The Journal Times out of Racine, WI, has a question & answer section in its newspaper, and today's question is why motorcycles don't have to pay to use public parking garages.

Here's the answer...

The answer is pretty simple. Motorcycles aren't able to use the parking gates on the outside of the garages, Eeg said. The gates are triggered by a metal sensor that raises and lowers the bar.

Motorcycles don't have enough metal, so if one tried to go through there's a chance they'd get hit by the bar as it came down.

Labels: Parking

The biggest problem with parking your motorcycle in a gated parking lot or parking structure, is the wind blowing the receipt off of your bike.

While cagers can easily lay the receipt on their dashboard, or sometimes hang it from their rear-view mirrors, motorcyclists have nowhere to place it.

So the city came up with a receipt with an adhesive backing. They want bikers to stick it on their headlight.

They also want people to park their bikes at a 90 degree angle to the curb, so as to maximize the availble parking space. Because we all know how much space gets hogged up by motorcycles.

Via Chicago Sun Times

Labels: Legislation, Parking

When I was going through college, a Kawasaki KZ400 was my only means of transportation. The campus had a line of parking spaces for motorcycles up at the front of the campus, so it was really nice to get such great parking.

A report in The Auburn Plainsman, a paper from Auburn University, Alabama, says that the use of motorcycles by college students has increased, leading to parking problems.

I suppose I'm not surprised by this. Historically, Americans drive cars as their transit of choice, hence all parking facilities are designed for cars. But people will ride motorcycles if they can realize some benefit. And parking is one of them.

So, good parking facilities for motorcycles will foster their popularity.

Labels: Parking

In South Dakota, the Rapid City Council is proposing to create a motorcycle-only parking area in downtown during the Sturgis Rally. According to the Rapid City Journal:

The committee's recommendation is to limit Sixth Street to motorcycle parking only between the railroad tracks and the alley south of St. Joseph Street for the duration of the rally. Main and St. Joseph streets would remain open to through traffic, but those portions of Sixth Street would only be open to motorcycles, emergency vehicles and delivery vehicles.

Labels: Parking, South Dakota, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Local government officials in Devon County, England are consulting with bikers regarding the design of new parking spaces within the town center of Barnstaple. County planners want to hear comments from motorcyclists on issues ranging from clearly marked parking spaces, safety, theft prevention, lighting, and parking space sizes.

With the number of motorcyclists on the rise, especially throughout Europe and Asia, it makes sense to design streets and parking structures with bikers in mind. It seems some of the most popular destinations for bikers are places that can't adequately provide parking for motorcycles.

Labels: Parking, UK Motorcycle News