is wellington city parking really that f**ked up

**Ocean1** · 13th July 2017, 14:21

Originally Posted by riffer

Wow. Much uninformed opinion here eh?

The fact is, there's a council bylaw in effect. And it stems from back when we negotiated with the Council that in return for us not taking up the vehicle parks with motorcycles (a number of us actually did that as a protest) we got 500 free parks for bikes.

Of course, they've mucked around with that (at one stage about five years back I led a delegation of grumpy bikers to Council chambers and successfully argued that it was not in their interests to try and screw us further) but generally they've kept their promise.

No other city in New Zealand has as many free official parks for bikes as Wellington.

Could there be more? Sure, but that's a battle for another day. There's not enough parks full stop in Wellington.

But try and find out a bit more about it before going off half cocked folks.

Cheers

Fully cocked since ages ago tah.

And the fact that it's a council bylaw that effectively blocks a couple thousand bikes parking in the city every day don't make it any less worthy of the perfectly justified derision the decision attracts, just makes it exclusively the council's fault.

I mean the reason given at the time for bikes not being allowed to use the normal pay/display and metered parks was that cars were either attempting to use the rest of the space or actually getting out and moving the bikes ffs, how pathetic is that?

**riffer** · 13th July 2017, 22:21

Oh I agree, it's not really right at all is it?

However, Fair Go presenting it like it's something nobody knew about is bollocks.

Thanks for all the red reps folks. Go park in the car parks. You obviously know better than everyone else. Dickheads.

And in case you didn't realise, we're a minority, and nobody really gives a fuck about motorcyclists. You can piss and moan all you like about fairness but it doesn't mean shit in the end.

**swbarnett** · 13th July 2017, 23:11

Originally Posted by riffer

And in case you didn't realise, we're a minority, and nobody really gives a fuck about motorcyclists. You can piss and moan all you like about fairness but it doesn't mean shit in the end.

While this may be true, what has to be pressed into the thick minds of politicians is that if they don't provide motorcycle parking for those that want it people will just stay in cars. I'm sure TPTB would appreciate a quicker commute in their congestion creators for the low price of a few car park spaces.

**riffer** · 13th July 2017, 23:12

Originally Posted by swbarnett

While this may be true, what has to be pressed into the thick minds of politicians is that if they don't provide motorcycle parking for those that want it people will just stay in cars. I'm sure TPTB would appreciate a quicker commute in their congestion creators for the low price of a few car park spaces.

I'd need a fucking 50 tonne workshop press to get it into their heads mate.

**swbarnett** · 13th July 2017, 23:39

Originally Posted by riffer

I'd need a fucking 50 tonne workshop press to get it into their heads mate.

Unfortunately I know what you mean. Maybe if the city ever does grind to a complete halt they'll finally get it. We can but live in hope.

In the meantime I'll enjoy my morning slalom (full length of Auckland's Southern) and the bike park I have all to myself only a block from the office.

**Ocean1** · 14th July 2017, 07:48

Originally Posted by riffer

Oh I agree, it's not really right at all is it?

However, Fair Go presenting it like it's something nobody knew about is bollocks.

Thanks for all the red reps folks. Go park in the car parks. You obviously know better than everyone else. Dickheads.

And in case you didn't realise, we're a minority, and nobody really gives a fuck about motorcyclists. You can piss and moan all you like about fairness but it doesn't mean shit in the end.

To be fair the average car driver almost certainly didn't know much about it.

**riffer** · 14th July 2017, 19:23

You're not wrong Ocean1. I don't believe the average car driver thinks a lot about motorcyclists.

Many seem to drive that way.

It does make me wonder though, how many of these little bylaws there are that actively discriminate against minorities.

The key thing though, is that we still have too many single occupant vehicles using our roads, and motorcycles go a long way towards making a difference.

I pity the poor buggers when we end up with electric motorcycles - they'll really struggle to find something to hate about us then.

