Parking motorbike in Dublin City Centre

Charlie-Bravo

I am contemplating getting a bike after 10 years of being off the bike, for commuting into town when I don't need the car. I'm wondering what the general options are for parking in town for free?

What do others do who commute in? Is a blind eye turned to parking on the pavement? Or are there exemptions when parking in public areas that people here know about?

GBX

astrofluff wrote: »

I am contemplating getting a bike after 10 years of being off the bike, for commuting into town when I don't need the car. I'm wondering what the general options are for parking in town for free?

What do others do who commute in? Is a blind eye turned to parking on the pavement? Or are there exemptions when parking in public areas that people here know about?

Generally it's OK if you park it without blocking footpaths etc. There's bike parking on Prince's Street beside the GPO.

D3V!L

Don't buy anything too fancy if you're leaving it parked up for a day I town. Especially around O'Connell Street.

colm_c

Yep, as already said, lots of parking options in town, don't block footpaths, make sure you have a good lock and alarm/immobiliser and don't get something that will appeal to scum or be a doddle to steal.

I also personally wouldn't park on or near O'Connell street, too much walking dead for my liking.

listermint

colm_c wrote: »

Yep, as already said, lots of parking options in town, don't block footpaths, make sure you have a good lock and alarm/immobiliser and don't get something that will appeal to scum or be a doddle to steal.

I also personally wouldn't park on or near O'Connell street, too much walking dead for my liking.

Do they really bother with Locked Motorbikes though ? arent push bikes lighter easier to steal and easier to move on.

I would have thought Motorbike crime during the day time in Dublin isnt regular.

Pat Dunne

listermint wrote: »

Do they really bother with Locked Motorbikes though ? arent push bikes lighter easier to steal and easier to move on.

I would have thought Motorbike crime during the day time in Dublin isnt regular.

Would you leave your cage unlocked in the City Centre?

seamus

Pat Dunne wrote: »

Would you leave your cage unlocked in the City Centre?

He didn't say to leave it unlocked

A locked bike is enough of a deterrent in general, if you lock it in a very public place. But if it's expensive then you risk a few lads in high-vis vests and a white van coming along to lift it out of the way and pretend they're from the council.

Pat Dunne

seamus wrote: »

He didn't say to leave it unlocked

A locked bike is enough of a deterrent in general, if you lock it in a very public place. But if it's expensive then you risk a few lads in high-vis vests and a white van coming along to lift it out of the way and pretend they're from the council.

With logic like that, the floor is your's Sir!

listermint

seamus wrote: »

He didn't say to leave it unlocked

A locked bike is enough of a deterrent in general, if you lock it in a very public place. But if it's expensive then you risk a few lads in high-vis vests and a white van coming along to lift it out of the way and pretend they're from the council.

Thats the thing though, is this even common or happening at all?

I know there does be a spate of bike thefts from underground carparks etc at night. Out of sight etc. But i have yet to hear of bikes being lifted off central dublin streets especially locked ones.

Just trying to get a gauge of it as it doesnt appear to be common at all.

seamus

listermint wrote: »

Just trying to get a gauge of it as it doesnt appear to be common at all.

It's probably not. And definitely not if you're just spinning into town to do your shopping.
But if you're following a very set routine and parking your 171-D fireblade in the same place every day, and coming back at the same time, then don't be surprised if someone takes notice and you come out to find it gone one day.

colm_c

It's not common, but it does happen and for the most part it is opportunity.

Better to take precautions now and get into the routine.

I've been parking in town for the last 6-7 years, almost every day, and I've only had one incident where someone attempted to start my ktm with a screwdriver and broke the ignition barrel in the process. The alarm and immobiliser stopped the bike from starting.

The lessons I learnt from that one was to get a visible deterrent and that some bikes are just easy targets (ktms are notorious for the ignition/key being easy to get past with a screwdriver).

Now I ride a 10 year old BMW which it totally unappealing to anyone looking to steal a bike!

Charlie-Bravo

Cheers for all of that. I'm looking at Merrion Square area for parking up so if I can find a spot that is visible from where I'll be on those days that'd be great. As for the bike, budget will be lean so won't be the newest or biggest of bikes in the short term.

