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Councillor urges 'responsible' motorbike protest
A councillor has urged motorbikers to act responsibly during a protest planned for next Tuesday.
On March 31, demonstrators are expected to meet outside Westminster City Hall, in Victoria Street, Victoria, to protest against a trial scheme which introduced daily charges of £1.50 for motorbikers to park in Westminster.
Cllr Danny Chalkley, Westminster Council's cabinet member for environment and transport, has penned the following letter, calling for protestors to scale back their protest.
The letter states: I'm writing to urge motorcycle protestors to act responsibly and reconsider their plans to take part in a large-scale motorcycle protest next week which will inevitably inconvenience thousands of Londoners.
"Up to 1,000 motorcycle protestors are expected to descend on the capital during rush hour on Tuesday evening with the intention of bringing parts of Westminster to a standstill and causing major disruption to commuters and local businesses.
"The demonstration follows the introduction of motorcycle parking charges by Westminster council last year. Under the scheme motorcyclists pay a maximum charge of just £1.50 a day to park in any dedicated parking bay across central London.
"During their last protest motorcyclists blocked Victoria Street and brought traffic to a standstill, this action affected 23 bus routes and resulted in police being called to City Hall.
"While we accept peaceful and lawful protest or opposition to council policy, we do not believe it is reasonable for a small minority of London's motorcycle community to deliberately cause massive disruption and inconvenience to London's retailers, shoppers and commuters.
"We have offered the motorcycle campaign group the opportunity to speak at our meeting at Westminster City Hall on the 31st of March and provided up to 70 spaces in the public gallery, as well as webcasting the event.
"Protestors have also been given an opportunity to send any objections to the council, all of which are currently being considered before any decision is made on the future of the scheme.
"I would urge the chair of the 'No to Bike Parking Fees' campaign group to condemn any action that will inevitably disrupt law-abiding Londoners who have no part to play in this upcoming protest."
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I have a message for Councillor Danny Chalkley.
SCRAP THE TAX. THEN WE WILL GO AWAY.
On a side note, we have ALL been invited by the Built Environment Policy and Scrutiny Committee Membership to attend the meeting and give reasoned opposition to the EXPERIMENTAL parking tax imposed on us with out any justification!
IT IS DANNY CHALKLEY WHO IS HINDERING WESTMINSTER RESIDENTS AND RETAILERS WITH HIS DRACONIAN PARKING POLICIES, NOT PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE IT! SCRAP THE TAX NOW! IT IS OUR RIGHT TO PROTEST AND OBJECT AND WE WILL BE!
"small minority of London's motorcycle community to deliberately cause massive disruption and inconvenience to London's retailers, shoppers and commuters."
Keep spouting the same nonsense Danny? You think eople are bound to believe it in the end. There is no SMALL MINORITY. Everybody is fed up with your nonsense. Cancel the tax and the demo will not be necessary.
Who ever heard of a politician trying to discredit a protest on the grounds of disruption? How about trying to discredit them based on their argument. The fact is you can't because you know you and your stupid policy are out of line.
Stop trying to pretend you act in the interest of Westminster retailers, shoppers and commuters. Nobody is buying it anymore.
I'm sure Councillor Chalkley would like nothing better than for this protest to evaporate.
He and his cronies thought they had invented a nice little scam to effortlessly replace the millions Westminster lost in Iceland.
Little did they realise they are treading on a FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOM enjoyed by two wheeled riders everywhere in the world.Everyone on a bike or scooter trades the discomfort of bad weather and danger of weaving through a busy city in the knowledge that the will get where they are going on time with the minimum of stress.What is the point if you have to pay at the other end?
Westminsters stealth tax has nothing to do with improving parking facilities for bikers, a few pots of road paint are all it takes and there are plenty of spaces free because no one wants to take a car into the city any more. This is the thin edge of a huge taxation wedge being eyed up by every council in the country. Bikers are slowly waking up to this. The disruption on the 31st is just the beginning unless they scrap this tax for ever.
