I'm wondering where are you allowed to park your bike in say a city centre? Can you just chain it anywhere where there are no double yellow lines? what about pedestrian areas? what about in the photo below could you chain it to the metal fence?

is it ok on pavements? is it ok to chain it to a lamp post at the side of the road, but leave the bkie on the pavement side, so its not on the yellow lines?

Do you have to pay for parking in car parks?

where have you been fined for parking without realising?

thanks in advance for any info!!

just have to be sensible and not obstruct anything or anybody then generally it's Ok

but it's a risk, if I don't know the place I look for for parking in Council car parks,

usually free for bikes as bikes have nowhere to stick a ticket

invariably there's bike bay somewhere there.

Don't park anywhere near where a car is likely to reverse!

As Ian said, use your discretion but be sensible about it.

Most car parks, if not all don't expect bikers to buy a parking ticket because there is nowhere to stick a "pay & display" ticket.

But I have been to many places where you can just discretely park your bike "out of the way"

Getting the bike knocked over by some road cleaner or people letting kids sit on the bike when parked are worse than a ticket.

Ride around the area and see what others are doing. Try not to steal "their" place.

I wouldn't park mine next to those railings.

Getting the bike knocked over by some road cleaner or people letting kids sit on the bike when parked are worse than a ticket.

Blimey Mr N. Where do you live?

Maybe I'm a bit naive, but maybe I'm a bit spoilt here in the sticks.

they stick the ticketz on the seat or tank and WONT pay for repairs.

Leaving it on the path will get you a fixed penalty and car spaces will cost you the same as a car unless specified to the contrary.

Be careful....

Cheers all!

Ill be on leeds uni campus so should be okay, will have to mount the pavement to pass the barrier tho. But dont think traffic wardens go there as its not council. Maybe ill have a word with security.

Thanks again

Its not ok to park on public highway pavements but if on private land like Tesco, motorway services, hospital grounds etc I park wherever is convenient if that's right outside the font door, that's were i park. Most new car parks I've visited haven't even provided m/c bays so again I park where convenient and have never yet bought a ticket to park the bike nor been fined. There is a car park in Portsmouth I've seen on you-tube that is so pro bike it even has parking padlocks - you pay to actually lock your bike up with their locking mechanism.

On campus you'll find either marked m/c bays or there will be a 'spot' where all the bike riders settle or as its on private land, somewhere discreet that suits.

hth

Has 2 parking tickets. One was for using a car space (no choice, really). The other was because I didn't buy a ticket, on the basis that I had nowhere to put it and the sign said nothing about bikes. The lady on the phone (High Wycombe Council, in case you need it) said it would have been mitigating if I'd bought one and just kept hold of it.

The multi storey (NCP) car park in Basingstoke used to have short barriers so bikes could just ride through. then it was taken over by a private firm and the barriers were replaced by full length so bikes have to py the same price as cars. Don't see many bikes in there anymore.

Blimey Mr N. Where do you live?

Maybe I'm a bit naive, but maybe I'm a bit spoilt here in the sticks.

Sunny Midlands but I am a Londoner and have seen it too many times there. Chav mums, with a couple of kids named after cheap wine, use them instead of putting a shilling in the machines in the malls. Kids tend to fiddle with the controls also.

Who wants to call their kids "Blue Nun" or "Lambrusco" anyway?

This is a good resource:

http://www.parkingforbikes.com/

Most councils (in London anyway) permit you to park your bike in a car bay, as long as it's perpendicular.

There's a place in Derby that's free for bikes, they also provide a rail with chains already attached, you just need a padlock!

I phoned a multistorey car park about bike parking once, I was told "if you can get around the barrier you can park for free" brilliant haha.

Cheers all!

Ill be on leeds uni campus so should be okay, will have to mount the pavement to pass the barrier tho. But dont think traffic wardens go there as its not council. Maybe ill have a word with security.

Thanks again

Leeds council free bike parking spaces can be found here http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Parking-in-Leeds.aspx click downloads at the bottom.

Awesome!!! Cheers!!