No To the Bike Parking Tax

Motorcyclists arriving for work in Westminster after the Christmas break have found the signs with details of bay numbers and payment damaged beyond recognition across the borough, in what campaigners have said is a growing sign of anger among some bikers.

The No To Bike Parking Tax Campaign clarified that it was not responsible for the damage, with Chairman Warren Djanogly saying today:

“Of course we do not condone the damaging of  council signs – we have been trying for over a year to talk to Westminster City Council in a reasoned way to convince them that this tax should be scrapped. We said from the outset that we were the friendly face of opposition to this tax, and it would appear that some individuals have had enough of being ignored and taken matters into their own hands.”

Damaged signs – on which the telephone numbers or bay numbers are unreadable – cannot be used to issue PCN’s to motorcycles parked in those bays. Signs have been damaged sporadically in the past, but this is the first time a wider spread of signs has been destroyed.

Charlie Lort-Phillips, spokesman for the Campaign, said today:

“When the largest on street demonstrations ever seen against WCC, thousands of petitions, lobbying from opposition councillors, and a year long trashing of the reasons for it’s introduction are ignored, it is inevitable that people will splinter off and take their own direct action against this tax.”

The campaign reminded bikers that WCC may still try to issue PCNs to bikers parked in damaged bays, but urged them to keep a photographic record to use in an appeal, citing a previous overturning of a PCN by Kevin Goad in 2009, where he stated:

“I can see the signage has been vandalised and that the required phone number information has been obliterated. In view of this evidence, I have cancelled the PCN. You are no longer liable for this charge.”

Following the Partnership in Parking (PiP) meeting Westminster (the creator of PiP) has found itself not only under scrutiny from its road users but also the EU, DCLG and now even other members of the PiP board.

After the member for the corporation of the City of London read our report, he has decided to have their legal team look at our claims of wrong doing.

It is the intention of Westminster’s parking department that PiP allow new members to join and take advantage of the parking framework they have established with Verrus so as to avoid a tendering process. Unfortunately in doing this they would be breaking the law.

At the last meeting a vote was called for to allow PiP to allow non-London members so as to enable them to use the framework. Till now only councils from within the Greater London area have been eligible to join and so this represents a significant change to their charter. It is our hope that the existing members will realise what is trying to be done and vote against this action due to the nature of the illegal acts that would follow on from it.

Most have taken what they have been told by Danny Chalkley (chairman of PiP) & Alastair Gilchrist (head management committee chairman) in good faith as they had no reason to doubt what they were being told. However we are glad to see that the City of London is now asking questions and hope that the other members follow their lead.