Motorbike parking again
Jun. 18th, 2009 07:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ffuturesWestminster is the only borough in the UK that charges for all motorbike parking (in designated motorbike parking bays) - the others either don't charge at all or only charge for especially secure spaces that have anchor points etc.
This came in last August, has been the subject of a lot of complaints, and they've now reduced the fees by a third. Basically, it's gone from £1.50 to £1.00 a day, from £150 to £100 a year, and all other rates reduced accordingly. But if you read the VERY small print on the sign advertising this (displayed on the post of the parking bay sign) it's also now possible for Westminster residents to get a one-year motorbike parking permit for £50 which also allows you to park in some other resident's parking bays.
Since my one-year parking fee expires at the beginning of August I'm naturally very interested in this. So I phoned Westminster's parking permit department to ask about getting a resident's permit, and they said they cost £85, the standard fee for a vehicle under 1200cc. Checked the sign again, it definitely says £50.
So either the sign is wrong or Westminster's parking permit people are full of crap. I need to get the application in by the end of the month to be sure of getting the permit in time, so sorting this out in the next couple of weeks will be interesting...
Later It turns out that the reason that they don't know about it is because the residential permit part hasn't come into effect yet, which is odd because the other parts have.
It also turns out that I can't apply until July anyway, they issue permits a maximum of a month in advance, and that if I do it in one of their "one stop shops" there will be no waiting period at all, which was not what I was told yesterday.
I HATE dealing with bureaucrats!
This came in last August, has been the subject of a lot of complaints, and they've now reduced the fees by a third. Basically, it's gone from £1.50 to £1.00 a day, from £150 to £100 a year, and all other rates reduced accordingly. But if you read the VERY small print on the sign advertising this (displayed on the post of the parking bay sign) it's also now possible for Westminster residents to get a one-year motorbike parking permit for £50 which also allows you to park in some other resident's parking bays.
Since my one-year parking fee expires at the beginning of August I'm naturally very interested in this. So I phoned Westminster's parking permit department to ask about getting a resident's permit, and they said they cost £85, the standard fee for a vehicle under 1200cc. Checked the sign again, it definitely says £50.
So either the sign is wrong or Westminster's parking permit people are full of crap. I need to get the application in by the end of the month to be sure of getting the permit in time, so sorting this out in the next couple of weeks will be interesting...
Later It turns out that the reason that they don't know about it is because the residential permit part hasn't come into effect yet, which is odd because the other parts have.
It also turns out that I can't apply until July anyway, they issue permits a maximum of a month in advance, and that if I do it in one of their "one stop shops" there will be no waiting period at all, which was not what I was told yesterday.
I HATE dealing with bureaucrats!
