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Nathan Brook |
‘Stealth tax’ means it’s four wheels good, two wheels bad
Motorcyclists are all hot under their leathers over ‘ludicrous’ parking charges
MOTORCYCLISTS across the borough have joined forces to voice their outrage at new parking charges which they have branded “ludicrous”.
Legions of leather-clad warriors are threatening to switch to four wheels after the £1.50 daily fee was introduced by the council in the West End on Monday.
Since the charge was rolled out, it is now cheaper for some Westminster residents to park their cars – even though they take up more space and do more damage to the environment.
Not only are motorcyclists angry because they feel the charge unfairly punitive, but they have also criticised the council for springing it upon them without warning.
Transport chiefs at the council have denied the charge is a stealth tax, promising any surplus raised will be ploughed back into transport projects.
They say the new measures were needed to meet an increased demand for motorbike parking following the introduction of the congestion charge, from which riders are exempt.
While the body representing motorcyclists, the British Motorcyclists Federation, have begrudgingly accepted the measure, on the streets it is a different story.
Gerry Townsend, a motorcyclist who lives in Marylebone said: “I don’t have a problem paying but its absurd to make residents pay the same as visitors.
“We have a situation where it’s cheaper for me to park a car in a bigger space – or buy a permit and park my motorbike in a car space, taking up valuable residents bays from the people who really need them.
“It’s completely illogical. It’s certainly not very green and a cynic might say its a revenue raising device.
“Other boroughs don’t need to do it and I think we’re going to get a cumulative effect of motorcyclists parking in Camden and Kensington and Chelsea to save money.”
Nathan Brook, another Marylebone motorcyclist, is equally miffed by the charge. “I was astonished to recently discover that although it costs me £115 to park my car, it will now cost me £150 to park my bike in Westminster. How can this be, since my bike takes up much less space along with a much lower impact to the environment?
“This makes a mockery of any claims Westminster City Council put forward when promoting their environmental credentials.”
Jeff Stone, of the British Motorcyclists Federation said: “The general feeling seems to be, if we are getting more opportunity for parking spaces, then we don’t mind paying for a spot.
“Ideally we wouldn’t like charges but on balance we don’t pay the congestion charge and [bikes] are cheaper to run, so it’s not a bad deal.”
As part of the measures new security stands are to be installed to help reduce motorbike thefts. The number of parking spaces in central London has increased from 4,500 to 6,400.
Riders have the choice of paying a discounted season fee or use the Pay be Phone system to pay the charge, which will be gradually rolled out across the borough starting in the West End.
On average around 16,000 motorcyclists ride into central London every day, up 40 per cent from 10 years ago. The increase is seen as due to the introduction of the congestion charge in February 2003.
A council spokeswoman said the charge was about balancing the needs of cars and bikes for residents, businesses and visitors. She also said the council had distributed 50,000 leaflets to parked bikes in July. |
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