Parking the bike

[prettybillie]

Okay - can someone clear up the whole where you are allowed to park your bike situation for me. I've been told you can park it on the footpath and I've been told you're not allowed to. Does anyone know what the rules are?

[vifferman]

You're not allowed to park anywhere apart from designated parks. However, some councils will overlook it if you park somewhere 'naughty'.
It's like with lanesplitting: you just weigh up the risk to benefit ratio.
I park on footpaths or in other 'naughty' places if I think it's better than parking some distance from where I'm going. F'rinstance, if I'm "just popping into a shop", I'll park on the footpath outside the shop if there's no park nearby, especially if I want to leave my bag on the bike. Places with their own carparks (like malls or large hardware stores), I'll park next to the door on the "No Parking" bit, on a path, or wherever looks favourable. Longer term parking, I'll park legally, so I don't have to fret.
In the CBD, there are lots of parks: free m/c parking in the parking buildings and elsewhere - look on the council website. North Shore: just park where I feel like (footpath, in a garden, some odd corner that's out of the way).

[fatzx10r]

Okay - can someone clear up the whole where you are allowed to park your bike situation for me. I've been told you can park it on the footpath and I've been told you're not allowed to. Does anyone know what the rules are?

i got a parking ticket a couple of day's ago for parking on the footpath, the parking nazi said you cant park on the footpath. so i think that answer's your question for ya

[Sparrowhawk]

It's kinda like doing 100kph on your 6L. You'll usually get away with it, but some of our public servants are bastards. Like vifferman said, it's risk vs. reward.

If there's somewhere I can park that's out of the way, but doesn't take up a cage park, I do. I won't park on the footpath if it's likely to get in peoples way. That's asking for trouble! :shifty:

[vifferman]

the parking nazi said you cant park on the footpath.
You CAN park on the footpath.
It just happens to be illegal. :doh:
But so is speeding, and so are a whole lot of other things. You just pick the time and place; CBD is asking for trouble (especially if you've parked across the path), unless it's only a couple of minutes, but many suburban places would be fine. It pays to look around, use your head, weigh up the risks.

[klingon]

Okay - can someone clear up the whole where you are allowed to park your bike situation for me. I've been told you can park it on the footpath and I've been told you're not allowed to. Does anyone know what the rules are?

I can give you the definitive answer to this one. I interviewed the head of parking for Auckland City (Brian Tomlinson) and wrote an article on the subject for Rush Hour Magazine. It has been well documented in these forums, but I will repeat the rules here:


You are not permitted to park on the footpath in Auckland City
Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a footpath and an area owned by the adjacent building so ask if you are unsure
Bikes are permitted (and encouraged) to park in Pay & Display spaces WITHOUT PAYING
If parking in a P&D space, be considerate & try not to use the whole space for a single bike. Back into the curb rather than parallel parking in the space.
Bikes may use Auckland City Council-run parking buildings for FREE if parked in designated bike parks (Check their website for locations)


Please note these rules only apply to Auckland City Council parking - rules will be different in different territories. Also these are the official rules - it's up to you whether you follow them or choose to use your own judgement. As with a lot of rules, they are not always the most 'sensible' thing to do.

Hope that helps.

[Road Guardian]

You CAN park on the footpath.
It just happens to be illegal.

So true vifferman, there are lots you things you can do, but chances are that most things you want to do, like speeding, are illegal.

Road Code does state that you cannot park on any foot path (including 15 other places you cannot park).

[vifferman]

Please note these rules only apply to Auckland City Council parking - rules will be different in different territories.A
I'd imagine they're pretty much the same for most councils, and probably based on the aforementioned Road Code rules.
However, there are some mental ones: in the North Shore, it's illegal to park on the grass verge, even outside your own house(!) and also illegal to park on the crossing at the end of your driveway. This is a blardy stupid rule if like us, you have no driveway (gargre is on the boundary), and the council have parked a "traffic calming measure" outside your house and painted yellow lines on the curb for the whole length of your road frontage. My wife wants to build a parking place between the gargre and the side boundary, but I can almost guarantee the council will say "No!" (after charging some ridiculous application fee, of course).
So we park one car wherever we can on the road, and it gets vandalised periodically by drunken passers-by from other nearby areas (eggs and other missiles, scratched paint, paintball pellets, smashed window, rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver, etc etc.)

