As many of you may be aware, the bike parking areas under the overpasses on William St (near the Courthouse) and the one on Elizabeth St (on the right as you come off the overpass) have now been deemed off-limits to bikers! With no warning, bikers parking there were slapped with a $50 parking fine.

so the MRAQ (Motorcycle riders Assoc. of QLD) wrote BCC a letter asking what the deal is ?

here is the blanket reply sent back to everyone that complained.

27 August 2003

Dear Mr

Re: Motorcycle parking

I am writing in response to your recent e-mail in relation to your
concerns about the availability of motorcycle parking on the footway in
Elizabeth & William Streets, Brisbane.

Parking or driving a vehicle on any footway is an offence against the
Brisbane City Council's Local Laws. This practice can damage the footway
and underground services. It also creates an unacceptable hazard for
pedestrians, particularly those who are visually and/or physically
impaired. This information is included in the Queensland Drivers' Guide
that is available from any Queensland Transport Customer Service Centre.

The Council has a responsibility to all residents of Brisbane to provide
a fair and equitable on-road parking system. This also includes
preventing illegal parking on footpaths, where the Council has a duty to
enforce the legislation to ensure the safety of pedestrians.

It is the responsibility of the driver of the vehicle to park their
vehicle in accordance with the Queensland Road Rules. Council does not
condone the illegal parking of any vehicle.

In the past, motorcycles parking at this location was tolerated to some
degree and enforced on a complaint basis. The increasing number of
motorcycles has resulted in the practice becoming unsafe. On numerous
occasions the careless and inconsiderate placement of motorcycles has
hindered pedestrians from accessing ramps to/from the footway and/or
accessing the pedestrian crossing buttons located on traffic light
poles.

Therefore as a result of increasing complaints in relation to public
safety issues associated with motorcycles parking on footways in the
city, the Council has recommenced full enforcement of footway offences
in this area.

Warning notices were placed on motorcycles in this area on a number of
days prior to full enforcement commencing on 18 August 2003.

Council provides free on street parking facilities in Margaret and
Charlotte Streets. There are numerous parking stations located
throughout the City that can be utilised by motorcycles.

Yours sincerely

R Patterson

A/Team Leader Correspondence

Nobody i have sporken too saw any such warnings from the 18th. Here is the response from MRAQ

Rebecca,

Thankyou for the reply regarding my concerns about motorcycle parking in the
Brisbane City area.

I however feel compelled to convey how inane the reply was. Firstly, it was
said that motorcycle parking on footpaths "can damage the footway and
underground services". This is absurd. Consider the weight of a motorcyle,
any make or model. The only way damage to surface pavement could happen
from this is if

(a) It was poorly laid, and too thin.
(b) The pavement was already damaged and/or suffering from structural
weakness.

Furthermore, implying that it can damage underground services is farcical.

I understand that people have complained about hindrances caused by careless
parking of motorcycles. Since the parking of motorcycles in these areas
has, as you say, been tolerated in the past, would it not be wiser and more
intuitive to deem these areas
motorcycle parking zones and mark them with boundaries that the bikes must
be parked within? I believe this would be a far better solution.

Motorcycles are a more environmentally friendly mode of transport. They
consume less petroleum, have fewer emissions
reduce traffic congestion and can park in bigger numbers, in a smaller
space. Compare this to a car.

The provided street parking facilities in Margaret and Charlotte Streets are
totally inadequate. The fact that the parking areas in question are subject
to "increasing numbers of motorcycles" implies this.

I am aware that the response I received was a blanket response to the many
complaints put forth by Brisbane motorcyclists. This heightens my anger
regarding the issue, as most of the individual issues raised were not
addressed. I personally feel we have all been brushed off with no regard to
our needs. I am sure a lot of other motorcyclists feel the same way.

I believe it is time the BCC took notice of important issues such as this
and recognised the needs of all motor vehicle users. If motorcycles were to
park in car sized parking spaces, one per parking space, what would be the
result? I asked this very question in my original correspondance and it was
ignored.

I request that my and every other motorcyclists concerns, regarding this
issue are addressed properly.

Sincerely,

Anyway, just letting you know. Stay away from the bike-parks mentioned. Hopefully the BCC will wake up soon and realise their error and make them legal parking areas again. The MRAQ isn't about to roll over and die on this one, so i'll keep you posted :)

ride safe dudes.

I see the lawyer dude with the bmw is still parking accross the road from the mags court on the footpath near the expressway... he found another gap in the fence the other day

Hope it all goes well for the MRAQ. This is truly another BCC wank.

we have hada similar problem with our street in the past.

We have aleays lived in a dead end stret hat was divided in 2 by 2 houses that originally owned the bracken ridge / bald hills are before development.

2 years ago these houses were sold to a developer under and allow to be developed into 14 smaller blocks on the condition that our street would not be a through road.

The development has started and a fwe hosues built but the conditions have not been met.

Currently our street is a through road and the developer was instructed to build a gate at the top of the street to block general car access and only allow garbage truck access. This gate has not yet been constructed and has since turned our street into a through road for the local residents and local hoons.

The new development has created a "nice" racing circuit for many local vechiles especially ones with loud engines at 11pm at night.

We recieved a call from carol Cashman yesterday in regards to this issue. She has informed us that the contractor develping the land has not recieved payment for what has currently been done and is not doing anything else until hey are payed. This i a council issue and has been forwarded to the council.

In addition to this Carol said that the lans is also deemed as private property and any vechiles that do pass throug there unlawfully can be booked by police and fined. We hae been advised to report registration plates to vechiles passing thorugh this road to the police.

Funnily enough though Lord Mayor Tim Quin was on ABC talk back yesterday morning taking callers concerns with brisbane and outstanding issues. Dad actually got onto the radio yesterday mornnig and discussed this issue with him and something has recently been done about it.

Maybe this be a way the bike riders that utalise this parking space safely and properly can get somethnig done abotu this?

If you cannot get atisfactino from your local member or office go straight to the top?

I am sure that the ABC 612am or similar would liek to air this problem

That's why you never give silly little detail reasons for not allowing people to do something - they always come back with their s***kunt arguments like the one claiming it won't damage the footpath and then they drag you into a stupid argument about nitty gritty crap.

Haha, nice Jim.

I think they are gearing up for an influx in motorcycles.

I read somewhere on News.com.au (i think!) the other day about giving a rebate for people buying those little scooter motorcycles.

They wanted people in Queensland to increase their use of public transport.

Interesting.

In addition to this Carol said that the lans is also deemed as private property and any vechiles that do pass throug there unlawfully can be booked by police and fined. We hae been advised to report registration plates to vechiles passing thorugh this road to the police.

did I read it wrong or does that mean your road is private property? how the hell does that work?

No the top of the street between the old ends of the street is private property. The middle 100m of the road is private property where the new development is being built.

ahh ok, gotcha.