The commuter tax motorcycles don't have to pay: Why bikers are exempt from the Workplace Parking Levy

As the cost of getting to work continues to rise, from higher insurance premiums and fuel prices to increasingly expensive parking, there's one charge that motorcycle riders can largely ignore. The Workplace Parking Levy (WPL), a scheme designed to reduce congestion and encourage alternative forms of transport, which is backed by the new PM, Andy Burnham, does not apply to motorcycles.

The levy isn't a new idea. Introduced in Nottingham in 2012, it charges employers for providing workplace parking spaces, with the aim of encouraging commuters to consider alternatives to driving alone. While businesses decide whether to absorb the cost or pass it on to employees, the result is the same: parking at work can become significantly more expensive for those arriving by car.

Motorcycles, however, are treated differently.

Under Nottingham's Workplace Parking Levy scheme, motorcycle parking spaces are exempt from the charge and are not counted as liable workplace parking places. The reasoning is fairly straightforward, in that motorcycles occupy considerably less space than cars, contribute less to congestion, and make more efficient use of limited parking capacity.

It's a small detail that many riders may not realise, but one that could become increasingly relevant if more local authorities decide to introduce similar schemes. Nottingham remains the UK's only operational Workplace Parking Levy, although several councils and combined authorities have explored the idea over the past decade as they search for new ways to fund public transport and reduce urban traffic.

For motorcycle commuters, the exemption adds to a growing list of financial advantages. Riders already benefit from lower fuel consumption than most cars, cheaper parking in many towns and cities, and in some locations free motorcycle parking altogether. Add a Workplace Parking Levy exemption into the mix and commuting on two wheels starts to look even more attractive.

The exemption also represents something of a contradiction in wider transport policy. Government and local authorities acknowledge that motorcycles take up less road space and less parking space, enough to exclude them from workplace parking charges, yet bikes often receive little recognition when transport strategies are drawn up. Secure parking remains patchy, access to bus lanes varies dramatically depending on where you live, and motorcycles are still frequently overlooked in discussions around reducing congestion.

That raises an obvious question. If policymakers accept that motorcycles shouldn't be penalised by a congestion-focused parking levy because they are part of the solution rather than the problem, shouldn’t they be doing more to encourage people onto two wheels?

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