Towing of motorcycles by police or council

[Undinist]

I know of a bike that was towed by City of London police for parking on a yellow line with the number plate removed. Does this happen anywhere else? Do any councils and police forces have much in the way of suitable tow trucks? The only ones I'm aware of are the MPS Isuzus which have a spectacle lift. I've seen one of those carrying a bike sideways with one wheel in each section of the lift. But I suspect it was an accident recovery. AFAIK you can't carry a bike that way without damaging it. You need to buy a special motorcycle adapter which attaches to the lift.

An MPS Isuzu with spec lift: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenjonbro/6341107413...
A spec lift: http://www.trukuk.com/images/D%20L%20Davies%20Cant...
Spec lift with motorcycle adapter: http://www.trukuk.com/images/Yeates%20Garage%20Spe...

[340600]

We use two 3rd party contractors for vehicle recovery. I'm sure most other forces do the same rather than use their own vehicles.

[Undinist]

Thanks. What happens in your area if a biker removes his tax disc and mounts his number plate on velcro so he can remove it when parked and evade parking restrictions?

I've been getting away with this in London for many years. I used to park on yellow lines a lot in the days of police traffic wardens, but I took care not to inconvenience or obstruct anyone or take up more road space than necessary. The wardens always exercised their discretion and never ticketed me. When I was a courier I probably got away with parking illegally at least half a dozen times a day. Then the council parking wardens took over, no discretion shown, so I tried the velcro trick. This has never attracted the attention of a police officer, even a traffic officer. Even when I've been pulled over for a roadside chat no officer has ever objected to me keeping my tax disc in my wallet. I've been expecting more and more bikers to start doing this, and for councils to respond by investing in towing gear for bikes. But so far, so good.

[TroubledSoul]

I hope they do invest heavily. Really galls me when one element of society thinks they have a given right to evade the rules the rest of us are forced to observe.

[Undinist]

Yawn. Doesn't the discretion shown to me by police traffic wardens prove that it is feasible to park a motorbike on a yellow line without inconveniencing anyone? You do realise that bikes are smaller than cars?

[creampuff]

Undinist said:

Thanks. What happens in your area if a biker removes his tax disc and mounts his number plate on velcro so he can remove it when parked and evade parking restrictions?

I've been getting away with this in London for many years. I used to park on yellow lines a lot in the days of police traffic wardens, but I took care not to inconvenience or obstruct anyone or take up more road space than necessary. The wardens always exercised their discretion and never ticketed me. When I was a courier I probably got away with parking illegally at least half a dozen times a day. Then the council parking wardens took over, no discretion shown, so I tried the velcro trick. This has never attracted the attention of a police officer, even a traffic officer.

If you are courier, then parking on yellow lines is legal as you are loading or unloading.

If you are parked on yellow lines for a long time while you eat lunch, take a dump or have a look at the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, then while it may not block the road, it prevents other vehicles from legally stopping on the yellow like where you are parked to load and unload. So it still inconveniences others.

[Undinist]

That might apply if I park lengthways in the middle of a space which is only big enough for one vehicle. But I don't. I aim to keep out of everyone's way and attract as little attention as possible. An average sized motorbike can be squeezed into a tiny space next to a bollard/skip/scaffolding etc. It can be parked perpendicular to the kerb. It doesn't need three feet of empty space at each end, like a car. Half an inch is plenty. It takes up no more room than a bicycle.

[340600]

Undinist said:

Thanks. What happens in your area if a biker removes his tax disc and mounts his number plate on velcro so he can remove it when parked and evade parking restrictions?

It's discretional but failing to display the tax disc is a a fixed penalty offence.

[aw51 121565]

Undinist said:

Doesn't the discretion shown to me by police traffic wardens prove that it is feasible to park a motorbike on a yellow line without inconveniencing anyone?

You're comparing two very different agendae (police vs. local authority).

And I'm sure the police would be potentially very interested if they stopped your vehicle and found the registration plate was only temporarily mounted with velcro (ie why is this the case?? what else have you been doing without a number plate attached?? etc) .

[GC8]

TroubledSoul said:

I hope they do invest heavily. Really galls me when one element of society thinks they have a given right to evade the rules the rest of us are forced to observe.

