In a lot of countries, at least in Summer, motorcycles clearly form a better mode of transport than cars. For starters, they are usually more fuel efficient and they take significantly less space on the road. Sure, that SUV does have a more comfy leather seat and at least three or four cup holders but it was designed to carry more than just a hockey mom on her cellphone or an overweight businessman cramming down donuts and coffee. For the same space, you could get four bikes on the road and cause considerably less damage to the tarmac. Sure, a supplemental motorcycle would be expensive, but what about scooters for those not so interested in the most fun vehicle imaginable? They’re slower, sure but only slightly less fun and pretty cheap. So, why don’t local authorities do more to encourage bikes?
Partly, I think the image is to blame. Most sportsbike riders cut lanes like they’re trying to get away from Valentino Rossi. Many of the cruiser riders like to ride around town with the loudest pipes possible, preferably ripping the throttle at every stoplight in a bid to make passing babies cry. And I’ve seen dual sport riders who swear blind there’s nothing they can do to keep the front wheel down every time they wind the throttle. I know for everyone that falls into these categories and more, there are at least fifty riders who do everything by the book but be honest, which do you think people remember?
In our defence, riding around any town is not a relaxing thing to do. The sportsbike guys cut lanes to avoid the terrible road surface and bad drivers. Loud pipes make those idiots on cellphones (which I might add is now against the law in Ontario but is not enforced to the point where I regularly see cops driving patrol cars using them) hear us because we know they aren’t looking. I guess I still can’t justify the dual-sport wheelie crowd but I am working on it. For now, let’s just say it impresses bored looking kids on school buses and is thus a public service
Hell, even the testing centers are no longer down-town. You want to learn to ride in this province and your test is likely in Vaughan, all the way up the highway.
Parking is, however, the subject of my rant today. Unlike many major cities, Toronto is at least somewhat progressive in this regard. Motorcycles are allowed to use on-street paid parking for free. It makes getting around town that much cheaper. However, many places you want to go don’t have any spaces, so you wind up circling anyway. Maybe for every fifty parking spots, or at least at the end of the block, they should have designated motorcycle parking?
This is good balance too, because unlike the on-street parking, most parking lots in the city either don’t want to let you in or make you pay full price. Again, why not make them provide designated parking spaces and enforce maximum rates? Say, no more than 40% of the cost of a single car are you can fit at least three or four bikes in a single spot if it’s accessible side-on. Oh, and everywhere that uses those barriers to prevent you getting in and out should be made to ensure they realize bikes are there. it’s only a matter of time before I am ticketed for riding on the sidewalk as there is no other way out of a lot.
I realized how bad this parking situation was a while back when I was ticketed at a municipal parking lot. It was a packed evening and rather than take up the one free space there was, I decided to park side on, between two other cars, giving each ample space. When I returned to the bike a short while later, there was a $105 fixed penalty notice under the seat. The charge was failing to park in a non-designated area. I was upset. There were no marked bays in this parking lot, nor was there a no-parking notice like on the other side of the lot. I decided to fight it.
Just under a year later, I got my court date. I turned up, photos in hand, only to be told that if I plead guilty the fine would be $30. I said no. I was in the right here. I got to talk to the traffic officer beforehand who said that it all didn’t matter. I was parked where I shouldn’t have been and even though there weren’t any signs, it was all “obvious” as it a narrower part of the lot. She also conceded that as I was on a bike, I wasn’t really blocking anything but that it could have prevented a firetruck from entering should it have needed to even though it would also then have no chance of leaving again. Best of all, she also told me that she’d been down there this weekend, handing out tickets up the wazoo. In other words, even though it’s a known issue and putting up a simple sign would cost no more than a few hundred dollars, the City of Toronto likes using parking as a way of taxing visitors to Cherry Beach and other areas of the city.
Confident, I sat there as the judge explained the charges and court proceedings to the woman in front of me. It doesn’t actually matter, apparently, if I intended to park where I was. Signed or not, all that matters was that I was there. Damn. I looked at my own photos and quickly realized they proved the prosecutions case, not mine.
Given another opportunity, I talked to the prosecutor and got him down to $20 for the fine and happily plead guilty, taking thirty days to pay. I’d estimate it cost the city at least five times that to prosecute and all because they don’t want to be a little more bike-friendly.
On a related note, I also realized how those paralegal services, such as X-Copper work. They do the same thing. You check not-guilty and give them power of attorney to plead on your behalf. They then turn up in court at the appointed time and change your plea to guilty, taking the greatly diminished fine (and your fees). So, next time you get any form of speeding/parking/stunting charge /etc, you’re more than likely doing this yourself. Of course, before you take this as legal advice, please realize that I am not a lawyer and you’re on your own. From what I’ve seen though, it’s likely to cost you a lot less than the fine says…
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