I thought Auckland was a "bike friendly city"

**KIPS powervalve** · 21st September 2012, 10:28

Ok, so out on a friday night I park my bike in a Tournament building in Newmarket (corner of York St), in a corner with no yellow in sight, no signs, I even rocked up next to another bike in the same corner.

A week later they send me a notice in the mail of a $65 fine for not Pay and Displaying. How the f*%k are you supposed to pay and display on a bike?

They said $25 of the fine is "liquidable damages", what I take to be lost revenue for taking up a space that a paying customer could use. Hello? I wasn't even in a parking spot and definitely not in anyone's way!

Anyone have any genuine advice, or comments?

**Swoop** · 21st September 2012, 10:39

Originally Posted by KIPS powervalve

Tournament building...

You have already identified the problem.
Bike friendly, they are not. The $ is king.

**KIPS powervalve** · 21st September 2012, 10:45

So where does that leave me? $65 out of purse I guess

**bogan** · 21st September 2012, 10:48

Not sure on the legislation for parking on private parking spaces, you'd probably get away with claiming ignorance if it was roadside though.

**Tigadee** · 21st September 2012, 10:50

Originally Posted by KIPS powervalve

Ok, so out on a friday night I park my bike in a Tournament building in Newmarket (corner of York St), in a corner with no yellow in sight, no signs, I even rocked up next to another bike in the same corner.

A week later they send me a notice in the mail of a $65 fine for not Pay and Displaying. How the f*%k are you supposed to pay and display on a bike?

They said $25 of the fine is "liquidable damages", what I take to be lost revenue for taking up a space that a paying customer could use. Hello? I wasn't even in a parking spot and definitely not in anyone's way!

That is such a stupid fine... If you want to contest it, take photos of the spot and area as proof that you were not obstructing any vehicles or taking up a parking spot. Take photos of other motorcycles doing the same thing, perhaps even in other venues.

**GSF** · 21st September 2012, 10:52

Yeah, Tournament can be arseholes.
Plus, their first objective is to make as much profit as possible, I doubt that providing bikers with free parking on their own property is really on the radar.

Some parking lots provide free bike parks, some don't (they tell you to get a ticket and attach it to a handlebar with a rubber band or something). I guess you just picked the wrong one. If you hadn't paid or had a ticket I don't think there's much you can do other than suck it up and move on.

I got a $40 ticket for parking on the footpath a while ago (on a bloody big wide one, the claim of "obstruction" was pretty bullshit in my mind) but I just paid it - when you think about it it's a small price compared to all the parking costs you've avoided in the past by riding a motorbike

**KIPS powervalve** · 21st September 2012, 10:58

Originally Posted by GSF

Yeah, Tournament can be arseholes.
I got a $40 ticket for parking on the footpath a while ago (on a bloody big wide one, the claim of "obstruction" was pretty bullshit in my mind) but I just paid it - when you think about it it's a small price compared to all the parking costs you've avoided in the past by riding a motorbike

Good point.
Thing that really gets me is that Wilson at AUT (where I study) gives free parking to bikes, as does the one by the Art Gallery. Why don't they standardise it? In fact, I thought they had already, and that bikes had free parking all over Auckland. Apparently not.

**GSF** · 21st September 2012, 11:11

Originally Posted by KIPS powervalve

Good point.
Thing that really gets me is that Wilson at AUT (where I study) gives free parking to bikes, as does the one by the Art Gallery. Why don't they standardise it? In fact, I thought they had already, and that bikes had free parking all over Auckland. Apparently not.

Yeah it's pretty lame. It does vary from operator to operator and it can even vary from location to location run by the same people. That's why I try to avoid car parks if possible, when you're dealing with a privately run car park and you have not adhered to their fine print I guess you're boned really.

I usually park on footpaths and tuck my bike out of the way, in three years of riding around Auckland I have only been fined once and that was on K' Road, which has a fair number of parking wardens patrolling during the day.

**Gremlin** · 21st September 2012, 12:24

Search Tournament on KB, been a thread about them recently...

**iYRe** · 21st September 2012, 12:29

I got a ticket just the same as that. Simple solution... jsut dont park any vehicle in a tournament car park..

**Akzle** · 21st September 2012, 12:40

well. 1) you're an aucklander and 2) you ride a hyobag. both of these things make me more inclined to chew my toenails than help. but help i will:

option one: grow some big ones, send their shit back to them with a leter saying "you have no legal jurisdiction, prove it or go fuck yourself"

option two: burn the building down

option three: learn, pay your pennance and don't park there again.

option four: charge them in court with false representation, misuse of a document for pecuniary advantage, whatever, ask them to present the "injured" (damaged) party (they can't), laugh all the way home. then send them a bill for acting as a lawyer, to the tune of 600$ an hour.

you're welcome.

**KIPS powervalve** · 21st September 2012, 16:25

Originally Posted by iYRe

I got a ticket just the same as that. Simple solution... jsut dont park any vehicle in a tournament car park..

Yeah, I figure that much now, Just a shame it cost $65 to learn that lesson. To all you other punters out there, learn from MY lesson, its cheaper to learn from others' mistakes

**Ragingrob** · 21st September 2012, 16:34

Write in saying that you did pay and display but some bastard must have taken your ticket, seeing as you couldn't put it inside your vehicle or anything... Though then they may catch on and create sticker p&d tickets and that would suck.

**Lozza2442** · 21st September 2012, 16:48

Originally Posted by Ragingrob

Write in saying that you did pay and display but some bastard must have taken your ticket, seeing as you couldn't put it inside your vehicle or anything... Though then they may catch on and create sticker p&d tickets and that would suck.

Was thinking about doing this, as I just got one too...

You reckon the bastards would go over the footage to see if you did?
I'd be happy to pay for the 3 hours I was there or earlybird. I just don't feel like paying the full $65