Parking garages

[moondog]

I am not sure what to make of this. I think motorcyclist are getting the short end? This is from the Hartford Courant in Connecticut. There goes the ride to work theory to save gas for some.

Anybody run in to this yet


"Of the four parking garages operated by the city parking authority, none allows scooters to park there for safety reasons, said Executive Director Jim Kopency, though the MAT Garage on Church Street allows for some non-transferable "grandfather deals."

The authority is not alone. Of the 18 or so public and private garages in downtown Hartford, there are others that also restrict scooters and motorcycles."



http://www.courant.com/news/local/hr/hc-scooterparking.artjul17,0,2480484.story

[jenunn]

The garage operators are missing an opportunity. Motorcycles and scooters take up less space and therefore could generate more revenues per sf than cars if they designed a special area for them in the garage. Down here in Florida motorcycle and scooter sales are very strong due to high gas prices....I'm sure the same elsewhere.
Hopefully as this trend continues the bias against two wheeled vehicles and their riders will abate.

[flgoff]

The parking facility near the Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, SC does not allow motorcycles . . . unless you're very tired when you arrive and you and your riding companion don't notice the sign till the next morning . . . OOOPSY!:blush

Floyd

[deilenberger]

"Of the four parking garages operated by the city parking authority, none allows scooters to park there for safety reasons, said Executive Director Jim Kopency, though the MAT Garage on Church Street allows for some non-transferable "grandfather deals."Since this is a public parking authority, it's a perfect opportunity to be the local PITA who makes them justify the ban on scooters (does this also apply to motorcycles?)

Government bureaucracies are often examples of petty dictators making up their own rules based on some personal prejudices. This sounds like one of these.

A poke in the eye with a sharp stick by a member of the public (with some publicity) will often get silly rules like this overturned. The glare of negative publicity is a very powerful tool when dealing with employees of the public.

[deilenberger]

Reading the article - I'd suggest contacting dsalas@courant.com. - the reporter and asking if he/she has asked for any proof of the dangers from the parking garage operators - instead of the inuendo reported in the article.

What's interesting is the results of the poll - at the moment > 91% of the people taking it feel scooters/motorcycles should be allowed to park in the garages.

[jforgo]

This is likely something you can thank to the yuppie "screamin eagle" crowd. That open pipe junk must be deafening in there.

[tessler]

I park my bike in a garage here in NYC. There are few, very few private (auto) parking garages that allow Motorcycles (or Scooters) to park in them. Those that do, are primarily Park & Lock facilities, where monthly tenants drive their own vehicle to their own dedicated spot.

Most other facilities operate strictly valet-style for their hourly, daily and even monthly trade. I park my car, monthly, in a facility like that (as much as I would rather not, the cost of Park & Lock for an auto in my neighborhood is obscenely high).

FWIW :whistle

[moondog]

I just read the article again and a poll was attached to the article. 93% of the respondents said motorcycles should be allowed. Lots of respondents too.

I agree with the HD theory. Can one imagine the echo in one of those garages!!!!



http://www.courant.com/community/news/hfd/hc-scootermotorcycle0717-poll,0,2183894,post.poll

[Bob1100RTC]

My wife and I like to go down the the south side of Pittsburgh to eat drink and hang out. We have found that none of the parking garages allow motorcycles. So be it . We park on the side streets and walk a little. Pisses me off a little but I'll get over it.

[aerialfilm1]

Call the assignment desk for the local tv news and turn it into an over blown Anti-Green / Big Oil / Elitism / David vs Goliath thing.

Seriously. Try the media but keep it topical. Fuel savings and environmental impact are hot topics now. Explain that if you can't park your motorcycle then you have no choice but drive a car that pollutes more and and consumes more imported oil. If you have a consumer affairs reporter they may sink their teeth into it and get results. They live for this kind of nonsense.

Yes I know it was in the paper, but TV reaches farther. Hartford doesn't need any more bad press nationally.

[Newstar]

The garage operators are missing an opportunity. Motorcycles and scooters take up less space and therefore could generate more revenues per sf than cars if they designed a special area for them in the garage. .


On a recent visit to DC, we had to park overnight in a public garage. There were four motorcycles and each of us was charged the same as a car driver. We tried to explain that we would only be taking two spots but the attendant was hearing none of it.

As we do take up less space, I believe we should pay less. Or be allowed to have one space per bike.

[Newstar]

Wait! I stand corrected. My hubby just informed me that the attendant DID finally relent and gave us a $10 discount. Still....

[mdillon3]

I'm finishing a masters degree at a local university, drove my r75 with velorex sidecar into parking garage. paid my $5 in the evening and came back to find ticket on bike "no motorcycles in parking garage". Went to the safety and security and explained that I was almost the same width as a car, no matter but they did drop the ticket as long as I purchased a motorcycle tag for $10. I asked where to park motorcycle and they showed me a nice location on the map in the middle of a side walk. I replied "you can't be serious". Drove in the next morning parked, came out of class and there was a group of officers standing there staring at my hack. I told them this is where I was told to park and they replied "we know, we just can't figure out what rules you fall under now". So for the past month I've been smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk and I've saved myself at least $100 in parking garage fees.

[antaeas]

Last month, an attendant at a private garage under the Fairmont Frontenac hotel in Québec City told me that garages have slots for motorcycles near the exit door, where cars can't park to leave room for pedestrians to come and go. These slots are within sight of the cashier's booth, if there is one. At three hotel garages in three other cities (Montréal, Toronto and Boston), I have since entered despite signs to the contrary, made my way to the exit without making a racket, and asked the cashiers whether a nearby slot was OK. They let me park, even though I was not an overnight guest at two of the hotels, just having a meal there. I suspect that they were glad to have my business once they saw that I wasn't going to disturb anyone or badly use a slot. I didn't ask for a reduced rate. Public parking garages in Madison Wisconsin have designated motorcycle slots, near the exits, and scooters are parked in bicycle racks. For both, the rates are less than that for 4-wheeled vehicles.

[Charlie_K]

A few weeks ago I rode from New York to Texas and back (http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27263). I only spent one night in a place with a parking garage, Sam's Town Casino Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi. They had reserved motorcycle parking spots just inside the entrance to their garage.

The parking garage at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Albany, NY has a dedicated motorcycle parking area. It's normally right next to the office. It's been temporarily moved to a less convenient area during repairs to the garage.

[mrbreeze]

A lot of parking garage operators do not allow motorcycles because those electronic gates have a hard time seeing us. I once had the arm come down between me and the fairing! that was a sticky wicket, I assure you. The answer is a dedicated area for motorcycles just inside the garage but before the gate.

[glurkus]

Public parking garages in Madison Wisconsin have designated motorcycle slots, near the exits, and scooters are parked in bicycle racks. For both, the rates are less than that for 4-wheeled vehicles.

I was trying to find parking in Madison, and one of the public outdoor lots (near the Capitol) said "No Motorcycles". I could have easily driven around the gates and parked for free. (maybe why they didn't allow motorcycles) I ended up parking on the street, having to plug some coins into a parking meter.