I think Cllr Chakley is trying to make us feel bad by disrupting commuters on their way home and businesses. However, the reality showed in previous demo, that "disrupted" people on their way back home, were actually showing the thumb up to us all as they passed by 30 Millbank!!! So, you see "Mr" Chakley, even the people who have nothing to do with the bike parking charge have their Say, and it's not to your benefit but ours!!!!! Just keep that in mind!!!! Be a smart boy and listen to your Party Leader David Cameron and make a pligh for your MEACULPA!!! Give it up, scrap the scheme!!.
Chalkley turns and twists depending on what suits at the time, his spin is incedulous but ultimately threadbare.
Demonstrations do inconvenience people, it's unavoidable. If Westmonster Council didn't try to fleece motorcyclists then the demonstration wouldn't be taking place. Whose fault is it Danny?
The cost of £1.50 a day has taken £2.5 Million from motorcyclists pockets in the six months of this experiment Danny. How is that helping Westminster retailers, that money has gone from the local Westminster economy.
Your scrutiny committee hearing this farce on the 31st is made up by Tory Tax touting councilors who already have made their minds up.
Shall I quote Susie Burbridge and her infamous words and sexist attack on males, whilst ignoring female riders? Or how she says 'no-one said green would be cheap' while you are saying the charges have nothing to do with 'green' issues? How can you have someone scrutinise anything if they don't understand what they are scrutinising?
Westminster Council are backing themselves into a corner and making themselves a laughing stock. At this rate you'll be wishing Shirley Porter was back there.
Lastly, why take money from bikers to park in the same bays they have done for years, then give the bulk of that money to Verrus and NCP? Who exactly is winning out of all this?
It's not the riders to WCC, it's not the retailers in WCC, it's not congestion in London, it's not the environment, why are we paying £5 million a year for a few hunderd extra spaces.
This is a legal, sanctioned, Met Police approved demonstration. The police are providing us with secure parking at Trafalgar Square and are escorting us to Victoria St.
Once again Desperate Dan Chalkley is trying to smear the campaign. He wants us to roll over like obedient lap-dogs and pay his hated parking fees.
Ain't gonna happen Chalkley!
See you on the 31st.
Well, yet again we have Chalkley trying to paint the Campaign as a bunch of violent, law breaking thugs.
By IMPLICATION ALONE, he tries to state that the police were called to 'deal with' the bikers - in fact, the police arrived, and all that happened was that they helped manage traffic and kept the road closed for the protestors. WCC had told the police the building was being stormed!!!!
To deny people the right to protest in this shoddy way is cheap and dirty, and degrades his office. To my mind, this bolsters the case for action to show the strength of feeling around this vile tax.
Lets get the motorcycle parking charges abolished.
The richest council is THE ONLY council to charge bikes to park in motorcycle bays. Greedy or what?
Westminster City Council (WCC) already bleeds the poor car drivers dry and now they want to start on motorcyclists too. It's no surprise that there are angry people out there, but having said that, the previous No To Bike Parking Fees protests I have been on have been very peaceful and enjoyable. I, along with everyone else, was made to feel very welcome. I guess that is why the Metropolitan Police are supporting the protest 100%. Danny Chalkeys bully-boy tactics will certainly not stop me from attending the next demo.
SEE YOU ON 31ST MARCH 2009! - WWW.31ST-MARCH.COM
They say any publicity is good publicity. Thank you Danny for telling everyone that we will be holding another demonstration on 31st March. Yes there will be Police present because despite Councilor Chalkey's inference WE are disruptive WE the "Rogue Motorcyclists" as described by councilors are in fact very law abiding individuals always following Police instructions and taking legitimate action in a democracy (not a dictatorship as WCC seem to think) to point out to ELECTED representatives they have got this policy seriously wrong. Any motorcyclists or tax payers out there who were unaware of this councils actions I hope you will now realise your presence is required on 31st March 5pm Trafalgar Sq. or 6.30pm at City Hall Victoria St.
Look forward to seeing you.
www.31st-march.com
Could Danny Chalkley please clarify exactly what he means when one moment he says there is little support for abolishing the bike parking tax and the next tells us too many people are turning up to support the scrapping of this tax.
