NO TO THE BIKE PARKING TAX! Petition & Object by email.

Alan Haskins wrote (see)

They're coming to MK next, Les

Good, that'll fuck the neighbours.

I can charge them to park on my 200ft drive

"AHHH i see...but you are allowed to not give a phuck its a free country!!!"

It because some folk don't give a phuck that this country is getting less and less free. They chip away at small freedoms and one day you wake up without any. That's why we have about 1 CCTV camera to every 8 people, DNA databases, face and number plate recognition and more and more ways to monitor our every move.

Listen to the words here there's a message

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Esinem wrote (see)

"AHHH i see...but you are allowed to not give a phuck its a free country!!!"

It because some folk don't give a phuck that this country is getting less and less free. They chip away at small freedoms and one day you wake up without any. That's why we have about 1 CCTV camera to every 8 people, DNA databases, face and number plate recognition and more and more ways to monitor our every move.

Listen to the words here there's a message

I object to the Westminster council scheme because parking was previously free, now it isn't.

I also object because the justification used to bring it in is improved security and I've not seen any evidence of that when i have parked.

I also object because it means I have to register with the council in advance.

I also object because it means I effectively must have a mobile with me when I park.

I also object because even if I just want to park for 5 minutes I have to pay the full day's charge.

I also object because it's effectively just another tax (in keeping with all charges levied on parking).

I also object because I can.

But on the whole, I think that £1.50 to park all day in Westminster is pretty fair really, and I don't really think it's out of order, given the fact that everyone else has to pay to park.  I don't really see why bikes should be free.

Yeah, £1.50 today. How much tomorrow? They can get it through easier if the charge is minimal, 'cos lots of people will say "Well, it's ONLY £1.50", especially if it has the sweetner of improved security with chain anchor points. Thin end of the wedge. Think about it. Why wouldn't they charge more if they can get away with it? I can remember a day when you could park a car pretty much anywhere for free. Some meters are charging cars £4+ per hour these days.

GLOOMY PREDICTION:

I can forsee a day when every vehicle has a GPS system and every camera is APNR enabled and all linked into a driving and parking offences system, tax and insurance database, road charging and 'anti-terrorist tracking' "for our enhanced security" etc. Park in the wrong place? Overstay by a few seconds? Kerching! -£100! Drift over the speed limit anywhere/anytime? Kerching! -£100 + 3 points!! Wheel the SORN-ed bike you have been rebuilding on to the road to see it in daylight? Kerching! You're nicked, matey! Obviously, your insurance will be re-priced or even withdrawn based on your riding style etc. (this has already been floated)

It won't be long as it presents endless opportunity for making even more money out of us with minimal effort and low overheads (think how much they'd save if traffic wardens could be replaced with technology, especially if the motorist if paying for the hardware on his vehicle). The technology is already here and affordable. However, it will probably sold to us as an in-built Tracker security system, a way of saving money on insurance and a convenient way of paying for congestion charge/parking/road tolls, then enhanced for the less palatable purposes

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Your point is valid.  Even if you rather over-egged your justification.

I am similarly opposed to the introduction of any new tax.

But you could argue this isn't new at all, just an extension of existing parking taxes.

Alan Haskins wrote (see)

^^^And that makes it better?

The upshot is, if we all sit back and do nothing we will all be paying for unsecure bike parking, wherever we are in the country.

If you can't be bothered to get off your arses, at least spend a minute of your very valuable time signing the petition. You never know, it may even work.

+1

Bikes are already charged here in Hunstanton but if it prevents others having to pay I am all for it

Valerie wrote (see)

+1

Bikes are already charged here in Hunstanton

Christ, are they?

To be honest, the Westminster bike charges don't affect me, but if it's left uncontested then it will soon be all over London, then all over the country.

I personally don't want to pay to park in Guildford, Woking, Staines, etc, when I go shopping. It's one of the few liberties us bikers have, and I want to keep it that way.

At the end of the day it takes less than a minute to sign the petition, doesn't affect your rights, and you stand to lose nothing. Unless you're strongly in favour of paying for bike parking, you have no real excuse not to sign it.

Here's why it will be coming to a bay near you soon:"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <waveIfXMLInvalid>false</waveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <wnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {pageection1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language0400; mso-fareast-language0400; mso-bidi-language0400;} </style> <![endif]-->a new city-wide motorcycle parking strategy.  The estimated full year revenue benefit of the proposals is £585k with a capital investment of £985k."

That's a 50% return on capital in year 1, not bad in days of recession and gloom. No doubt running costs will be peanuts once they have all the signs up etc. A nice little earner, indeed! Hands up all councils that don't want a slice of action like that!

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Oh bollox. It seems if you cut'n'paste text it really cocks this board up.

Anyway, it's very little effort to object by email to 60 councellors at once and make their life a misery by clicking here: Mail them!

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Jondo, if you took the time to process other people's posts with your planet sized brain, you would know where the 'jibber jabber' was coming from. Let's try again shall we?

"It seems if you cut'n'paste text it really cocks this board up."

If you need any help with that sentence, let us know, OK? But I don't suppose give a phuck...

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