The City of Melbourne is moving to ban motorcycle & scooter footpath parking.

[Volvi]

The City of Melbourne is moving to ban motorcycle & scooter footpath parking.

Free footpath parking for motorcycles & scooters was introduced in the 1980s after a strong campaign by the Motorcycle Riders' Association (MRA). The aim was to encourage the use of environmentally-friendly vehicles. Cr Clarke will put a motion next Tuesday calling for a bike ban in Melbourne's little streets. Word of the motion got to the press and there was a strong reaction.

Before the CoM votes to look at more bans:
it should work the issue through the Motorcycles In Melbourne Committee (MIMC) and the Victorian Motorcycle Advisory Council (VMAC).
it should provide alternatives similar to alternatives provided for bicyclists.
it should educate new riders on how to park for the good of all.
it should enforce the obstruction law where appropriate.
it should encourage property managers to provide bike parking in 'dead space' as Telstra does in Little Lonsdale Street.

Footpath bike parking is Victorian law not a council regulation. If the CoM succeeds in changing this law, councils across the State will move against footpath parking too.

The Victorian Government has treated the motorcycle community with contempt since it took power c 1999 that it won't surprise me to see Brumby side with the CoM against riders.

In spite of repeated requests, the City has failed to provided bike parking alternatives that kept pace with the growing number of people who commute by motorcycle or scooter. Nor have they promoted the minimal off-street parking that is available.

CoM surveys show that motorcycles & scooters are a significant 2% of traffic on a weekday. This is up around 30% on 2006. Scooter sales continue to break records as people seek covenient, economical ways to commute and/or link up with public transport.

The Herald Sun. Page 19. October 25, 2007.

BIKE PARKING BAN LOOMS.

Motorcyclists could soon be banned from parking their machines on central Melbourne footpaths under a plan before the city council.

The push is to free up crowded footpaths clogged with parked motorcycles and scooters, especially on narrower streets.

City coucillor Peter Clarke said with the increasing popularity of motorbikes, especially scooters, the time was right for a review of the CBD regulations that permit two-wheeled (DC - bicycles not included) parking on footpaths.

'The street is where you park and the footpath is where you walk,' Cr Clarke said.

Extra street parking would be provided to compensate, he said. (DC - I'll believe that when I see it. We've been calling for regulations to require off-street bike parking for years. We've been calling for 'dead space' to be made available and more centre-of-the-road bike parking. The CoM response has been minimal. The CoM has been irresponsible with its' motorcycle & scooter parking over the last decade. Make secure, free parking alternatives available and you reduce the number of bikes on the footpaths. It works for bicycles.)

The age ran a story too. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/b...58343.html .

The Motorcycle Riders' Association (DC - MRA) plans to fight the proposal, starting on Tuesday when the plan is put before a full council meeting.

There is a public gallery for CoM meetings. Riders should gather at the Town Hall to let Cr Clarke and Chair of the Planning Committee, Cr Ng. It would be good to fill the public gallery and have many more riders and bikes outside the Town Hall for the media.

www.melbourne.vic.gov.au go to about Council, go to council and committee meetings go to public participation a find the agenda for the CoM meeting on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. CoM meetings usually start about 5 pm so riders can attend after work to support the MRA. If you can't make it to the CoM meeting email the Lord Mayor, John So at lordmayor@melbourne.vic.gov.au and the Shadow Transport Minister, Terry Mulder at terence.mulder@parliament.vic.gov.au . Let them know how you feel about this environmentally-irresponsible attack on the Victorian motorcycle community.

You can email letters to the editors of the Herald Sun and The Age at: hsletters@heraldsun.com.au and/or letters@theage.com.au .


Damien Codognotto OAM
MRA Life Member.
Ulysses Club 21208.
Melbourne.
0419 846 855.


http://mraa.org.au/forum/modules/news/

[RaZ]

I'll be there with my bus - pricks - if they do it - we should all get up early & take EVERY SINGLE CAR PARK SPACE, ONE PER BIKE!

Then see if the rest of the Melbourne people want bikes banned from foot paths

Or how about I send the council the bills to re-spray my bike after someone backed in to it because I parked in a car space? pricks

[TimF]

need to stamp this crap out before it spreads north

[GCBusa]

I'll be there with my bus - pricks - if they do it - we should all get up early & take EVERY SINGLE CAR PARK SPACE, ONE PER BIKE!

