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Strategy threatens motorcycle footpath parking

Centre of the road motorcycle parking Melbourne strategy
Centre-of-the-road motorcycle parking in Melbourne

Melbourne’s lauded motorcycle-friendly footpath parking is under threat from a discussion paper to update the city’s Transport Strategy.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp has released a discussion paper in June that suggested strategies for reducing the access of motor vehicles to the CBD for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

An alarming finding for motorcyclists is that only 3% support encouraging more motorcycles into the CBD.

That goes against all reports and studies that show motorcycles and scooters are a solution to traffic and parking problems, not a cause.

Another alarming result of the Melbourne strategy is that 80% support dedicated motorcycle parking.

Footpath parking threat bays plan centre strategy
Footpath parking in Melbourne

That likely means removing motorbikes and scooters from footpaths and providing allocated parking on streets.

The report says that “without allocated parking, increasing numbers of motorcycles clog up the footpath as ridership increases”.

That’s a big concern for Melbourne’s riders, although if there are fewer cars and trucks in the CBD, it may mean there is more on-street parking for motorcycles.

A compromise to the current loose footpath parking rules could be allocating painted bays on footpaths as is the practice in Brisbane.

Brisbane CBD motorcycle parking bays strategy
Brisbane footpath parking bays

That may help placate 54% of pedestrian respondents to the paper who say footpaths are becoming overcrowded.

However, that overcrowding is not just the fault of motorcycles, but also cafes, vendor stalls and bicycle parking.

Public meeting

The Melbourne discussion strategy will be presented at a Council Meeting on Tuesday 11 December at 5.30pm.

Council says members of the public may provide written submissions prior to the meeting.

However, there will be no opportunity to make verbal submissions during the meeting.

The draft Transport Strategy is now being completed and will be presented to Future Melbourne Committee in the new year. Further consultation will follow to finalise the Strategy.

Riders are encouraged to attend the meeting and protest quietly and peacefully with placards.

Concerns about strategy

In October 2014, Melbourne unanimously adopted a Motorcycle Plan that nurtured and encouraged motorcycles to the city.

However, the Independent Riders’ Group in Victoria has expressed concern ever since that Melbourne’s much-vaunted motorcycle footpath parking was still under threat from a growing number of pedestrians, a strong cycling lobby claiming footpath space, comments by a former RACV boss, an MCG parking ban and alternative road-centre parking.

The rival Victorian Motorcycle Council described the claims as “scaremongering”, saying there was only an issue about parking around Luna Park in the City of Port Phillip which they claimed to be involved in resolving.Melbourne zones discussion paper strategy

IRG spokesman Damien Codognotto is calling on riders to email Melbourne’s Lord Mayor and Transport Committee chair Nicolas Frances Gilley.

He says riders should object to the lack of consultation with the City of Melbourne’s Motorcycles In Melbourne Committee, the Motorcycle Expert Advisory Panel at VicRoads and other motorcycle and scooter organisations.

“There is only so much on-street space available so they can’t do much to allocate centre-of-the-road or curbside motorcycle and scooter parking,” Damien says.

“Increasing off-street bike parking only works for pushbikes (so far). Melbourne’s car park operators pay lip service to us but don’t act. Even park and ride facilities fail to provide secure parking for motorbikes. The majority of off-street car park operators do not want motorcycles cycles in their buildings.

“Painting parking boxes on footpaths is a waste of paint. Probably a move towards making riders pay for space. 

“The system in place now has worked for three decades. It is good for the city.

“In my opinion the anti motorcycling culture is widespread in Victoria and this attack on motorcycle and scooter footpath parking is part of that, pure discrimination.”

The IRG, which is a member of the Motorcycles In Melbourne Committee has also called for an improvement in off-street motorbike parking with facilities such lockers for protective clothing and a trial of forward stop lines for filtering motorcycles.

  1. This is a published discussion paper. It is negative to motorcyclists in Melbourne. To call a reasonable reaction to it “scaremongering” is to support apathy.

