Parking battle D-Day

Motorcyclists have one chance left to fight to save free bike parking, according to
campaigners.

A firm has won a “UK-wide” framework contract to charge riders for using motorcycle parking bays which are traditionally free. The only hope of saving free bike parking nationally is to force a London scheme to be scrapped, campaigners say.   

Failure will cost motorcyclists £93 million a year in new parking charges according to the Tax Payers’ Alliance.

London’s Westminster City Council scrapped free bike parking last year and has announced the move will become permanent from August 8. But the Council is bound by law to consider last-minute written objections.

Campaign group No To The Bike Parking Tax is urging riders to fill in objection forms and join a protest ride next Wednesday to hand-deliver thousands of them to the Council.

Campaign chairman Warren Djanogly said: “There’s still a small window in which the Council must listen. It’s almost like a D-Day now.” He said at least 5,000 riders needed to hand over completed forms for a chance of success.

Motorcyclists in London must make credit card payments by phone to use Westminster’s motorcycle parking bays. The firm handling the payments has a “UK-wide pay-by-phone framework contract” to do so, it has been announced.  

“In layman’s terms, that’s Westminster City Council’s clear intention to actively encourage any other borough in the UK to join them,” said Djanogly.

Westminster City Council recently dropped the daily charge from £1.50 to £1 but campaigners fear it will rise if the scheme becomes permanent.

The campaign said in a statement: “It is imperative that everybody who believes in preserving our freedoms completes the objection form, photocopies it, and brings both to either Golden Square, London W1 between 5.45pm and 6.30pm on July 1 to join the ride-out to Westminster City Hall, Victoria Street, SW1, or joins us there from 7pm where we will all hand-deliver them.

“Quite simply, if you cannot make it because of prior commitments, or can’t be bothered, or simply have something better to do, when they hike up the ‘accepted’ charge to £1 an hour, or £20-a-day, and it’s rolled-out in every other borough in the UK, then please remember that you had the chance to stop it.”
Westminster City Council declined to comment.

• Download the objection form here

Find details on the protest ride here: www.notobikeparkingfees.com