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MC Parking Downtown

5K views 33 replies 22 participants last post by  itootill 
#1 ·
We've had a couple of these threads before, but the last one I remember was a couple years ago roughly.

I've been riding my bike to work (Burrard and Dunsmuir) pretty often recently. I'd usually park on Thurlow (near Barclay) if I got there early enough. Rode there last week -- lo and behold, my typical free MC parking is gone now. Bute and Alberni disappeared last year sometime.

Do you guys have little nooks and crannies you tuck your bike in when heading to work? Some of the meters are ridiculous... $6 an hour for bike parking my ass.
 
#2 ·
We've had a couple o f these threads before, but the last one I remember was a couple years ago roughly.

I've been riding my bike to work (Burrard and Dunsmuir) pretty often recently. I'd usually park on Thurlow (near Barclay) if I got there early enough. Rode there last week -- lo and behold, my typical free MC parking is gone now. Bute and Alberni disappeared last year sometime.

Do you guys have little nooks and crannies you tuck your bike in when heading to work? Some of the meters are ridiculous... $6 an hour for bike parking my ass.
Vote mayor moonbeam!!!
 
#4 ·
I was downtown... and discovered a novel concept they have come up with. It's called a parkade. You go in, you park.. you pay for your parking or have a monthly pass. Amazing shit, blew my mind.

Also... they just built this cool skytrain thing.. you can park near it for free, get a little bit of exercise walking to it... and then ride it right to your job's doorstep. Also amazing... I was quite stunned.

Last time I went down there... Hastings had horses and buggies and was gravel.

Long live the CHEAP ASS MOTORCYCLISTS!! YYYAAAA'RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#15 ·
If I haven't been on this forum for 5 years I'd think bandildo would be a novelty account.

I normally walk/skytrain down -- but its tough on these sunny days to not ride down haha! What's wrong with wanting to save $15-20 a day in parking, or $200-300 for a monthly pass. That's just more gas money for actual bike trips :coffee

I'll speak with my building manager and see what kinda stuff they have. Thanks for the ideas!
 
#14 ·
That spot is 2 hour parking only. Every couple of weeks in the summer a meter maid goes berzerk and has all of them ticketed without warning. It's amazing watching how fast a swarm of Busters towing trucks can swoop down and snatch every bike there out of there as soon as they see the tickets.

$100/month downtown gets you gated, security patrolled, indoor parking with 24/7 in and out privileges. Or, you can play tow-truck roulette.
 
#12 ·
Since we can't all get away with hiding next to a building, or in it at night *cough*....

http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/motorcycles-and-scooters.aspx
Has a fairly updated map(looks like) Remember paying by phone gets you 50% off the meter rates. Its a bitch to set up the first time, but you can link your car and bike to it, just make sure the bike is entered properly as a bike.

That free spot on Howe & Pender is 1/2 full by 7am, just a heads up.

Do NOT park in bicycle stalls, they can and will pluck you out and dangle your bike away by its belly, plastics or not. Not, when they're done with it.

EasyPark seems to have a discount system... Try searching "motorcycle parking Vancouver"

As for free and "under the radar" spots? Ask your boss and/or building owner if there is a place on site you think you might fit. Cops can and will hastle you for being on a sidwalk, even if your end result is off the sidewalk and on "private" property. Keep in mind out-of-site spots are out of your site too, but still in site of thieves. And just because there is a bike already there does not mean a tow truck won't come and get both bikes.

I had a spoken agreement with YMCA Robert Lee's manager that I could park next to the bike cage in the parkade, that was a year ago, not sure what's changed. But it pays to ask, worst case you still have to go find somewhere to park.

Risk vs reward.
 
#19 ·
Motorcycle parking under the Hyatt. Dedicated lot with proper sized spots. 6am-6pm for six bucks.

Lot is in view of security office, they have roving security staff. About 30 spots
 
#26 · (Edited)
Thread Revival... Let me start by saying... "suck it" bandito. :p

My city parking history... (very interesting please do read)
I used to park my car and bike in the Bentall 5 parkade (I paid $200+).
They were cool... gave me a little tag to put on my bike. Life was good.

3 yrs later I am back downtown... I am paying ($250) for another parkade. (wife's building parkade) We usually drive into work, so ideally I may bring my bike in 1-2 times a week at most. Impark wants an extra $80/a month on top!
Currently, all the bike spots are all empty.. That's $10 a day... not bad but come on...
$330/month total is nuts.

