We had our last rally back in May 2010 when I posted *** THIS ***
and *** THAT ***
You can read more information HERE and HERE2
When you park at a City of Vancouver parking meter, the charge is the same whether you park a scooter or a car. The same price for both even though a scooter is much smaller. The City will reduce the parking by 50% if you "phone in"
but even at Half of the regular rate it is too much so again we are demonstrating our point by taking ONE space per scooter or motorcycle and hogging all the parking spaces along Robson Street, the premier upscale shopping district in Downtown Vancouver
the point of this photo is to show that you can "cram" up to 10 scooters in ONE parking spot so 50% of the parking rate does not seem fair for a vehicle which occupies so little space. We are pushing for 25% or FREE parking for all 2-wheeled spaces in the Downtown area. The point of the "fallen" scooter is to show what happens when cars get aggressive and "bump" (damage) our scooters/bikes
The purpose of our Rally is not to inconvenience the merchants with resultant loss of business so we arrive early and intend to leave around 11am
Oh look ! A V-strom . . .
I am not the only Adventure Tourer here today
Earlier the weather was iffy with a bit of spitting rain, now the sun has arrived and it is getting warmer
The person in the white jacket across the street is Ian Tootill, our organizer and spokesman
Ian Tootill
Is there also public information explaining what is going on? Maybe even som PSA's on TV. If not, then the activity may be ineffective.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the outcome?
Richard:
DeleteThe City IS listening. They have started to have dedicated parking for bikes but most are metered and NOT free. Even though they have smaller spaces for bikes, they can squeeze 4 bike spaces in a space occupied by ONE car, but each meter charges 50% of the rate so really they are charging us Double as 4 bikes at 50% is twice the price for a single vehicle. The rally is about getting reduced meter prices to reflect the smaller real estate of a bike
Bob,
ReplyDeleteIt's the same in NZ if you use a car parking spot with a bike (and fair inough). However, some cities have slimmer parking for a bike and if it's in a space where there isn't space to put a car anyway, it's free. I'm presuming Vancouver doesn't have a similar feature?
Geoff:
DeleteWe have asked for "revenue neutral" alternatives. This means that the space at both ends of the block where they have the "triangle", no car can park there anyway, so no parking fees are "lost" by giving bikes the space for FREE, however, when the city puts two bike spots in these previously free spots, they put in a meter where they charge 50% of the car rate. So now they are getting parking fees where they didn't before. We are asking for these to be FREE where they were previously not charged
Considering the city's financial crunch expecting more than a 50% discount is unrealistic especially since anything with a motor is now poison at cityhall.
ReplyDeleteDavid:
DeleteAs mentioned above, 4 bike spaces at 50% of the regular rate is actually double what a car would pay for the same lineal footage. So bikes are discriminated, we are asking for the price to be 25% of the regular rate, being "revenue neutral", ie the same revenue they would receive for the same real estate.
I think it is a great cause to try and get the city to change their minds. They may not do it but at you all of you are out there trying.
ReplyDeleteWe are lucky in Corvallis that almost all of our downtown is free parking and even then they paint triangles at the end of the blocks and by alleys and they are motorcycle only parking. Luckily we've yet to have a ticket for parking in the yellow even when unmarked for m/c and leaving a full size spot for another car.
Trobairitz;
Deleteyou are lucky to have FREE parking. Our City will not give us the "triangles" for FREE. They are installing 2 bike spaces at the front and rear of each block, with a meter charging 50% of the regular car rate, so they are receiving revenue for space where they were not receiving revenue before. This is what we are trying to bring to their attention
Wait a sec...this is the city that has the dedicated bike and motorbike lanes? You would think it wouldn't be a large loss do revenue if they would just convert a couple full size spots to multiple motorbike spots.
ReplyDeleteLori:
DeleteI agree with you. Bikes contibute nothing to our infrastructure, drivers are upset about loosing lanes for bicycles but they will do anything to promote ECO friendly transportation alternatives like bicycles or electric vehicles. They don't seem to understand that not everyone can cycle to work and that 2-wheeled vehicles are the short term solution to parking problems by taking less parking space
Well in Seattle you have one space and you put a tag on your bike for your fare. However if another motorcycle occupies that space too they too have to pay the same fare. At a maximum of 2 hours in most places 4 motorcycles can occupy the same spot but each has to pay the same fare separately or it's a $35 ticket?!
ReplyDeleteAnd in Spokane if you have a scooter. Motorist just walkout... move your bike to the side walk and take your spot... AND IT'S NOT EVEN ILLEGAL!