Bid to save free bike parking fails

A bid to reinstate free roadside motorcycle parking in London has been defeated in a court ruling which campaigners say threatens free bike parking everywhere.

The High Court rejected claims by campaigners that Westminster Council’s £1-a-day charge was introduced only to raise revenue and without a full consultation.

The British Motorcyclists Federation warned it “signals the end of free motorcycle parking” as other councils are now likely to copy Westminster’s scheme.

Lord Justice Pitchford said on Friday that the council’s objectives, including “the termination of discriminatory treatment between motorcycles and cars” were “perfectly legitimate”.

Another objective was to “improve on-street parking availability for motorcyclists”, he said.

Evidence revealed the council’s policy was also to ‘apply a level of restraint through parking policies’ because of ‘the safety and environmental problem caused by motorcycles relative to other modes’.

The judge said the growth in motorcycle traffic following the introduction of a congestion charge for other vehicles in 2003 “demonstrates the continuing need for measures of ‘restraint’ which was the basis for the Authority’s policy in the first place”.

The BMF’s Chris Hodder said: “Obviously we are disappointed.

“Protesters have vowed to fight on until Westminster is forced to back down by public demand.”

Campaign group No to the Bike Parking Tax, which made the legal challenge, has organised a string of protest rides and weekly “motorcycle flash mobs” which have brought chaos to city centre traffic.

Chairman Warren Djanogly said barristers for the group were preparing an application for leave to appeal and protests would continue. He said: “We’re planning another protest lap of the M25.”

Westminster Council refused to comment to MCN. Spokeswoman Cherie Willers said: “We don’t deal with you, I’m afraid.” The council has refused to answer MCN’s questions since February last year, when we revealed that income figures for its motorcycle parking scheme did not include hundreds of thousands of pounds raised through fines.