Here's a website that points out a bunch of spots... it looks amazing when you first open it... lots of blue dots!
http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/motorcycles-and-scooters.aspx
NOTE: This website has mistakes within it...
After a phone call to verify with a Vancouver city parking dude...
I inquired about a spot on the corner of Thurlow and Hastings... (it says $5 all day on the website, sounds great! what a deal right???!!!! )
He told me "that's wrong! it's actually $5/hr! and you will pay half of that, since you're a bike... so $2.50/hr"....
I say "wow, that's only $20 a day" he says "HOLYSHIT!!! WHAT A RIPOFF!! and VANCOUVER plans on being the greenest city by 2020!!!" followed by maniac laughter! " Dude. WHAT A JOKE"

He apologizes, and doesn't think anyone will fix the website, "Sorry... oh look it's my break time... " :evilgrin

Anyway, I found another spot around the corner on Cordova for $2/hr.
It will still run you $16 a day if you use "pay by phone". sit's 3-4 bikes. NOTE: The meter actually won't display the time. Most likely everyone will use "pay by phone"...

If everyone uses coins... the spot shows the time on the meter and the entire spot
is shared at $2/hr as long as there is time on the meter. Look forward to a ticket.

Get this: with pay by phone... the city will make $60-80 a day off that puny spot. While a fucking car spot will make $24 a day on the same street.

That's all I have. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.:gun:gun:gun:gun:firemad
 
#29 ·
I park for $55 a month at my office building but casual riders pay $6 a day. It's not gated but the bikes are near the entrance and it's pretty high traffic with a BMW also parking there all winter with no problems. There are only 6 spots though and I'm afraid the fair weather riders are going to start taking over the spots as the weather gets nicer. There's a Harley and R6 that shows up on the nicer days.
 
#30 · (Edited)
There are plenty of good reasons, which benefit riders and non riders alike, to encourage two wheelers. Low cost and free street parking is just one of many ways to do it. Trust me, we ARE going to get more parking. And yes I'm looking for support from riders. You can stay in touch via website (although our webmaster Reilly ended up in hospital for a week just over a month ago and feels his riding days may be over), Twitter and Facebook. In all cases MCPARKING will get you there. PS... There have been spots removed in several locations and the reasons given including trucks needing room to turn, to noise complaints. More space is coming. Once we get it, it makes sense the price should drop for all kinds of reasons. As mentioned by some of the posters, there are some parkades offering all day parking however street parking is more convenient and will be more so with more of it.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Wait.... what?

I need more informationz!

Do municipalities need to individually write this in?
Will there need to be markings on the curbs?
When will it come into effect?



Wait, here it is:
Aiye, nothing super new.


http://www.leg.bc.ca/40th4th/1st_read/gov15-1.htm

17 Section 189 (3) is repealed and the following substituted:

(3) Despite subsection (1) (f) and (g), a municipality may provide by bylaw that, if authorized by a sign posted by the municipality, a person may park a cycle or motorcycle within 6 m of the approach side of a crosswalk or within 6 m on the approach to a flashing beacon, stop sign or traffic control signal if the cycle or motorcycle is
(a) of a size that, and
(b) parked so that
the cycle or motorcycle does not obstruct a motorist's view of the crosswalk, flashing beacon, stop sign, traffic control signal or an intersection.

Original MVA, note section 189
http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/ID/freeside/96318_05
The original already allowed municipalities to make exceptions for motorcycles, by providing signage indicating so. This is the case with Vancouver already, via marked motorcycle parking spots at corners. These spots were limited to corners without signage or flashing indicators. The new amendment allows that exception to be expanded to other types of corners where there may be signage.




tldr; Cities still have to mark motorcycle corner spots, but they can theoretically do them in more places now... if they want.
 
#33 ·
Would be nice if the city would ticket cars that use motorcycle only spots to park / stop in. See it all the time. Then there is the 4 motorcycle spots
downtown by Bayshore that are used by nearby buildings to store their garbage dumpsters. Called 311 twice about that and nothing changed.
 
#34 ·
tldr; Cities still have to mark motorcycle corner spots, but they can theoretically do them in more places now... if they want.[/QUOTE]

Uhh, yes it's new. And it is a big deal. It was only 2010 when we got Vancouver to designate corner clearances AFTER intersections, but there are many which cannot be designated because of loading zones, newspaper boxes, trucks / buses turning etc. This change allows cities to designate the end of blocks prior to stop signs and signals. In theory every block could have parking freed up for motorcycles.
 
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