**Ocean1** · 14th July 2017, 20:08

Originally Posted by riffer

You're not wrong Ocean1. I don't believe the average car driver thinks a lot about motorcyclists.

Many seem to drive that way.

It does make me wonder though, how many of these little bylaws there are that actively discriminate against minorities.

The key thing though, is that we still have too many single occupant vehicles using our roads, and motorcycles go a long way towards making a difference.

I pity the poor buggers when we end up with electric motorcycles - they'll really struggle to find something to hate about us then.

Councils are cesspools of incompetence, filled with commercial failures, informed mostly by those particular single issue lobby groups who have all day to bitch at them and no concept of where or how the resources that fund them are produced.

They don't discriminate against minorities alone, they continuously fail to act in anything like the best interests of their rate paying clients. If they weren't the watertight monopolies they are they'd be long, long gone. I gave up any hope of a reasonable return from my contributions years ago.

It's tempting to think the exponential clusterfuck arising from easily projected traffic density increases would incentivise punters to change their habits, eh? I mean given the social welfare spend there's no fucking chance at all of an effective infrastructure fix. But a quick glance at cities a step or two ahead of us indicates that without such intervention it will indeed continue to become much, much worse.

Fuck me, 3 years ago my workshop in the northern reaches of the valley was 4 minutes away, now it's 12. And that's an hour from the epicentre.

More Bourbon...

**FJRider** · 14th July 2017, 20:45

Originally Posted by Scuba_Steve

I've been told it goes something like bikes aren't allowed to park in pay & display parks as to free them up for cars (& also cause tickets are hard to keep attached in the wind) in exchange we get provided with so many free bike parks & that there's a bylaw to such effect.
Haven't looked into it myself, not that interested as I have no real interest in paying for parking on a bike.

It's in the Wellington bylaws. ... 6.5 No person shall park a motorcycle in any parking meter area controlled by a multiple parking meter, other than in any part specifically set aside for motorcycles.

http://wellington.govt.nz/your-counc...art-7_-traffic

However ... Bylaws are not part of the land traffic act. And if you dispute any charges the Council "Ticket" you for ... they will need to either take you to court, or hand fine collection to Baycorp (or similar). Remember the "Freedom Camping" bylaw the Central Otago Councils ... have found are lacking teeth ...

**Scuba_Steve** · 14th July 2017, 22:20

Originally Posted by riffer

I'd need a fucking 50 tonne workshop press to get it into their heads mate.

I can give you access to a 100 tonne one

Originally Posted by FJRider

However ... Bylaws are not part of the land traffic act. And if you dispute any charges the Council "Ticket" you for ... they will need to either take you to court, or hand fine collection to Baycorp (or similar). Remember the "Freedom Camping" bylaw the Central Otago Councils ... have found are lacking teeth ...

Except that's not what happens is it? instead it'll be handed to the courts & they will illegally steal your money... Thus is the way of the corrupt & illegal system

**pzkpfw** · 15th July 2017, 08:01

More and more of the car parks in Wellington have that sensor thing in the road that's linked to the nearby pay-here machine.

I think it senses the light blocked by the vehicle on top, or something like that.

Would those things even work for bikes?

(It feels ironic that one reason pay and display doesn't work for bikes is the problem of attaching the printed ticket (and preventing its theft etc.); and the new system, that does away with the printed ticket, still doesn't solve the issue for bikes - even if the council were to change the bylaw on where we can park bikes.)

**FJRider** · 15th July 2017, 20:05

Originally Posted by Scuba_Steve

Except that's not what happens is it? instead it'll be handed to the courts & they will illegally steal your money... Thus is the way of the corrupt & illegal system

Decide for yourself ... remember that Police have zero interest in parking offences. The Council must instruct THEIR Lawyers to start proceedings against you if they wish to recover unpaid ticket fines. For a $50 parking ticket ... is it really worth their effort .. ??? Also remember NO LAWS WERE BROKEN. Any Court case is a private matter between the Council a the "Parking offender" ...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/mone...parking-ticket