Tuesday 5th August 2008

C-Charge Means Bikers Must Now Pay To Park

New £1.50 charge to park a bike as C-Charge forces more people on to two-wheels

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Motorcyclists will now have to pay to park in London's West End under new regulations, it has been reported. Hundreds more motorbike parking bays have just been introduced but bikers will have to pay £1.50 a day to use them.

Westminster Council said that there has been a huge surge in motorbike use since the Congestion Charge was introduced and with it a need for more parking. A number of extra security stands have been introduced to prevent thefts and new measures have been put in place to stop cars parking in bike bays.

Many bikers had campaigned against the changes but Jeff Stone, of the British Motorcyclists Federation, said they were still getting a good deal. 'The general feeling seems to be, if we are getting more opportunity for parking spaces, then we don't mind paying for a spot. Ideally we wouldn't like charges but on balance we don't pay the congestion charge and they are cheaper to run, so it's still not a bad deal.'

It will be cheaper if bikers pay for the whole season and they can also pay using a phone system to make it easier. Surplus revenue will be put into other transport projects around the borough, said the council.

 

[Fusion-Ed]

"projects around teh borough"

lol

[Sossige]

"Surplus revenue will be spent teaching our staff how to type, said the council."

[DamoLLb]

they just keep shooting themselves in the foot

[Poledriver]

A whole £1.50 a DAY to park! How will they ever be able to cope?

[Schmeeky]

"they can also pay using a phone system to make it easier."

[RB Will]

Seems fair enough, they have spent the money setting up special places for the bikers to park and it hardly a high price to pay. it costs £1.20 to park for 1 hour in my town

[sjtscott]

Luckily my employer provides me with free undercover parking at my building in central london simply because I'm a motorcyclist!! However I would have no problem paying £1.50 for a whole day to park in westminster at a secure (i.e. something to chain it to) bike parking bay.
I agree its cheeky to introduce a charge due to people not driving their cars into the zone but the overall cost is better than the extortionate prices to park on top of the £8 CC a day.

[stuart-b]

Actually that's pretty reasonable. If they use the money to make more spots and improve anti theft I'd be all for it, but it won't be. Expect £1.50 to be £15 per day, when everyone uses a bike.

[jamesgrrr]

nothing wrong with bikers paying for parking too. £1.50 is a bargain - it costs £2.00 to park for an hour locally

[Talya]

£1.50 a day = £7.50 per working week = £390 a year. Over a week's wage for me Glad I don't live in London

[jamiebae]

Schmeeky said:

"they can also pay using a phone system to make it easier."

How else would they pay? You can hardly stick a pay & display ticket on a Suzuki Bandit and expect someone not to nick it!

[cramorra]

It's only fair if they fork out to (no offence two wheeled friends), somhow I just think it wont' be over with 1.50 (anybody here remembering parkometers which you could feed with small change....)

[Mr POD]

RB Will said:

Seems fair enough, they have spent the money setting up special places for the bikers to park and it hardly a high price to pay. it costs £1.20 to park for 1 hour in my town

They should use the PROFIT from C Charge to pay for it.

[AlexH]

sjtscott said:

I agree its cheeky to introduce a charge due to people not driving their cars into the zone but the overall cost is better than the extortionate prices to park on top of the £8 CC a day.

Their standard tactics working again...make other things so awful that when they introduce something that would usually get a massive thumbs down, by comparison to what they've already fked up, it no longer seems so bad.

[Deluded]

Considering they do not pay CC, I think £1.50 to park is a fking bargain! £1.50 per day? Thats the rate for an hour or so near me!

[Insight]

It will be £1.50 to park for the day, but that will rise to £2, then £5, then £10 a day over time. Car parking used to be affordable, then people reaslised they could make money from it, same will happen for bikes, then bicycles and eventually you will be charged for walking down the street.

[IainT]

Talya said:

£1.50 a day = £7.50 per working week = £390 a year. Over a week's wage for me Glad I don't live in London

If you worked in London you'd probably be earning more than £390 pew week though!

[dern]

Insight said:

It will be £1.50 to park for the day, but that will rise to £2, then £5, then £10 a day over time. Car parking used to be affordable, then people reaslised they could make money from it, same will happen for bikes, then bicycles and eventually you will be charged for walking down the street.

I suggest you shoot yourself now.

Considering the premium for space in the place concerned it seems like a bargain.

Edited by dern on Tuesday 5th August 12:37

[RB Will]

Mr POD said:

RB Will said:

Seems fair enough, they have spent the money setting up special places for the bikers to park and it hardly a high price to pay. it costs £1.20 to park for 1 hour in my town

They should use the PROFIT from C Charge to pay for it.

Surely thats a bit unfair though. The money the congestion charge should be spent making more places for the cars that actually pay it to park or get around easier.

[lawrence567]

Glad i dont live in london!
I cant see why anyone would want to drive or ride in LDN!