[fatzx10r]

You CAN park on the footpath.
It just happens to be illegal. :doh:
But so is speeding, and so are a whole lot of other things. You just pick the time and place; CBD is asking for trouble (especially if you've parked across the path), unless it's only a couple of minutes, but many suburban places would be fine. It pays to look around, use your head, weigh up the risks.

yeah i was parked outside my house, the footpath is wide as hell so it's not blocking any one from moving past it. the prick made a special trip all the way from town up to my place, so i think some one may have dobbed me in. i just told the geeza to fuck off and im going to continue parking there

[Gremlin]

Bikes are permitted (and encouraged) to park in Pay & Display spaces WITHOUT PAYING
If parking in a P&D space, be considerate & try not to use the whole space for a single bike. Back into the curb rather than parallel parking in the space.

Wow, I had no idea we could park in P&D for free... :eek5:

Cheers :2thumbsup

[klingon]

Wow, I had no idea we could park in P&D for free... :eek5:

Cheers :2thumbsup

Yep. I didn't know it either until I talked to Mr Tomlinson (and Les Mason from BRONZ). Bikes are still subject to the time limits on the space, so if there is a maximum of 60 minutes (for example) you will be ticketed if you stay longer than that. But yeah, no pay & display needed.

[swbarnett]

However, there are some mental ones: in the North Shore, it's illegal to park on the grass verge, even outside your own house(!) and also illegal to park on the crossing at the end of your driveway.

These two I can actually understand (although I think thy need to be applied with a bit of common sense). The grass one is a real problem in winter. No problem in summer when the ground is a lot firmer. The crossing rule I can well understand unless it's wide enough (as someone else mentioned) so as to not cause a blockage.

[kermit63]

I asked a warden in Wellington what the story was and she said as long as it's not in the way they don't mind.

I park my wife's scooter on the footpath outside work and have had no problems. There are two seats at the side of the footpath, with room for two scooters between them, so that where I park. There are metals rails on the other side of the footpath for push bikes to park and that area is usually also full of scooters - never seen any of them ticketed.

Scooters and bikes are a great solution to the transport problems we have in most cities and considerate bike parking in non-designated parking spaces is an efficient use of land. Scooters and bikes are all the rage in Europe and there are always far more parks that I see available in NZ and the bikes are still parked all over the place.

Melbourne is also pretty liberal about where it lets people park their bikes and these are the sorts of examples I think that NZ cities should be emulating.

I do park the Daytona in recognised parks, but that's more to do with it being heavier and less manouverable than the scooter.

[Gremlin]

kermit... I think Wellington is a little smarter than Auckland. The wardens in Auckland are akin to Nazis.

I had a blackbird parked in Wellington for business for one whole day, fully laden with givi luggage. Couldn't find a free bike park (besides, it was like berthing a ship) so I parked it at the end of some angle parks, in a small gap of kerb with an entry to a parking garage on the other side.

No ticket at the end of the day...

Auckland... uni students are ticketed for parking behind a tree, in the gap between tree and kerb... :no:

[Squiggles]

Okay - can someone clear up the whole where you are allowed to park your bike situation for me. I've been told you can park it on the footpath and I've been told you're not allowed to. Does anyone know what the rules are?

Footpaths are a No, end of pay and displays are fine (Although if you park in a pay and display and get a ticket, write in and say you did get a ticket but it blew away/was stolen :msn-wink:) Motorbike parks are of course fine, as are as many nooks and crannies as you can find in parking buildings (within reason of course)

[icekiwi]

Stay off the footpath...
Mind you you could leave that killer dog of yours perched on the tank....that'll keep the parking nazis at bay....

[DevoDave]

I Auckland you can park at SKYCITY free of charge, just be sensible about it, there are are plenty of spaces that bikes can fit into that are not car parks.

[Brooke]

I Auckland you can park at SKYCITY free of charge, just be sensible about it, there are are plenty of spaces that bikes can fit into that are not car parks.

