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Granted I haven't been riding (parking) that long but when I do I park it perpendicular in between cars in a legal spot. I never pay the meter and haven't been ticketed. Often this is during busy times in targeted areas. Has your experience been that meter maids don't tend to ticket bikes or have I just been lucky?

how are you "perpendicular between cars"? that would be a feat, and should get you a ticket on its own...? LOL do you mean PARALLEL?

if youre taking up a space, and not paying the parking fee, then yes, you are just lucky. UNLESS your city has an ordinance the specifically pertains to bikes/mopeds. Our nearest college town has that, but NOT if youre taking a full space. they are exempt from some parking rules, because they alleviate some parking clutter.

The cars are parallel parked on the side of the road.
If my wheels face the same direction as the cars then I take up a whole space.
I'm not doing that, my rear wheel is backed up to the curb and my front wheel faces out towards the street so that I'm in between the cars only taking up a minimal amount of space.

You're lucky. I would be concerned about the very few that might take issue with you being where you shouldn't and possibly "accidentally" back or pull into your bike while they're trying to get out. I think you'd be better off taking a space and paying the meter. Riding a motorcycle does not give us different privileges on the roads.

towerworker wrote:You're lucky. I would be concerned about the very few that might take issue with you being where you shouldn't and possibly "accidentally" back or pull into your bike while they're trying to get out. I think you'd be better off taking a space and paying the meter. Riding a motorcycle does not give us different privileges on the roads.

I experienced this sort of "respect" once, as a brand new rider. On dad's suzuki gs1000. I had lost my job a few days prior. It was a sunny spring morning, and to make myself feel better, i got it out of the garage, cleaned it off and jump started it(battery troubles).Then rode to the unemployment office. I parked in a parallel "car spot", was dehelmeting... ready to go in. HUUUUGE angry looking dude in a rusty old dodge pickup covered in harley stickers-yelling at me. "get that jap crap out of my spot"

I was 20 years old, and 150lbs wet and wearing boots. so I pushed it around the corner(battery shot, i found at at that moment). LOL people like that, I choose to avoid them, for reasoning is not possible.

this is also, why, when at grocery stores, or other places with angled parking, i make sure I leave the tail end of my bike out, and visible. I dont trust drivers. cellphones in faces. every time I come out of the local grocery, I have this feeling Ill be walking up to my bike sitting on its cylinder.

im grumpy today.

In the Netherlands and most European countries it is strictly forbidden to park your bike where cars are supposed to buy a parking ticket and park the car. Simply because you cannot decently buy a ticket and place clearly visible behind the windshield without the risk that it gets blown away or somebody takes it away. So you cannot park paralel to the cars in "their" spot. Many countries have special spots for bikes and scooters


Or you must put it on the sidewalk in such a way that you do not obstruct the free passage of pedestrians on that sidewalk

yeah thats cool. those high population concentration cities understand the benefits of two wheeled transport, for the purpose of de-cluttering.

Our american bigger cities could improve a bit here. We all do not need to drive half ton suv's

MThomas wrote:The cars are parallel parked on the side of the road.
If my wheels face the same direction as the cars then I take up a whole space.
I'm not doing that, my rear wheel is backed up to the curb and my front wheel faces out towards the street so that I'm in between the cars only taking up a minimal amount of space.

yup - in the UK that's fairly standard parking for a bike and I've never heard of anyone being ticketed for it.

MThomas wrote:Granted I haven't been riding (parking) that long but when I do I park it perpendicular in between cars in a legal spot. I never pay the meter and haven't been ticketed. Often this is during busy times in targeted areas. Has your experience been that meter maids don't tend to ticket bikes or have I just been lucky?

So, are you saying you occupy an entire parking space or are you "doubling up" with a car in an existing space?

EasyBee wrote:In the Netherlands and most European countries it is strictly forbidden to park your bike where cars are supposed to buy a parking ticket and park the car. Simply because you cannot decently buy a ticket and place clearly visible behind the windshield without the risk that it gets blown away or somebody takes it away. So you cannot park paralel to the cars in "their" spot. Many countries have special spots for bikes and scooters


Or you must put it on the sidewalk in such a way that you do not obstruct the free passage of pedestrians on that sidewalk

Don't park on the Sidewalk in Seattle! They'll get you.
I often risk it when I t comes to parking & Not paying. In St. Louis, I got a ticket once, but I never even touched it. I also never got a call...(maybe with my out of state plates they didn't want to deal with it).

This is how I'm parking and it was either the MSF and/or the DC license exam that specifically recommended I do as such:
http://fuzzyco.com/news/archives/mime/DSC00704.jpg

Dude, you are fine. In NYC at least you are supposed to park perpendicular, as you are. I can't imagine DC is much different. Yes, I've had my bike knocked over by idiots in one of the cars, but that is the nature of parking in a city. Truly, that was a major driver for me to move to the suburbs. Now that cell phones with cameras have been invented, whenever I must park in the city, I take pictures of both cars' license plates with my bike in the foreground in case of a problem.

In order to lessen the drivers' jealousy, I try to put some money in the meters.