SMC Call To Arms: Further bike parking removal by Council/ARTA

[ital916]

I'm down to protest this. To remove basically all uni bike parking is ludicrous. First alfred, then under the quad and then symonds street. If I turn up to uni and cannot find a bike park, i'll just have to park it on the footpath in a cycle bay or better yet ride it into the kate edgar building. If they do remove the bike parks, action must be taken. It's fine they took away alfred, we coped but we need those spaces we use now. Take them away and the university is forcing us to take action and I reckon that action is a mass gathering of very disgruntled motorcyclists parking in the middle of symonds street.

[HungusMaximist]

You know this affects scooters just as much as motorbikes.

As far as I can see there's a shitload more of scooters than bikes.

I must say AKL UNI has been pretty sneaky and cunning in their approach, but they're definitely aren't stupid. They know that they will have to surely find another replacement space or risk action taken up the 2 wheels club.

Along with the above possible problems - today a security guard gave everybike parked under the quad a 'ticket' for parking on the footpath saying that number plate has been recorded and that a tow truck may be called......

There goes another 30-50 parks......

You mean by the lockers?

[ital916]

Yeah I mean scooterists too, they can be brought into the motorcycling fold lol. If the uni does remove parking, they don't know how much crap they have just gone and brought upon themselves.

[CookMySock]

...Park all along the footpath all along symonds, that way we get bikers + joe public to start complaining.

Yes, but then they will complain about YOU. Not a good look.

Take up all the car parking instead.. there will be a huge fallout about that, and yet you will be 100% legal. When they ask you to move just shug and say "no" - you are fully entitled to park in a car space under law. Don't be intimidated, and refuse to discuss it. Don't get drawn into a fight because they will fight you and they will win - just walk away and they can't touch you. Do tell them "Dont't Touch My Bike!!"

Ugh, what a nasty battle.

DB

[Patar]

My understanding is that MOTORCYCLE parking in Symonds St is not affected (other tan maybe in the short term if they're planting a new tree r something).

But I've got a call in to Tim Darby, who should be able to reliably clarify. Watch this space.

For those who are unaware, they are planning to make symonds street a bus transit lane and as such want to remove all pedestrians crossing symonds st.
Their plan of attack for this is to remove all the parking spaces along symonds st and replace them with planter boxes.

Sadly I learnt of this a while before I became a biker and had since forgotten about it.
Even sadder is the fact that the timeframe for voicing concerns about this has passed (I believe it was start of last year down in britomart when they had posters n such up with it), although im sure if enough people bitch and moan then something can be done.

One thing i believe will be useful is to get the university to realise the impact of removing the bike parking spaces, one way of doing that is making them see just how many of us there are by possibly parking by the grassy patch they've made at the kate edger building.

Although they might not be removing any motorcycle parking like they said in their original email but from what i know of the plan it's unlikely.

[Patar]

Yes, but then they will complain about YOU. Not a good look.

Take up all the car parking instead.. there will be a huge fallout about that, and yet you will be 100% legal. When they ask you to move just shug and say "no" - you are fully entitled to park in a car space under law. Don't be intimidated, and refuse to discuss it. Don't get drawn into a fight because they will fight you and they will win - just walk away and they can't touch you. Do tell them "Dont't Touch My Bike!!"

Ugh, what a nasty battle.

DB

erm you realise that the car parks around uni will be gone too right? also if we take car parking spots, car drivers complain about us; either way we get more people focussing on us and in a situation like this it is never a bad thing.

[SPman]

seriously, if they think that removing a couple hundred motorcycle parking spaces is acceptable then they must be more retarded than I could ever imagine.

It's the Auckland City Council!

They ARE more retarded than you could ever imagine!


(Except for the Building Inspectors)

[CookMySock]

erm you realise that the car parks around uni will be gone too right? also if we take car parking spots, car drivers complain about us; either way we get more people focussing on us and in a situation like this it is never a bad thing.

oh I didnt realise that. Thats nuts. Yes, that is true, but you might be able to get the situation resolved - I suppose the bikers won't get any recognition for that *sigh*. Good luck fellas.

DB

[Swoop]

Can someone open the gymnasium one morning?
Get all the bikes to park in there as a protest. It will certainly get attention to the issue.

[Nagash]

Sit in on the park spaces they're gonna dig up

That'll be a laugh. But hot in the leathers though..

[Subike]

how about an approch from a different angle.
Anybody who owns a bike, scooter etc just dont turn up to the uni.
If the numbers are such as they seem to be , having a couple of hundred students not arrive in the class rooms on the day the restrictions start will get far more attention than trying to blockade with you bikes.
Get all those who dont go to the uni to gather somewhere on mass, with TV3 news teams and announce that you are all eing deprived of your right to open access to the uni for eduction.
That would have a better effect than on on street protest,
Aunty Hellen should be asked to attend the gathering and explain her education policies.
Get your local MP involved.
I'm sure a peacefull legal walk out protest like that would get more media, govenment and uni attention than blocking the roads which would become a Police matter.
Just an Idea to dwell on.
If you can organise group rides, organise a group walkout.
I believe it will get better results and far more attention from everybody,
A half empty classroom is had to ignore
Im sure some of your teachers are in the same boat and could even join you in this

[Squiggles]

My understanding is that MOTORCYCLE parking in Symonds St is not affected (other tan maybe in the short term if they're planting a new tree r something).

But I've got a call in to Tim Darby, who should be able to reliably clarify. Watch this space.

Kevin Wong-Toi on ext 7889, according to the call centre he's the one in-charge of the project, and will be in tomorrow. I shall call then

PM me some contact details Ixion, i may be calling in the future :P

[boostin]

Maybe they have a plan to relocate all the bikes to somewhere else? Tui?

Someone take some photos and do a count of how many bikes use the parks now so that there is some actual evidence of the disruption that will be caused. I can see the parks being removed and then the council saying "What bikes?"

[Ixion]

Tim Darby returned my call (unfortunaelty he got my voicemeail). He syas "That's uh, interesting". As far as ACC understood the plan, there was to be NO loss of motorcycle parking. But, he said, they may have changed things without telling them (ACC) (!!??). So he's going to go check the plans and ask questions tomorrow and will get back with a definitive answer then.

ACC's contact for the AU Travel Plan is Melanie Alexander.

[Chrislost]

ok, got an email back from the engineering staff member who forwarded the previous email



SHIT

Who do we email/storm into the office of to confirm this?

we have to move fast

and we'll need a plan of action if they do infact intend to remove 80% of motorcycle parking without replacement

Wheres the nearest parking building?
We could all go park in that (paying for one park each...)