Wake up Danny. No one wants this tax. No one. No one at all. Not bikers, not retailers, not even the majority of car drivers, according to your own heavily biased on-street survey!
Who or what is this tax for???
Now you see the numbers who have no time for your unjustifiable tax you had better announce the end of this scheme very, very soon. You're running out of time to get this demo called off.
sounds like chalkley wants us to all go away and keep quiet .... he does not want the general public to see how stupid and ill thought out this scheme is !
sorry danny boy democracy does not work like that, we will be there to show what we think, and use our right to protest.
and we will be dignified and behave properly as usual despite his attempts to goad and incite ill feeling from the bikers / scooterists
You think only 1000 comming then you are in for a shock, this will have a knock on effect all over the country as other councils copy Wasteminster if this tax is not dropped. There are Motorbikes, Scooters and Mopeds comming from miles away from London to join in this protest, as this looney tax could spread all over the country.
on yer bike chalkley, time to reap what you sow.
The only reason the implementation of the this stealth tax wasn't massively opposed initially was because of the promise of extra security in bike bays. In the many months since the parking tax has been in force, i personally have not seen one security update.
After the tax started, i had my motorbike stolen from a bay in Maida Vale where i live. I received 2 parking ticket notices while it was stolen from me. I sent 6 letters to westminster council parking services (all recorded delivery) appealing the ticket and supplying the crime reference numbers given to me by the police.
After over 3 months of NO RESPONSE i was absolutely distraught. The real problem was that they were sending the warnings, court summons and bailiffs notices to my friend, who i had just bought the bike off of; a Doctor of environmental science.
The good doctor had sent 3 letters herself, clearly explaining the fact that she was innocent in all matters, yet it went all the way to her being threatened by bailiffs.
I finally managed to get ahold of Paul Dimoldenberg's (Labour councillor) email address and promptly emailed him with all the details of my disgraceful treatment. He rectified the situation immediately and westminster's response was to revoke the action on the PCNs, apologise and promise extra training to it's staff!!
How ridiculous is it that i had to go to a government councillor to get 2 simple parking tickets (wrongly issued) cancelled??!!
Even more ridiculous is that Coucillor Burdbridge has the audacity to say that because i am a motorcyclist opposed to an obvious tax that I AM USING BULLY BOY TACTICS!!!!!!!!!!
Ignoring 9 letters and threatening 2 respectable London citizens is BULLY BOY TACTICS Ms Burdbridge.
I have never met you but everything you have said has led me to believe that you are incapable of of any judgement without the misinformed, antiquated and downright absurd prejudice that you so obviously hold.
Paul Dimoldenberg has my vote.
How would this idiot cope in France where the slightest provocation results in street battles? Quiet representations of meek groups are just swatted away and forgotten. Visual and outspoken protests allow the uninitiated to find out how their elected representatives behave.
Politicians need to tread lightly and be aware of their responsibilities to the electorate.
Just who are they trying to kid at Westminster...£1.50 a day in Westminster will turn into £4 an hour country wide for two wheelers...your common sense (if you have any) at Westminster should tell you that two wheeled transport is the way ahead for the conjestion of our roads, motorcycles and scooters don't cause conjestion, we dodge it...wake up and start promoting two wheeled transport and STOP trying to tax us off the roads like you have everyone else...
swap the frown for a smile...
swap your car for bike...
it's cheaper by the mile...
and it's also fun like :)
Make them walk the plank...Pirate : )
Here we go again - demonising bikers and trying to present us as some load of rabble who are likely to cause trouble at the drop of a hat... The protest was peaceful (as biker events ALWAYS are) but forceful and we had a huge amount of support from the general public on the day. We didn't CAUSE congestion - that was already there! And we didn't "hold anyone up" - the cars do that every day - not bikes! The fact that between four and five thousand turned up (not a measly thousand!) just shows how strongly bikers feel about this.
TROUBLE? We leave that to the anti-capitalist anarchists... Bet you wished we were back again on the Wednesday rather than the REAL rabble rouser rioters at the G20 summit eh?