Motorcycle Parking

[KTMsm]

Generally not an issue as I tend to just ride into the countryside but I still doing my IAM training and we are stopping at various cafes

I asked the two guys I was training with and neither knew what the Law was regarding parking

IE last week we pulled up and it was a large pay and display car park at the back, no motorcycle provision but there was a free "cycle" bay - I assume motorcycles aren't included

So they decided to ride 30m down the 10m wide pavement in front of the cafe and park there - I reluctantly followed, pointing out the CCTV notices

They said that they didn't know the rules but parking on pavements where they weren't causing a problem was generally tolerated - I presume that means rarely enforced and that bikes aren't actually allowed anywhere that cars aren't

[Chicken_Satay]

Assuming the pay and display sign didn't mention motorcycles, I would have parked next to the bicycle bay/rack. I have to do this in London a lot, e.g., in leisure centre car parks.

How exactly would pay and display work for a motorcycle? The ticket could either blow off or someone else could just lift it.

[HybridTheory]

Normally just sidle up past the barrier where there's a gap !

[anonymous-user]

Speaking of barriers I once ducked under the toll barrier on the old Severn Bridge. I’d accidentally ridden into one of the unmanned ones and couldn’t be arsed to back out. It set an alarm off but I never heard anymore about it.

[KTMsm]

Chicken_Satay said:

Assuming the pay and display sign didn't mention motorcycles, I would have parked next to the bicycle bay/rack. I have to do this in London a lot, e.g., in leisure centre car parks.

How exactly would pay and display work for a motorcycle? The ticket could either blow off or someone else could just lift it.

I have parked in a cycle bay before - my question was is that ok ?

Most (all ?) P&D you have to enter your reg into - I'm unsure if that is recorded by the machine

I'm not very clear on what is / isn't allowed / the norm, hence this thread

[JJ55]

KTMsm said:

I have parked in a cycle bay before - my question was is that ok ?

Most (all ?) P&D you have to enter your reg into - I'm unsure if that is recorded by the machine

I'm not very clear on what is / isn't allowed / the norm, hence this thread

Following this thread now because I’m never really sure where we can/ can’t park either!

[OutInTheShed]

One used to be able to park in the 'cycle' area and point to the word 'bicycle' on the tax disc if anyone got awkward.

These days I take up a car space and pay for it if needed.

I'm reluctant to be seen riding along a pavement which is clearly a pedestrian path.
There are plenty of cafes which have bike parking, why give trade to one which doesn't.

How 'advanced' are the IAM, except in age?

[anonymous-user]

OutInTheShed said:

One used to be able to park in the 'cycle' area and point to the word 'bicycle' on the tax disc if anyone got awkward.

These days I take up a car space and pay for it if needed.

I'm reluctant to be seen riding along a pavement which is clearly a pedestrian path.
There are plenty of cafes which have bike parking, why give trade to one which doesn't.

How 'advanced' are the IAM, except in age?

There is a fairly obscure rule allowing motorcycles to be used on the pavement in order to access offstreet parking. I remember invoking it at my old office where I used to park in the yard which was accessed from a pedestrian doorway via an
alleyway.

[V1nce Fox]

Newarch said:

There is a fairly obscure rule allowing motorcycles to be used on the pavement in order to access offstreet parking. I remember invoking it at my old office where I used to park in the yard which was accessed from a pedestrian doorway via an
alleyway.

That’s a rule i would like to know more about.

[Tribal Chestnut]

IIRC traffic wardens cannot issue tickets for parking on the pavement, except in London. I believe it is the police only who can take action against pavement parkers everywhere else.

[Tribal Chestnut]

Does anyone know what it takes to make a plate illegible to car-park ANPR systems?

[V1nce Fox]

Tribal Chestnut said:

IIRC traffic wardens cannot issue tickets for parking on the pavement, except in London. I believe it is the police only who can take action against pavement parkers everywhere else.

I’ve heard this before.

Only had one incident where a warden saw my bike parked on a paved area next to a car park (large area, not obstructing anything) and i’d covered the number plate over with my jacket.

He wandered past it several times then approached me and said “so how are we going to deal with this then?”

Ignored him completely and rode off after he left. Never heard anything back.

[Trevor555]

I got a ticket for leaving a motorcycle in a bicycle area.

In Cambridge.

But in my hometown the BIB seem to think it's acceptable

Edited by Trevor555 on Friday 3rd June 12:39

[Rubin215]

Tribal Chestnut said:

Does anyone know what it takes to make a plate illegible to car-park ANPR systems?

Plastic bag and a rubber band works for me.

[Tribal Chestnut]

Rubin215 said:

Plastic bag and a rubber band works for me.

Same as removing it, bit of tape, etc, but ideally some way of maintaining an ostensibly legal plate so one doesn’t need to be faffing about pre-post car-park visit.

[KTMsm]

Trevor555 said:

I got a ticket for leaving a motorcycle in a bicycle area.

In Cambridge.

But in my hometown the BIB seem to think it's acceptable

Yes this is the type of thing I see and I'm not sure it that is then allowed

Although a Police biker said to me that what the Police bike officers and the Police car officers deem acceptable, can be very different

So it's clear as mud

[V1nce Fox]

KTMsm said:

Yes this is the type of thing I see and I'm not sure it that is then allowed

Although a Police biker said to me that what the Police bike officers and the Police car officers deem acceptable, can be very different

So it's clear as mud

If only there were a standardised set of rules for them all to refer to. You know, as part of their fking job.

[KTMsm]

V1nce Fox said:

If only there were a standardised set of rules for them all to refer to. You know, as part of their fking job.

Then the bike cops would be as harsh as their car driving colleagues

It's the same as Speeding - we all know 61 in an NSL is speeding but none of us would expect to be pulled for it.

Some will quote 10% +2 but that's no guaranty and I've been let off at higher speeds (in the old days) I haven't been pulled over by the Police for many years - it seems to be 99.9% cameras now

[anonymous-user]

Parking on a pavement is a bit problematic because the wording of the law is so subjective.

The rules state you can ride a bike 15 yards along a pavement in order to reach a parking spot. Presumably you can wheel a bike any distance to do the same, though I’d argue a bike is safer under power with the rider sitting on it.

Parking on a pavement is legal provided you don’t cause an obstruction. Of course one man’s reasonably parked bike is another’s illegally parked bike so you’re never on safe ground.

[Chicken_Satay]

KTMsm said:

I have parked in a cycle bay before - my question was is that ok ?

Most (all ?) P&D you have to enter your reg into - I'm unsure if that is recorded by the machine

I'm not very clear on what is / isn't allowed / the norm, hence this thread

In my experience, if a pay and display ANPR car park doesn't specifically mention motorcycles, then they are not expected to pay. I would park somewhere, but not in a car bay, e.g. next to the bicycle rack or in a dedicated motorcycle bay.

Typically, railway stations around Surrey will have motorcycle bays, but the sign does state clearly that motorcycles have to pay. Those are the only instances where I've had to pay for a motorcycle in a pay and display car park.