The following document was sent by Clive Crocker with a covering letter.
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11^th January 2000

Author: Peter Smithson of Windsor & District MAG.

This document is based on a few ideas from people in Windsor and District MAG with the aim of helping Slough council decide where the motorcycle parking that they have agreed to provide should be placed. This and the attached document also give suggestions on how the areas should be made.

Ground anchors are a commonly used device in the home but could cause a problem in a public place as pedestrians could easily trip over the rings or posts. A simple but effective device is simply a metal bar placed near to a wall where motorcyclists can use their own chains to secure the motorcycle.

More sophisticated devices are available which will lock the wheel of a motorcycle for a certain time and are coin operated but we have no details on these devices.

See the separate document on this subject.

It’s hard to locate convenient places near the town center which are not already allocated to disabled parking, loading area, taxi ranks or bicycles. It’s important that the motorcycle parking should be near the center so that motorcyclists will use it. Another problem with less central locations is that motorcyclists would not feel that their vehicles are safe if they are not in plain view – hidden in a less well used side road for example. It's not likely that motorcyclists would use anything other than the ground floor of a multi-story car park.

Here are a few suggested locations –

1. Unused area near Boots. There is a small section of waste ground which could be used for 3-4 motorcycles if the pavement was removed and drop curbs put in place. See diagram one.
2. Bicycle parking area near Boots. This was the area where motorcyclists have parked for many years but since the area became pedestrainsed, it is no longer possible to park there. It is not fully understood why this has been done. Could the small area between the high street and where the tarmac starts be a motorcycles only area? If there is a problem with obstruction due to people parking on the side of the area next to River Island then perhaps double yellow lines or a sign would prevent people from parking there and obstructing emergency access to the High Street?
3. Next to the indoor marked opposite "The Goose in the Town pub". See parking diagram 2.
4. Outside the library. Replace one of the current car parking spaces with an area marked for motorcycles only. Metal posts or bars could be used to prevent cars from parking there.
5. Replace 2 or 3 car parking spaces in the open-air car park on Herschel Street with an area for motorcycles. Place a bar along the back of the parking spaces for security chains and a few bollards to prevent cars from parking in them. See parking diagram 3.

Most of these areas cover the west end of Slough but ideally there would be another area at the east end of Slough. An obvious location could not be found which was not already in use. Perhaps a member of the council could look into this?

Motorcyclists are currently using some of the cycle parking areas at this end of town which can be done but it involves getting the motorcycle over the curb and parking on a paved area. Maneuvering over the curb in this way will put people off. Lowering the curb and making it clear that the area is not a pedestrian area in some way may be all that is needed.

It is important to have signs at strategic locations so that motorcyclists, who may not know the town, can find the parking areas. The places should be sign posted from the main entry points to Slough. For example, there should be a signs on the A4 roundabouts (The Co-op one and the Brunel bus station one) that clearly indicate the direction to go in and perhaps a few more signs on the route. Once at the actual parking area, they should be clearly marked as motorcycle only. Perhaps a painted symbol of a motorcycle on the area and a sign on a pole above it.

It's important that the council consider motorcycle parking when planning new parking areas. Any car parks in central locations should really have some motorcycle parking included at the planning stage.

11^th January 2000

Windsor & District MAG.

Windsor & District MAG are used to riding motorcycles but not used to designing parking bays so our knowledge in this area is only gained from observation. This is a copy of some information stored at another motorcycle organisations site which will be of interest to the people who actually have to build the motorcycle parking areas.

Our personal opinion is that the metal bars used for the cycle parking are almost what we need but all we would need is a longer and lower version of them running the length of the parking area. The motorcycles could park at 90 degrees to the bar and fasten chains to the bar from the motorcycle.

A number of councils are responding positively to the call for secure motorcycle parking. This is an issue which can be included in local traffic plans when after the council has been convinced of the advantages of allowing motorcycles rather than cars into town centres. They are likely to seek advice from the BMF and probably at local level. It is therefore important that to respond with accurate information to facilitate its installation. Motorcyclists may also benefit from the information contained in this briefing. The following is intended to provide some notes for guidance on design criteria and list some of the manufacturers of suitable furniture to which motorcycles may be secured. The BMF is not giving any recommendation by the inclusion of security products in this document. This will give Local Authorities the option of manufacturing / locally contracting equipment to their own design or buying in finished products which may be installed by the manufacturer /distributor.

Most of these considerations have been taken from the minutes of the BMF Anti-Theft Workshop organized by Dr Alfred Minter in May,1992.

Such furniture is recommended to have the following characteristics:

The use of mild steel tubing is acceptable, but it should contain a length of wire rope anchored in the ground. This wire rope should be loose within the tube so that it is difficult to cut with a hacksaw, and the tube could usefully contain a preservative wax or grease. The wire rope should be a minimum of 10 mm in diameter and made of high tensile or stainless steel. Although the latter may be prohibitively expensive it is difficult to cut by hand tools since their action causes work hardening. Reinforced concrete is another suitable material. While this can be broken up by hammering, the reinforcement will make the release of locks or shackles difficult. The fitment must resist simple attempts to jack, wedge or pry it from the ground. It should, therefore be concreted into the ground or secured by high strength resin. In addition, a spreading of the points under ground would be an advantage. Any shackles or loops installed as part of the furniture must be resistant to cutting by hacksaw or bolt croppers, and should also be strong enough to resist twisting with a lever such as a length of tubing.

• Well-illuminated locations
• Weatherproof
• Visually acceptable
• Tall enough to be readily visible
• Low maintenance or maintenance free
• Free from sharp corners
• Clearly signed
• User friendly

The feature to which a bike is to be secured must be placed high enough above the ground (about a foot) so that any lock, chain or loop passed around it cannot be attacked with bolt croppers rested against the ground for better leverage and to prevent the lock from being placed on the ground to facilitate striking with a hammer.

The attachment points must admit commonly used bike locking devices. This means that when a U-padlock is used, then it must be possible to get the U of the lock into and through the attachment.

Suitable surrounding surfacing Recommendations should be made to the Local Authorities to ensure that the surface adjacent to the secure furniture should be hard enough to prevent centre or side stands from sinking into the road.

Provision for sponsorship

If the practicalities and legalities of sponsorship advertising on the furniture are observed, this can usefully offset the costs of installation.

Acceptable locations

Secure furniture should not be installed where there are uneven cambers or on steep hills where motorcycles can only be parked with difficulty. Where a locking rail is provided, then this should come within two inches of a plane drawn vertically from the foot of the kerb. If this is too far inboard of the kerb, it cannot be used. They should also satisfy legal requirements particularly when installed on public roads which includes pavements. There should be nothing that a pedestrian can readily walk into or a vehicle drive into save a purpose built road restraint. Secure furniture cannot be placed in the road even in a parking space. However, if the pavement is extended at points along the street to form parking bays with white lines segregating them from the carriageway, secure furniture can be installed in them providing there is fencing separating them from the pavement. Secure furniture may also be sited within fencing on the far side of the pavement accompanied by a drop kerb facilitating the wheeling of motorcycles across the pavement.

The following is not intended to be a definitive list and any additions of suppliers of whom you may be aware would be appreciated so that they may be included in updates of this document.

Trevor Magner
Government Relations Executive
September, 1994
Issue 2