Yeah I find parking buildings great. All the places where there is heaps of room but a car can't get too. You aren't going to upset any cagers coz you ain't taking up an actual car park and they can't make you pay coz they can't charge for it :done:

[retro asian]

Bikes are permitted (and encouraged) to park in Pay & Display spaces WITHOUT PAYING.

Really?

Sweet. That rules.

[Reido]

Bikes are permitted (and encouraged) to park in Pay & Display spaces WITHOUT PAYING

i might go park in ad P&D space just for the hell of it now..

so i can have a smug look on my face while cages have to pay

[dazza139]

This link is for the Auckland City Council Website.
http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/auckland/transport/parking/motorcycle.asp
It clearly states that you have to pay for P&D parking. The site is dated May 2008. Has there been a change of rules? How can we clarify this?

[Squiggles]

My ticket blew away is the perfect excuse to get you off any ticket you recieve while parking in P&D. However, aggravated cagers may take to your ride for "stealing" one of their spots...So i would suggest doing as below.

There wont be any troubles w council if motorbikes are parked in the end segments of p&d (often there are triangle parts at the end)... Carparking buildings are perfectly legit, but let common sense prevail and if there isnt a marked bike park, find a spot a car cant use. The bike parking around the city is self explanatory. We're working on having more of this allocated to where it is neccessary.

As it stands, you can expect to recieve a ticket for footpath parking.

[pritch]

My ticket blew away is the perfect excuse to get you off any ticket you recieve while parking in P&D.

That sounds like a fairytale to me. I had cause to visit the cashiers at my local council over a ticket issued by a parking warden to a work car. The ticket was for expired registration and w.o.f.. The car was registered but the label had vanished, there was nothing wrong with the warrant. The cashiers at the council were of deeply suspicious mien and were reluctant to accept even the definitive proof I offered as to the real state of the rego and the warrant.

This can be quite serious, another car from work received a $12.00 parking ticket last year. The miscreant didn't think he should have to pay so he didn't. He then left the job. The fleet management people, for whatever reason, didn't change the ticket into his name. After a while it went to court and $30.00 was added.

When I became aware there was a problem I phoned the Court and was told that the $42 was in default and that it was going back to court in a few days where another $100 would be added so that the $12 ticket would then be worth $142.00.

In answer to my next question, I was advised that should the $142 not be paid by due date a warrant would be issued for the seizure of the vehicle.

So what is initially a trivial matter can develop and it could pay to seek better advice than some of what's written in this thread:whistle:

[Squiggles]

That sounds like a fairytale to me. I had cause to visit the cashiers at my local council over a ticket issued by a parking warden to a work car. The ticket was for expired registration and w.o.f.. The car was registered but the label had vanished, there was nothing wrong with the warrant. The cashiers at the council were of deeply suspicious mien and were reluctant to accept even the definitive proof I offered as to the real state of the rego and the warrant.

Work car, wof & rego to be affixed to the inside of the vehicle, in clearly defined locations. Motorcycle wof/rego, well they're all over the place when it comes to those (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=84567&highlight=Parking+wardens)
You can securely affix a parking receipt to a car, you simply put it inside where it can be seen. Try securing a receipt to a bike, so that its visable but wont blow away or be "borrowed". This is presumably why council prefers to not ticket bikes parked in P&D areas. More on parking in P&D here (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=72665&highlight=parking+ticket)

[yachtie10]

In April last year I got a $40 ticket for parking in a pay and display in Auckland city. There was no ticket on the bike that I saw but received it later in the mail.
I rang the person in charge at auckland city council to find out what the rules were. He stated that a motorcyle is a vehicle and subject to the rules as cars as far as parking goes. He had sympathy for the "how do you display your fee stub" question, but its the rules. He also stated that if paid your parking fee (and say it blew away or was stolen)they can look this up as the fees are recorded when and where especially if you use a credit card or text to pay.

If this has changed I am not aware of it. Can we get this clarified as this annoyed me when it happened.

