THE Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA) has posted on its website today (14 April 2022) a questionnaire asking motorcyclists about parking.
Yes, a thrilling subject. There is only one thing we at Visordown love more than parking, and that is talking to each other about parking, and we encourage everyone to do the same. It is great fun!
In all seriousness, this 14-question multiple-choice questionnaire should not take you more than five minutes to complete, and could be of benefit in the future, as governments keep asking for more money for the pleasure and honour of parking your motorcycle in a suitable and appropriate place.
The questionnaire contains questions ranging from how you use your motorcycle (for example, to ride to school or work), to whether dedicated motorcycle parking is available in your area; and from the amount you would be prepared to pay for parking compared to a car, to whether you think motorcyclists should be allowed to park anywhere as long as it is not causing a disruption for other road users.
It is worth pointing out that although Britain is no longer a part of the EU, it is still represented by two organisations in FEMA: the British Motorcyclists’ Federation; and the Motorcycle Action Group.
It is always worth answering quick questionnaires like these if you have a spare five or 10 minutes, especially when the questionnaire comes from an organisation which represents you and your interests (in this case as a motorcyclist), not least because most of the time when you try to complain about something you think is wrong, people just tell you to shut up and get on with it.
That is a fair enough position, but let’s be real. Parking is a total nightmare. Between finding somewhere that is aware motorcycles are a form of transport, and that they are used by real humans to go from one place to another; to finding one that understands the concept of a motorcycle, but does not require a payment equivalent to one-and-a-half motorcycles in order to enjoy the privilege of parking in one of their spaces - it is a disaster.
Now, of course, there is no guarantee that this will actually change anything, but there is more chance of tsomething changing positively if more people answer the questions than ignore it. So, if you have five minutes, why not give it a look?
