Parking Wellington!

[1000SS]

For all you Wellington bikers have you noticed how impossible it is to get a park lately.. I come to work before 7:30 and a number of the bike parks are already full, particularly Grey Street.

I currently have an ongoing battle with the Wellington City Council and their latest campaign for revenue to ticket bikes they claim are parked on footpaths and impeding pedestrian access. On a number of occasions I have parked in line next to the bikes parked in the bike park, out of the way and not on impeding access at all and I have been ticketed. I've contacted the Council asking them to use some common sense when it comes to bikes and parking without success.

I quoted them an article in the Dominion Post where they had previously made a statement they will only ticket bikes impeding pedestrian access, well 'yeah right' to that!

So what next, a show of solidarity where by bikes take up carparks on Featherston Street for a day ? Interested in riders thoughts.

[Nasty]

Interested .. apart from it being illegal ... and against the city by-laws it might work.

[1000SS]

Illegal ? The details would need to be sorted out but I'm open to suggestions on other courses of action.

[magicmonkey]

There's a thread here:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/106738-Wellington-Parking-They-are-about-to-clamp-down-on-bike-parking

A chappy from the council is on there and being very pro-bike about the whole parking thing, might help to have a word with him...

[1000SS]

Awesome cheers for that!

[James Deuce]

There's a thread here:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/106738-Wellington-Parking-They-are-about-to-clamp-down-on-bike-parking

A chappy from the council is on there and being very pro-bike about the whole parking thing, might help to have a word with him...

He ain't pro-bikes. He's pro getting free bike parks turned into revenue raising pay and display car parks and moving bikes into private carparks at a "negotiated fee", whatever that means.

[magicmonkey]

He ain't pro-bikes. He's pro getting free bike parks turned into revenue raising pay and display car parks and moving bikes into private carparks at a "negotiated fee", whatever that means.

Sorry, I should have been more clear there, he's being very pro-active about bikes as opposed to having out backs. Still, to me he seems to be as reasonable as you could expect a council worker to be what with all the hoops they have to jump through and red tape crap; just my opinion...

[magicmonkey]

double post, sorry...

[James Deuce]

Sorry, I should have been more clear there, he's being very pro-active about bikes as opposed to having out backs. Still, to me he seems to be as reasonable as you could expect a council worker to be what with all the hoops they have to jump through and red tape crap; just my opinion...
Any organisation that makes it illegal to use pay and display parking for one form of transport and then tries to get rid of the very limited free parking in Wellington for that discriminated mode of transport deserves all the monkey poo flung at them.

[magicmonkey]

Any organisation that makes it illegal to use pay and display parking for one form of transport and then tries to get rid of the very limited free parking in Wellington for that discriminated mode of transport deserves all the monkey poo flung at them.

Yeah, I agree there! I'm quite lucky in that I work in a coupon zone and can park where I like for free. I'd probably have a very different opinion if I had the daily parking battle most people seem to have round here!

[Nasty]

He ain't pro-bikes. He's pro getting free bike parks turned into revenue raising pay and display car parks and moving bikes into private carparks at a "negotiated fee", whatever that means.

Interesting comment since he is a rider .... and I have seen more bike parks this year as a result of both John and his predecessors work.

But a more interesting move is the removal of the Mercer Street park with the introduction of the Manners Mall project. I know at least one keen motorcyclist who has submitted on this issue - I would however, like to know how Council is going to replace these 25 parks in the future.

[James Deuce]

That's certainly the gist of the replies he's been giving. Stop bringing bikes into Wellington and if you do park them in private car parking buildings which we'll negotiate a cheap deal on, and you will be paying for parking on the street but we don't know how to do that because we made multi-bay parking meters illegal for motorcycles to use. Oh yeah, just park in these private car parking buildings that we've negotiated great parks and excellent pricing in and for respectively.

He may well ride. I'm betting he doesn't park on the street though if he does. The implication I got from his posts was that he used to have a VTR250.

[davebullet]

That's certainly the gist of the replies he's been giving. Stop bringing bikes into Wellington and if you do park them in private car parking buildings which we'll negotiate a cheap deal on, and you will be paying for parking on the street but we don't know how to do that because we made multi-bay parking meters illegal for motorcycles to use. Oh yeah, just park in these private car parking buildings that we've negotiated great parks and excellent pricing in and for respectively.

He may well ride. I'm betting he doesn't park on the street though if he does. The implication I got from his posts was that he used to have a VTR250.

I don't think he said we'd be paying for our currently free motorcycle parks... but you are probably right in that if there was an easy way, then we would be charged.

I disagree entirely with making it illegal for a bike to use a pay and display bay. If the nearby bike parks are full and you need to park, why can't I use a pay and display (and get the bloody machine to print 2 copies, allowing one to be put on my handlebar with a rubber band (recycled from the fine the council left) and the other as proof if needed).

I think Jon used to ride a VT250, but now I'm splitting hares (either rabbits or keratin will do).

[James Deuce]

I disagree entirely with making it illegal for a bike to use a pay and display bay. If the nearby bike parks are full and you need to park, why can't I use a pay and display (and get the bloody machine to print 2 copies, allowing one to be put on my handlebar with a rubber band (recycled from the fine the council left) and the other as proof if needed).



It's difficult to disagree with an existing bylaw. It IS illegal for motorcycles to use multi-bay parking meter governed parking spaces in Wellington.

My point was that because the bylaw is unlikely to be reversed, and as there's no easy way to charge bikes, the free parks will go (and mutate in car parks for 12 cars where 200 bikes used to park) and we'll be forced to use private parking buildings who may well start out with the fee "negotiated" by WCC, but will in all likelihood remove the "special motorcycle" parks and make one bike use one car park at the same rate as cars. There is NO way to prevent capitalism from doing its thing once it is given a monopoly.

[Lord Derosso]

Just a bit of prior history for this thread so need to comment really. Sorry to tell you this 1000ss but several of us got very pro on this couple years ago and the council actually did increase the parking around town, Problem is theres so many f'ing scooters using these parks now. Thats fine BUT it was big bikers and riders that forced them to admit lack of parks only to see car drivers using scooters to get free parking when bus fare went up and scooter shops open, and more than take up up our new space. I dont care if scooter riders want a peice of me because this is the facts and its another reason I dont bother riding to work anymore, in the wind these silly machines fall onto our expensive bikes and how often have I had a note etc left ? NEVER. I have previously asked that the WWC should let scooter riders park around the side of the central library at least. Theres a lot of space out of public area around the whole library where bigger bikes arent suitable . We at least got parking opposite the library, besides the main Mercer St park, but thats a joke. My work is moving to that area next month and I have perhaps reserved parking in a corner in the building basement. But I also have the biggest park od all outside my door, Mercer Street, so if I catch a scooter lying across my expensive bike one windy day .................................................. .......................