Cheers:dodge:

[prettybillie]

Stay off the footpath...
Mind you you could leave that killer dog of yours perched on the tank....that'll keep the parking nazis at bay....

Are you making fun of my 6 inch killer guard dog in he full face helmet and one peice leather suit????? :woohoo:

[Krayy]

Well I just got off of a ticket and here's why...

When the warden fills out the ticket on his little hand held computer, he has to enter the date, time, location, license number, make & model for it to be valid.

It seems that the ACC have never heard of a "Buell" and therefore he put the Make as "Unknown". This, apparently, is a no-no in the big computer, so it promptly spat it out the other end and told him to bugger off. This means anyone who has a little known (in Government parlance anyway) brand bike, or an unbranded Custom, will NEVER GET A VALID TICKET AGAINST THEM!!!

This being the case, I have a solution for all those who park in dubious places...remove all identifying model stickers from your bike, and make sure that the rego is well hidden so the warden cannot fill those fields in.

Sorted.

[klingon]

Well I just got off of a ticket and here's why...

When the warden fills out the ticket on his little hand held computer, he has to enter the date, time, location, license number, make & model for it to be valid.

It seems that the ACC have never heard of a "Buell" and therefore he put the Make as "Unknown". This, apparently, is a no-no in the big computer, so it promptly spat it out the other end and told him to bugger off. This means anyone who has a little known (in Government parlance anyway) brand bike, or an unbranded Custom, will NEVER GET A VALID TICKET AGAINST THEM!!!

This being the case, I have a solution for all those who park in dubious places...remove all identifying model stickers from your bike, and make sure that the rego is well hidden so the warden cannot fill those fields in.

Sorted.

Excellent scheme! I'm sure my Volty will be immune once I remove all references to "Suzuki" from it. I often overhear people saying "what the F*** is a Volty?!" so I've finally found the benefit to riding an obscure bike!

[Ixion]

I foresee a strong demand for Spagthorpe decals .

[Swoop]

When the warden fills out the ticket on his little hand held computer, he has to enter the date, time, location, license number, make & model for it to be valid.
"Licence plate"?
An interesting concept in the city.

Are you making fun of my 6 inch
Your 6" what???:scratch:

[PrincessBandit]

If in doubt pay, keep ticket with you, then in the event of a dispute you can prove you did actually pay. Boring I know, but if you don't want to risk a ticket that would be my solution.

[dazza139]

Dear __________
Thank you for your email received 18 January 2009 requesting information on motorcycle parking in the city.

Please be advised that motorcycles parking in pay and display areas will need to purchase a ticket to park there.

Motorcycles and scooters can park free of charge at any of the Auckland City parking buildings. However, they must be parked in areas of the building where cars cannot fit.

For a list of motorcycle parking areas in the CBD, please visit the Auckland City website: www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/parking

We hope this information helps.

Thank you for your request. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further information or have additional questions.

Yours sincerely


Everall Deans
Customer Services
Auckland City Council

[Squiggles]

Ill bring this up at the next transport meeting as it obviously needs clarification.

[klingon]

Dear __________
Thank you for your email received 18 January 2009 requesting information on motorcycle parking in the city.

Please be advised that motorcycles parking in pay and display areas will need to purchase a ticket to park there.

Motorcycles and scooters can park free of charge at any of the Auckland City parking buildings. However, they must be parked in areas of the building where cars cannot fit.

For a list of motorcycle parking areas in the CBD, please visit the Auckland City website: www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/parking

We hope this information helps.

Thank you for your request. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further information or have additional questions.

Yours sincerely


Everall Deans
Customer Services
Auckland City Council

Well I never! :gob:

This is absolutely contrary to what Brian Tomlinson told me, in person, last year and which I duly wrote down word-for-word in my little reporter's notebook!

It's also contrary to what the nice parking warden told me when he obligingly met me and the editor of Rush Hour Magazine in Kingsland, so we could have our photos taken parking our bikes in a Pay & Display space without paying, and with the smiling parking warden looking on. The photos weren't published, as it happens, but I will ask the editor if he still has them on file.

Definitely needs following up, Squiggles.

[Gremlin]

Left hand... meet right hand

:no: