) she’s usually me passenger filmin us all.
NO CONTRACT RETURN TO SENDER (NCRTS), which basically means that I have no wish to contract with you (to play along with the con)
When an offer is posted to you and you don’t wish to agree to their offer, you put their paperwork back in their envelope, re-seal it, and put a label over the address window and write on it “NO CONTRACT – RETURN TO SENDER”. Put the mail back into the post box and the postal service will have to send it back to the sender.
Using the process of NCRTS against the police, the courts (including the high court), credit card companies, the DVLA, councils and many others, in fact anyone who sends us ‘paper’ through the post we do not wish to receive. The objective is very clear; we do not want to or have to contract with anyone we wish not to contract with
http://www.tpuc.org
Guys please donate, its only a paltry 22,000 to raise I cant believe its not done yet with so many bikers in London. I am sure there are plenty of big shots riding bikes in the city, please help out to make sure big government doesn’t screw us again. At least this is one thing that can be fought….
Good luck,
Just a quick reminder that if you appeal your first Westminster Bike ticket with the reason that it is your first ticket for parking in a paid motorbike bay, it will be canceled.
If you do this/have ever done this, can I suggest you donate half the fine money you save to this site’s legal fund. Especially if you wouldn’t have known to appeal other than for this site.
This is the latest email from my local MP in Newbury <
Dear Mr Bromfield
Thank you for your explanation. This was a decision by Westminster Council and no one else. I don’t like my constituents having to pay more to park in London but I fully accept the right of Councils in all parts of Britain to implement their own rules. They are accountable to their tax payers and to those like you who will be hit by the charge. If you are a motorcyclist who lives in Westminster you would have been pleased to receive a cut of 50% in your residents parking charges.
See this link for more details http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/transportandstreets/parking/wheretopark/vehicletype/motorcycle/policy/
I can assure you that there are no rules to implement such charges in Newbury or West Berkshire. The Parking Wardens in West Berkshire have brought some order to parking in our towns. I had many complaints from residents about a parking free for all before the wardens started work. Of course they mustn’t be over officious but I have had precious few complaints.
Of course that may be because none of the above has anything to do with me! All parking matters are the responsibility of Local Authorities. MPs have no say in any such decisions. If you want to know the name and contact details of your local Councillor please let me know.
Yours sincerely
Richard Benyon
no hablo Ingles pero es very good, very good.
desde España ole, ole,ole
i where do i get one of those high vis jacket No bike parking fees
They should sell them on EBAY as well it would be good ?
I think its about time that i thank all of the NTBPT for the great hard work that you are all doing. i live in the garden of england and as a new rider im riding a 125 motorcycle and cant get to london so i cant join it the protest but i have buyed my hi viz. basicly im just trying to say a huge thank you on behalf of all the leaners around the UK.
p.s love the vids of the protests
I think more pressure is needed , with Saturday 1st May 2010 it will attract more rider , i will definately be there to show my support and have been to previous ones.
Keep up the good work.
Fight until they care and fight more.
The charge is totally unfair.
Bikes need rights.
Best of luck with your campaign. We bikers of Lancashire are with you in spirit and soul. Dont let the Westminster Council walk all over you. Live to ride.
I bet Councillor Danny Chalkley of Vincent Square Ward (Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport) and Colin Barrow of Hyde Park Ward (Leader of Westminster City Council) regret not getting rid of these dreadful motorcycle parking fees when it was still just an experiment. Now Westminster residents are having to pay around half a million pounds a year for a motorcycle parking scheme that nobody wants. Where is the logic in that? Politicians need to admit when they get things wrong instead of just burying their heads in the sand. WE WILL NOT GO AWAY UNTIL WESTMINSTER COUNCIL ABOLISH THE MOTORCYCLE & SCOOTER PARKING TAX!
I find it interesting how Westminster Council used to always issue press releases when we had protests, but now they have nothing to say. I thought they would have commented on the Wednesday Morning Breakfast Club (WMBC) & Wednesday Evening Supper Club (WESC) gatherings, but not a peep so far.
Lets keep the pressure on Westminster Council!
PS. Has anyone seen that photo of Alastair Gilchrist that he uploaded to flickr? It made me laugh out loud but at the same time gives me the creeps! Alastair Gilchrist is a strange bloke.
Great job! I envy your spirit and your good results. We’ve started a motorcycle and scooter advocacy group here in New York. Go to http://www.nymstf.org
While there are other issues we plan to address, right now the Task Force is primarily focused on securing dedicated two wheel parking in NYC. Jack Davidson has drawn an accurate picture of the situation here. We’re so far behind other cities around the world and even around the U.S. When we present to City Council members and Community Boards we always cite London as a great example of how it should work for us.
