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Westminster wins, bikers lose: £1 a day parking charge is legal

The judgment in effect said that Westminster Council did not need to make any special justification for bringing in charges for motorcycle parking as motorcycles could be treated in the same way as cars.

Judge Lord Justice Pitchford rejected claims by Warren Djanogly of the ‘No To Motorbike Parking Fees’campaign that the authority began charging simply to raise revenue, adding the fee was introduced “to improve on-street parking availability for motorcyclists in order to meet actual and anticipated increased demand. The existence of that need cannot be seriously challenged. The evidence was overwhelming.”

With the bmf a strong supporter of the ‘No To Motorbike Parking Fees’  campaign, their Government Relations Executive Chris Hodder said: “Obviously we are disappointed but while this ruling means that Westminster have the technical authority to charge motorcyclists, they could find that this is a pyrrhic victory as protesters have vowed to fight on until Westminster are forced to back down by public demand. It should also be borne in mind that it’s actually costing Westminster Council £430,000 a year all-in to run the scheme, so other local authorities thinking this is a green light for similar schemes should be extremely cautious.”

Motorcyclists are charged to use any dedicated on-street bay. The charges – which the Council says it will hold at current rates for three years – are £1-a-day fee, or £3.50 a week, £13.50 a month, £33.50 for three months or £100 a year. Riders can park free in the borough’s car parks, although these are not a preferred option in the evening, especially for lone female riders.