    Part of the suggested strategy is to dramatically reduce or ban vehicle access to the city and to reduce or ban free motorcycle & scooter footpath parking in the city. The prime mover in this is Cr Francesgilley who is very pro bicycle.

    The paper is months old but there has been little or no consultation with motorcycling organisations. It has not been discussed at a Motorcycles In Melbourne Committee meeting nor, as far as I know, at a MEAP meeting at VicRoads. Our submissions seem to have slipped into a black hole. The 3% figure is a worry. It says to us that Victorian motorcyclists who we asked to fill in the survey could not be bothered. And, it means that the vilification of the motorcycle community is working.

    We ask riders to email the Lord Mayor ( sally.capp@melbourne.vic.gov.au ) politely putting your arguments for keeping free footpath bike parking in Melbourne. We ask riders to attend the meeting at the Melbourne Town Hall at 5.30pm next Tuesday, December 11, 2018. Talk to Councillors and staff before and after the meeting. Talk to the media. Protest with placards. Attend if you want to keep the parking rights we won for you back in the 1980s. Stay away if you don’t want to keep footpath parking in Victoria. Apathy will help those pushing the bans.

    Damien Codognotto OAM
    The Motorcycle Riders Association (Formerly IRG)
    Melbourne

    1. Never let the truth get in the way of a good lie.

      It was your constant alarmist calls that footpath parking is under threat, particularly when VMC was contacted by Hincliffe over your MCG and City of Port Philip based “footpath parking under threat” claims were rightly described as scaremongering. In the end CoPP reduced the size of the ban area as a result of John Eacott’s excellent advocacy efforts (and don’t see any need for widening the ban as FPP is not a problem in other areas) and I have it on good authority that you ended up endorsing MCG’s position however I didn’t see the same level of PR about that.

      We can at least agree on two things, the consultant who drafted the paper does have an anti motorcycle bent and riders should take the time to respond to the paper.

      Rob

  2. The truth is that motorcycle & scooter footpath parking in Victoria is under continuing threat of restrictions and bans. That the Victorian Motorcycle Council’s Rob Salvatore wants to make out that this is not so begs the question. Why? Who does he represent? It does not look like it’s the Victorian motorcycle community to me. The VMC certainly does not represent me. I prefer to keep my guard up when it comes to road authorities and motorbikes.

    We only represent our MRA (formerly IRG) members. People who support what we do and opt in.

    The fact is that the motorcycle & scooter footpath parking bans expanded dramatically in St Kilda and elsewhere. VMC’s John Eacott did a good job negotiating but the fact is, there’s a lot more footpath in St Kilda where motorbikes can’t park in 2018 than there was in 2014.

    We supported a St Kilda bike parking protest organised by an independent rider.

    The MCG bike parking ban was presented as a ban targeting riders. We reacted. It turned out that it was a security measure for all vehicles which we accepted publicly.

    That Salvatore tries to discredit me and the MRA reaction to yet another attempt to restrict motorcycling in his first sentence. “Never let the truth get in the way of a good lie.” That says more about Salvatore that about me.

    Like I said, I prefer to keep my guard up when it comes to road authorities and the motorcycle & scooter community.

    Damien
    MRA
    Melbourne

  3. once again you have posted a photo on this page (Footpath parking in Melbourne) which is actually a shot of motorcycles parked on private property and not council footpath. The bikes are within the property boundary of a Telstra building. Can we stop showing this same pic every time this subject comes up? It is not a true depiction of footpath parking in the Melbourne CBD.

  4. Trains and bus services into the city are crap. Single occupant cars are a big space user. Cyclists pay nothing to be on the road yet are lauded by authorities as something good.
    As an ex Sydney dweller I find the concept of footpath parking for motor bikes a real positive.
    The ability to lane filter into the city and park on the footpath close to the office and or shops is a commercial plus for Melbourne’s rate paying business owners.
    Sally Capp, cyclists get the roads for free , pay nothing to state or council revenue, stop putting them in such an august position vis-a-vis motor cyclists.
    I

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