Motorcyclists will be charged for on-street parking in central <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:City> from 25th January, it has been announced.Westminster City Council are pressing ahead with the controversial initiative, despite the uproar the charge has caused among bikers both in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">London</st1:City></st1:place> and nationwide.Last week, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:City> bikers took action by defacing many of the Council's parking bay signs, rendering the parking charge unenforceable. <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Westminster</st1:place></st1:City> confirmed parking signs have been vandalised in protest at the charge, causing £66,000 worth of damage since trials begun last August.The council says it will prosecute anyone found vandalising council property and say they have increased surveillance on parking signs. One of the key figures behind <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Westminster</st1:place></st1:City>'s initiative, Councillor Danny Chalkley met with the Chairman of the No to Bike Parking Taxes campaign, Mr Warren Djanogly. In the meeting it is reported Councillor Chalkley said: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
“If it wasn’t for your (No To Bike Parking Taxes) public protests I could have quietly scrapped the motorcycle parking charges, but I am under pressure from my colleagues to make it permanent." <o:p></o:p>
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Sounds as if he's inferring that the public protests have prevented him from dropping the plans and that he could have quietly dropped them if the protests hadn't happened.
Hardly likely considering he was "One of the key figures behind <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Westminster</st1:place></st1:City>'s initiative"
..and it would have meant trusting the word of a councillor....
Wringing his hands, brow furrowed in genuine concern *ahem*... "Well you must appreciate my position. If you hadn't drawn attention to it like this, I could've easily withdrawn the proposals, but obviously the council can't back down now, can it?"
Smells like stuff to make your grass grow green to me
I suspect it'll be a "pay by text" system with number plate recognition cameras. Deep joy!
They're removing a lot of the cash meters down here - no more pay & display - you basically buy parking credits by credit card or text message. You're stuffed if you have neither!
All done by electronic means, including enforcement with their all-singing, all-dancing camera technology, therefore freeing up the meter maids to ticket the back streets, miles from anywhere, where there's no residents parking available so we all have to park illegally or walk 5 miles back home after finding somewhere legal to dump our motors overnight
Pokes head up out of tunnel...... hi Lou !! Oh damn, I'm going in the wrong direction
Joy, rapture, not. And what happens if theres a massive power cut in the capital when I stick my spade through the power cables ? well, other than fried squirrel......
wow this guy is insane! He's basically saying that even though there's public outrage he still can't do what's right and what the people want because his colleagues wont let him!
Don't we put these people in power to represent us? Or am i mistaken? lol
The colleagues bit is just a get-out clause - he doesn't want to back down himself, but it's easier to say "My hands are tied. It's not MY fault the council won't let me cancel this proposal" and he then thinks he doesn't bear any responsibility.
When it's "bikers" that are outraged, that rarely counts in wider society as "public outrage" or even "public opinion", because bikers are in the minority.
They will play on this and get the residents on their side, supporting the bike parking charges because their council tax bills will have to pay the cost of repairing any vandalised signage etc. The council will feel that to back down on this, means they've given in to "vandals"... Not that they've considered the ramifications and reached the sensible decision to cancel the idea.
Direct action is all well and good, but it tends to backfire when such action results in criminal damage, which is how they will view defacing parking bay signs etc.
so because we are classed as a bicycle does that mean that actual bicycles will be charged to park in town then, they take up lots of room and they don't pay so should we not be able to push our bikes to a bicycle stand in town and lock it to the stands the same as a cyclist does???????????????
Unfortunately vandalising a few signs will achieve little or nothing.
If this were France, they'd have brought the capital to a standstill, until someone took some notice.
You'd be amazed how much signs cost. I remember about 11years ago when the local neighbourhood watch was starting up in the street, that I lived in at the time, that the cost for one small sign that said 'Neighbourhood Watch' was about £100 if I remember correctly. We all chipped in. I dread to think what larger signs will cost and at today's prices.
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