And how do you think a motorcycle courier can function if they aren't given any latitude by council parking wardens (who always seem to be West African immigrants in London - why is that?)?

Have you actually thought?

[TroubledSoul]

GC8 said:

And how do you think a motorcycle courier can function if they aren't given any latitude by council parking wardens (who always seem to be West African immigrants in London - why is that?)?

Have you actually thought?

Well, quite.

God forbid they should have to use the nearest loading bay and carry their humongous cargo the rest of the way on foot. That just wouldn't do!

[creampuff]

TroubledSoul said:

Well, quite.

God forbid they should have to use the nearest loading bay and carry their humongous cargo the rest of the way on foot. That just wouldn't do!

Well there are not that many loading bays in London. To suggest use of a loading bay would usually require a long tour around the sights of the capital to find one, which would be a long way and perhaps occupied anyway. That is not efficient. Stuff would not get done if that was the requirement, which would make life more difficult and more expensive for everyone in London who consumes goods or services.

That is what yellow lines are for.

Motorcycle couriers, van couriers, vans delivering stuff, trucks delivering stuff and even private cars can all legally load and unload from yellow lines.

[londonbabe]

Have you ever actually been to London?
What loading bay?

[anonymous-user]

The way the rules are going I'm pretty surprised the centre of London can function at all for being supplied with goods and services?

Maybe they should ban all vehicles inside the M25 or inner ring road and make everyone walk or use public transport to go outside it to collect their goods etc

[Undinist]

I once explained the above points about couriers being unable to function to a stereotypical West African parking warden in the City. He was amazed to hear that courier firms do not pay parking fines on behalf of the riders. (The earnings are so poor these days that even if you don't get fined it is not possible to earn the legal minimum wage, let alone a living wage.) He was a decent bloke and let me park for the half hour I needed. You often need twenty minutes or more because you get buggered about so much by post rooms and receptionists and security. Some buildings even take your photo and check your ID so they can issue a temporary pass.

[Undinist]

aw51 121565 said:

You're comparing two very different agendae (police vs. local authority).

Precisely! The council parking warden's purpose is to raise money. The police traffic warden's purpose is to help traffic flow and keep crossing places clear for pedestrians. I do everything I can to support the latter objectives - despite being a serial flouter of parking restrictions I am very community-minded. In London we all have to do our bit to balance the needs of drivers, bikers, cyclists, elderly pedestrians, the disabled, children, mums with buggies, cats etc.

aw51 121565 said:

And I'm sure the police would be potentially very interested if they stopped your vehicle and found the registration plate was only temporarily mounted with velcro (ie why is this the case?? what else have you been doing without a number plate attached?? etc) .

Which is why I glue bolt heads to the plate. It also helps that I don't come across as a wker/tea leaf, don't have a criminal record or points on my licence.

[creampuff]

Undinist said:

You often need twenty minutes or more because you get buggered about so much by post rooms and receptionists and security. Some buildings even take your photo and check your ID so they can issue a temporary pass.

Yes I often wondered about how long it actually takes to deliver a package and what happens to your bike/van while all this is happening. I can totally believe delivering something could take 20 mins.

[Cyberprog]

On the upside, come the end of the year you won't have to bother with the tax disc anymore!

[calibrax]

I recall seeing an episode of Police Interceptors (or a similar show) where a biker had a flip-up plate fitted to his bike, presumably to avoid getting caught on speed cameras. He was prosecuted for perverting the course of justice, a very serious offence compared to most driving convictions. I would be concerned that the velcro plate mountings could lead to the same applying here.

EDIT: here we go. Three months in prison!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7473547/D...

Edited by calibrax on Saturday 19th April 09:54

[Fort Jefferson]

calibrax said:

I recall seeing an episode of Police Interceptors (or a similar show) where a biker had a flip-up plate fitted to his bike, presumably to avoid getting caught on speed cameras. He was prosecuted for perverting the course of justice, a very serious offence compared to most driving convictions. I would be concerned that the velcro plate mountings could lead to the same applying here.

EDIT: here we go. Three months in prison!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7473547/D...

I remember watching that episode, he was a hell of a good rider, they should have given him a prize, not a prison sentence.