Where do you park your scoot?

[SilvrT]

I work in the downtown core of a large city. At any given time of the day, there is a lot of pedestrians. The loading docks of my building are accessed from a dead-end lane. Between the sidewalk and the loading area, there's a 4 ft concrete wall that runs about 20 feet. The sidewalk is fairly wide...maybe 10 feet. It's not uncommon to see numerous mo-peds & scooters parked there. They back them up to the wall, usually at a 90 degree angle to the wall. Now these things aren't all that long so for the most part, aren't in anyone's way but sometimes there are bigger bikes there, parked the same way, and quite obviously, impeding the normal flow of pedestrians. This has bothered me for a long time so the other day I put a note on one of the bikes (it was the only one there at the time). In a friendly "tone" I suggested that, as a biker I would NOT a) park my bike on a sidewalk and b) park it on a sidewalk in such a way that it interfered with the pedestrians. Since then I haven't seen his bike there.

 

I often see people parking their scoots in places where, in my opinion, they shouldn't. These are motor vehicles, not bicycles. As owners and operators we're obligated to abide by the same laws as cage drivers. To me, that means we need to park our scoots in the same places allocated for the cages. Now, I will admit, there have been times when I haven't adhered to this and have parked in places not designed for parking; however, I always felt a bit "guilty" about that.

 

So, what do others here do and what's your feelings about this?

 

Was I right in putting that note on that guys scoot or should I have just brushed it off?

[FozzyUSN]

First and foremost, I park where the bike will be safe. When at Walmart, Lowes, etc, I park on a concrete area, as far away from where people are likely to be so as not to block anything important. At work, I have permission from those in charge to park in the loading dock area, on concrete. I do feel guilty about not parking around cages and such, but I would feel even worse should it fall over onto one or even worse, onto a person. Yes, I have a kickstand plate to keep it from sinking into hot asphalt, but I've had it sink a bit once, and that was only after 10 minutes in the store.

[ahoutzer]

I park with the cages. If there is a choice, I usually take the parking place that is hardest for a car to get into, because it's not so difficult to get a bike into.

[Rip]

I leave it up to police to police where people park. Unless it interferes with me, I would let it go. For myself, I'll park on a wide walk if it's convenient and out of the way, or on the cross stripes at the end of a parking row. I figure if I park in an out of the way place, it saves a regular parking space for someone else.

Rip

[Stoutman]

...I'll park...on the cross stripes at the end of a parking row....

Rip

 

The local community college used to ticket people that parked on the cross stripes at the end of a parking row. Then they got a new dean and he told the campus police to make it all motorcycle parking. Even made them put up signs that said motorcycle parking. The only place it is not allowed is in front of the Administration building. Now if you drive a fuel efficient scoot you are treated to the best parking spot on campus.

[Switch]

Going to Wal-mart or places like that, I usually park in the striped section next to the handicap parking but also close to the pole divider that separates the two aisles ( the spot where the two cars opposite each other are nose to nose) so that there is no hindrance to a handicapped person exiting or entering their vehicle. Works for me.

[BEER30]

Where ever there is a stripped section and doesn't interfere with fire hydrants , handicapped parking or pedestrian crossings , my scoots going there . Once I was told not to park there at a movie theater , but to park up on the sidewalk . As several scoots have already been ran over in the cage spots . Manager we quite nice about it too as well as parking lot security as it share the parking spots at the Mall .

Near the handicapped spaces , I hang my placard off the handlebars with a cable lock , but I leave the cage spots open for the other HC people .

My scoot has already been hit by a shopping cart , bending the turn signal visor . It was a easy fix and cannot tell if it had been hit , but I don't take anymore chances . At my job , I own the parking lot ! :rotf:

 

BEER30

[robertbob]

I park just like a car.

If there's a spot open I take it. Park your bike were you feel good.

[Condor]

I park with the cages, a I'll park back far enough that the back of the bike is visible along with the other cage rears. It pisses me off when I'm caging and looking for a parking space, see what looks like an empty one, and when I get up to it it has a scoot stuffed in as far as it will go. I don't like it, so I don't so it......

[SilvrT]

I leave it up to police to police where people park. Unless it interferes with me, I would let it go. For myself, I'll park on a wide walk if it's convenient and out of the way, or on the cross stripes at the end of a parking row. I figure if I park in an out of the way place, it saves a regular parking space for someone else.

Rip

In fact, this guy's scoot (and others that park there) do interfere with me as a pedestrian as I have to walk past them on the way to work and also when I leave work. If I was the only one on the sidewalk, it wouldn't matter but when you not only have to dodge all the other ped's, and some guys scoot as well, it gets a bit annoying.

 

(mebbe I bin livvin in the city too long? LOL)

[MikeM8560]

Ill often see bikes parked at walmart ect up near the building on the concrete walk area. I would not liek to see somebody with a carage maybe lettign there stupid kid pushing it and hit the bike. Ill park in a space trying to find a safer one like the end with a grass planter on one side and far away from the carage coral.

[Steve S]

I park my scoot in my girlfriend's garage...

 

 

 

 

 

 

of course she has been the Warden for 33 yrs now.

RIDE SAFE