Free parking :D

Adur District Council have decided, in their infinite wisdom, to bring in charges for motorcycle parking which historically has been free, and these came into force last month on June the 6th. The charges seem high too, £5.40 - £7.20 per day! The same as car rates, but with no dedicated motorcycle bays. So basically motorcyclists now have to pay, instead of parking free, but do not get any facilities to keep their motorcycles safer. Instead of motorcycle bays they will be parking in a car space which takes up more space so is detrimental to all road users.  This seems unfair, as you can get several bikes in the same space as one car, and if they are not together in a dedicated motorcycle space they are much more vulnerable to being knocked over or damaged by cars parking alongside them.

The West Sussex Local Transport Plan (LTP) clearly does not rate motorcycles as being of benefit to sustainable transport. This is despite the fact that motorcycles take up less space on the roads than cars, emit less pollution and keep the traffic flowing smoothly – none of which seems to be appreciated.

The council says that it spends money maintaining the car parks in West Sussex and motorcyclists now need to pay their share of this cost if they use them. But there are no dedicated facilities for motorcycles, no bays and nowhere to safely display a parking ticket on a bike where it might not be taken off or blown off if you don't have, or are unable to use the parking apps. It would behove all councils to be generous and encourage motorcycles, which would give everyone more space on the roads. Some motorcyclists may well change their mode of transport as a result of this development, and think they might as well take the car if the parking charges are going to be the same. This will inevitably lead to more traffic on the roads and more cars with one person in them causing unnecessary traffic jams.

It always seems a shame that most councils, appear to see motorcycles as part of the problem rather than part of the solution. It would be refreshing if there was a bit of support for two wheeled transport out there.

Have you come upon these charges yet? What do you think about them? Have you found a solution to displaying a parking ticket clearly on your bike? Not everyone can get the app, and the apps don’t always work, but a parking ticket out on your motorcycle or scooter is not necessarily going to stay there.

Another irritation in a complicated world.

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