We’re with you in spirit.
First of all, congrats to everyone for all the work they’ve been doing. With the amount of messages I receive it sounds like everyone’s been really busy.
Secondly, If anyone would like to have a say in what values they think the British government should stand for then please complete the following: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SLHG9WP
Also, you might be interested in these: http://www.thebigqs.co.uk/ & http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=76377012419
My bus was gridlocked this morning so I got off and walked, a little annoyed but not in any stress. Then as I walked over trafalgar square and realised why the roads were blocked I suddenly felt so proud to be a biker (it’s currently in Birmingham which is why im on the bus..). I think what you’re doing is spot on and I’ll be keeping an eye out for future protests to get in on.
Keep it up.
Adam.
Kawasaki Versys.
In Russia in Moscow generally parked on a motorcycle where you want! At motorcyclists looking to gordostyu.Big my native land!
can 125 motorcycles/scooters go on the motorway rally demo 19th june 2010
Hello Daz
The demo on the 19th is open to 125 bikes, we’ll be travelling at around 40-50mph so you should be able to keep up, L plates are not allowed to travel on motorways by the way. If you are an L plate driver then no fear, there will be a rally after the m25 run at the ace cafe at 5pm for all motorway prohibited bikes/scooters, which will then proceed into the hear of London. Should be a fun day out for all!
Thank you very much, Mike A , for your comments
I live too far away to get to London for these demo’s but support you all 100%.. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!! Teach these t**ts a lesson!!!!
ok iv just read all about it the only thing i didnt read is where and what time does the breakfast club start I WILL BE THERE
Greetings from Denmark.
I’m visiting family in the UK this summer. (just outside London). But this protest is actually worth a holiday in the UK. I will surely come to one of the wednesday mornings (if i can find a free place to park
.
I’m really impressed by the way this protest is organized, thumbs up for this, and i hope you will succeed with your mission.
from an overtaxed danish biker!!
Great website but please cut out protesting where you affect law abiding people.. If you want to protest to TFL, go to their HQ but do not block roads which others are paying for. You’re pushing any outside support aside, many others suggest you should also be paying £1 congestion charge as well..
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Boris Johnson should not have threatened you, blackmail is never a good thing for a politician to resort to. That said, of course you should pay to park your motorbikes. If space is allocated for motorbikes theerby denying road space to car parking (who pay) or people who want to get from A to B (generally understood to be what roads are for) then what possible justification can you have for demanding to have this facility provided to you without paying for it.
I ride pillion with my dad and have always been a bike lover even though i drive a car atm.
We signed up for an account with westminster council to pay for parking, first two days were successful, pound paid and no problems.
Admittily it was our own fault but we forgot to pay for the parking, half an hour later we remembered and text through to the service to pay. On returning to the bike we saw a £40 parking ticket!
(They still took the pound even though we’d been ticketed).
It disgusting! and if we don’t pay it early it’s £80!
I’m a student working two jobs to pay my way through university, and my dad’s been working for years, we’ve always paid our way and we’re not reckless.(I’ve seen far worse car drivers than i have bikes).
I think it’s disgusting that they’re charging this sort of money for what is essentially a space saving and fuel efficient transport. (By comparison to cars).
Do keep up the pressure. We’re all sick of paying so much tax, and a tax for bike parking is a tax too far.The charge is completely unethical, and so is the way it’s administered. KEEP UP THE PRESSURE on Westminster Council. Nothing short of a total climdown with a promise never to try this again is acceptable! Meanwhile, all who possibly can, should boycott WM bike parking bays – park in neighbouring boroughs while you can, or ask your employer to provide free bike parking (or even be prepared to pay him/her £0.90p a day (!), so as to cut the revenue to WMC to an absolute pittance.
Why should you NOT pay to park? Car driver’s have to. All you are doing is pissing every other road user off because you lot are to fucking tight to pay £1 to park in 1 London borough , Come on you already don’t have to pay congestion charge, next you will want to be exempt from road tax.
In reply to “Jon” (4th June) who thinks bikes should pay. Reasons for not paying are that bikes make a large contribution to the London economy by massively reducing traffic congestion (and pollution), and assisting in speedy delivery of goods and personnel essential for business. They use very little road space. Bike parking bays are nearly always squeezed in by councils in places where it would be impossible to park a car, and do not therefore reduce revenue from car parking.
Greetings from Northern Ireland. Keep up the good work on behalf of motorcyclists everywhere!