If you have been parking in Belfast last week, you may have had a questionnaire placed on your bike from Roads Service – Proposed Provision of Free On-Street Parking Facilities For Motorcycles.

The survey is intended to access the parking needs of riders in Belfast with the hope to improve motorcycle parking facilities in Belfast city centre. The intention then is to carry out a pilot project by converting some existing on-street Pay and Display parking bays, at a number of locations throughout Belfast City centre, to allow motorcycles and scooters to park free of charge and without time limit.

At present we can only take the purpose and the aim of the survey at face value as a positive move for riders, as one rider commented on the Right To Ride website:

“This is a very welcomed proposal and I applaud Roads Service for considering it at least.Dedicated FREE motorcycle parking without time limits is a great concept considering the limited spaces that motorcyclists currently are able to occupy in Belfast and riders would be able to park without any worries of receiving a parking ticket. The recent changes made to the Met College traffic island used by bikers have made it more awkward for riders who use it, with more limited access and space for parking. It appears that riders were not considered when they planned the changes in any case so alternative areas would be great.

Anyway I would encourage anyone who received the questionnaire to complete and return it so they receive some feedback at least and show we have a presence and an interest that they meet riders needs for parking in Belfast.”

It would be nice if there was the provision of some sort of locking facility, not necessarily individual ground anchors but the likes of a locking rail.

If you missed the survey don’t despair as Roads Service will be carrying out more on–street surveys in the near future, to obtain as representative a response as possible from the most frequent motorcycle parkers in Belfast city centre.

We have been promised some hard copies of the questionnaire which we will make available and an electronic copy which can be printed out!

Read the full article on Right To Ride

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