BoxHillorBust

155 months ago

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Whingeing Bikers

Overall I'd describe myself as a keen biker and generally I'm proud to be a part of the biking community. However, there are some occasions where I think biking representative groups do themselves (and us as a movement) no favours at all - which is probably why I don't belong to any. I'm going to have to be a bit careful with the wording of this piece because there are a lot of polarised opinions on this particular subject, which at the moment is particular to London and those that live and work here.

Westminster Council now runs a Motorcycle Parking Scheme which sees users of motorcycles, scooters and mopeds pay for the use of on-street solo motorcycle parking bays. The scheme, which became permanent in 2009, requires users to pay £1.00 a day to use parking bays across Westminster (with payment only possible via automated Pay-by-Phone systems). This has quickly been dubbed the "Bike Parking Tax" by those opposed to it and opposition to the plan has been fierce. Camden seems set to follow Westminster's lead.

A non-political group 'No To the Bike Parking Tax', along with the support of several organisations, action groups and thousands of motorcyclists, have held various organised protest rides, lobbied councillors and submitted formal objections as well as launching a full legal challenge to try to have the decision overturned before the scheme is copied by other councils across the UK. Throughout, Westminster has upheld its decision to introduce the scheme citing an increase in demand for motorcycle parking bays and the need to 'balance the requirements of all road users and the finite amount of kerbside space.'

So why do I find myself on the opposite side of the biking representative groups' arguments? The argument goes that bikes alleviate congestion and are greener than cars, therefore their use should be encouraged rather than penalised by, for example, parking charges. That's fine, and it's true that the majority of car journeys are still single occupancy - hence, if these solo drivers switched to two wheels, congestion would fall and journey times drop dramatically. Plus, in terms of parking, you can fit around 3-5 bikes in the space allocated for one car.

Does all of this mean that parking for bikes should be free in what is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe? And do the green credentials really stack up? There is a lot of argumentation around this - one can find studies that set out to "prove" things either way. To me, "green" is just a label - most vehicles pollute, it's simply a question of degree. Bikes are fundamentally still about burning petrol and so are not "green" like walking, cycling or mass transit (buses, trains etc) - especially where standard exhausts are replaced with Cat-less aftermarket jobbies. So is it reasonable for bikers to seek to occupy the moral high ground in this way?

To be absolutely fair to the NTBPT group and others, they have achieved a parking fee reduction from the planned £1.50 a day, which is obviously welcome. However, my concerns are more about the tactics employed by these biking groups and their inability to see the wider picture. I work in Westminster so I've seen plenty of evidence of the form this opposition takes. On many occasions, I and thousands of others have been inconvenienced by the NTBPT group, who at various times have conducted go-slows and blockades through some of the main thoroughfares of Central London (Whitehall, Park Lane, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus etc). Indeed, the group's stated aim is to cause "massive disruption, chaos, congestion and misery in Westminster". Charming....

My view is that biking organisations should concentrate on fighting the battles they can win. They can't (and won't) win this one. As bikers in London, we generally get a pretty good deal. We get free use of most bus lanes, we are not subject to the Congestion Charge and while free parking in the future might come under threat, it is still only Westminster that has adopted the policy of charging. Overall, that's not bad. The risk is that continued opposition will wind Boris up even more and the end result could be the Congestion Charge being levied on bikes and scooters and the bus lane red route exemption removed. There is more to be lost here than can be won.

There is simply no logical reason to exempt motorcycles from parking charges. A better strategy, I suggest, would be to work with Westminster Council and Transport for London, build relationships and then lobby (positively) for more parking bays and better security at the bay locations - CCTV, ground anchors etc. If the NTBPT feel the need to campaign about something, that would be my starting point. Let's get something in return for the money we pay.

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