Then see if the rest of the Melbourne people want bikes banned from foot paths

MRA have done it before. Do it again.
Don't loose this one guys!

[RaZ]

I know - thats why I mention it :)

[Maj]

Brought on by the bike shops crowding the footpaths with there wares,The power is there to fine bikes intruding on pedestrian traffic.. a bit of sanity from both sides and there would be no issue...

[The Ant]

Its suggested that they will compensate us with more on street parking. If they do this they will charge us for parking and it will just another revenue raising ploy.

[slowandsteady]

Agree with Maj to some extent, but not sure if it's the bike shops. Most of these guys do the right thing - although a lot of their customers don't.
Working throughout the CBD as a contractor I see no end of bikes parked up against walls etc, in CLEAR CONTRAVENTION of the law.
Who cares you say? How about the poor blind bugger trying to negotiate their way down the footpath (often using building walls as a reference point)?
Having said this, I'm sure bikes taking up all the car parking spots in the CBD would have the required effect.....

Does this mean that they're going to ban all those table and chairs put out on the footpath for the Latte brigade?

[The Ant]

Having said this, I'm sure bikes taking up all the car parking spots in the CBD would have the required effect.....

Does this mean that they're going to ban all those table and chairs put out on the footpath for the Latte brigade?

You mean those poofta Ducati riders?

[Cam]

We should indeed keep this topic at the forefront of discussion. We have stopped them bringing in this law once before through peacefully taking up all parking spaces in Melbourne on a Saturday morn, I'm sure we can do it again.

If anyone hears any rumblings of a gathering on this one, please let me & everyone else from Vic on this website know so we can make a stand.

It is also important to remember that it is illegal to park against a building or on the street side near a loading zone or a disabled car park. If we all abide by these laws they really have no grounds for complaint.

[slowandsteady]

Having said this, I'm sure bikes taking up all the car parking spots in the CBD would have the required effect.....

Does this mean that they're going to ban all those table and chairs put out on the footpath for the Latte brigade?

You mean those poofta Ducati riders?

.....maybeeeeeee...... ;)

I suppose you gotta do something while you're waiting for roadside assist to come and take your bike back to the dealer.....

[Mutha]

Flinders lane, Little Collins, Little Bourke, Little Lonsdale and Little La Trobe streets made liable for fines up to $115.

These streets are pretty narrow and to be honest, I wouldn't want to leave my bike parked there all day. I have seen a few bikes that have fallen over or been pushed over in some of these streets. Either because they haven't been parked right, or when the workers lunch hour hits, people knock'em over. It makes want to cry, seeing that. It would also make my job, a little bit harder, when working on my bike in the city.
I'm ready and waiting for the protest day, I'll be there with bells on.

Cheers Tez

[CapeBusa]

I occasionally ride to the city and occasionally park on the footpath whilst there. I do however ride a lot in smaller cities and towns like Ballarat and Geelong, etc. If this moronic decision was to go ahead, all I can say is that I have little to no sympathy for the councils of cities and towns that choose this course of action. The fundemental benifit of footpath parking is the saving of space on already congested roads and streets. Add bikes to the parking disaster and we will not only see an uncontrolable ratio of vehicles to parking spaces but i don't doubt that we will see an increase in road rage against bikes. As it is, I have been abused by a car driver for occupying a full car park with my bike. The gentleman failed to recognise my right to used said parking space. And he sure as **** isn't the only ignorant car driver in Victoria.

Knowledge is power. Knowledge is gained through observation and understanding. Therefore, how can the government know what is good, or bad, decision if the only thing they are observing is the insides of their own rectums.

Geoff.

PS and i was having a good day until i read this thread.

[arthur dunga]

i've been told by oldtimers of the bike shops being in elizabeth st since the first motor bikes were around,to me its as much a part of melbourne as the trams ,young & jacksons etc, i feel its almost part of our biking heritage.Sure there's more bikes & scooters & that trend will continue to grow,its progress & theres no stopping it .I think there is some cities that are banning cars or making it too costly to drive into them.What evever the outcome it's really down to raising more revenue,something else to tax.

[slowandsteady]

I read today that the proposal is only for the "Little" streets.
these are usually the ones I see the bikes all over the footpath on and parked up against the walls.
Don't know why they just don't start fining the f*ckers who are doing the wrong thing by ALL of us instead of dicking everyone....