Del2005

astrofluff wrote: »

I am contemplating getting a bike after 10 years of being off the bike, for commuting into town when I don't need the car. I'm wondering what the general options are for parking in town for free?

What do others do who commute in? Is a blind eye turned to parking on the pavement? Or are there exemptions when parking in public areas that people here know about?

Whatever you do don't park in a "pay and display" bay, it's illegal. Which is most likely the reason why a blind eye is turned to parking on the footpath, once you aren't blocking it.

John_Rambo

Whatever about the legalities, one more motorbike = one less car. I see lots of bikes parked on footpaths out of the way or pedestrian traffic. And I think it's a good thing and should not be punished. Historically there's always been a super cool big Triumph bike parked outside the Patagonia shop on Exchequer st. Always updated, always a Triumph in various different colours and models.

One problem. You're going to have 3 to 5 year old boys sitting on your bikes for photos! Not the worst thing in the world.

bozd

Hi, plan to park motorbike around Irish life cntr on Liffey st tomorrow during day; any place to park for free before 5.30 deal starts in the carpark - fiver overnight. but added to daily charge makes it a bit expensive. thanks

stewygriffin

Ive seen junkie scumbags trying to rob mirrors and tax discs off of motorbikes parked outside Store Street Garda Station.
Broad daylight with gardai walking in and out of said garda station.
So that says it all about parking a motorbike in Dublin City Centre.

listermint

stewygriffin wrote: »

Ive seen junkie scumbags trying to rob mirrors and tax discs off of motorbikes parked outside Store Street Garda Station.
Broad daylight with gardai walking in and out of said garda station.
So that says it all about parking a motorbike in Dublin City Centre.

Well not really store Street area is a kip guards or no guards.

TeaBagMania

seamus wrote: »

But if it's expensive then you risk a few lads in high-vis vests and a white van coming along to lift it out of the way and pretend they're from the council.

Id like to see em lift an 800lb Harley
most modern bikes now have a proximity fob and there is no way in hell its leaving under its own power without it, well unless the thief brings their own ECM and fob

RodeoRed

astrofluff wrote: »

Cheers for all of that. I'm looking at Merrion Square area for parking up so if I can find a spot that is visible from where I'll be on those days that'd be great. As for the bike, budget will be lean so won't be the newest or biggest of bikes in the short term.

Just wondering if you had any luck with parking up by Merrion Square in the end? I'm looking for parking around that area myself.

E.Drumsy

hi all just throwing my 2 cents in which wont be much

I was attending a course on dame street for a few weeks and I rang the guards, council and then the clampers.

the guards on pearse station was a prick he said don't park here go somewhere else but couldn't tell me where....

anyways after 4 diverted phonecalls got speaking to a lady in the council about where to actually park to which she said she hasn't a clue
I asked for the law around it as I didn't want my bike lifted by the council / clampers and obv I wanted the law around it so if it was clamped I wouldn't face any fees

her response: ''if you park in the way then we can take the bike away''
I replied: ''yea but where does it say this in law otherwise your stealing my motorbike & that's is theft''
her response: ''Yea we can take it''
I replied: ''where is the law that states this''

anyways this went back and forth for a few minutes upon which she understood and couldn't give me the law or black and white answer
and then I got transferred to the DCC clampers

got speaking to a ANTO! and he said they never will clamp or take away motorbikes as its not there bread and butter.
he said there is no law in place (grey area) in relation to motorbikes and I asked him where I should park and he said anywhere so long as it is not in the way of pedestrians walkway they'll never be touched

I ultimately ended up taking the train but will head in to town tomorrow and sure see how I get on.

Cheers
Drumsy

rowanh

I live around the border of d2/d8 and park my bike on the street over night. I have been for about three years. A wing mirror was broken off it, either by a van or bored teenagers. I glued it back together and it lasted for a year or so until a van hit it and broke it off again. Other than that I do get the feeling people have been sitting on my bike and messing about with it sometimes. It seems like it gets scratches from this and also birds crap on it a good bit. It is parked on pavement with a chain locking it to a sign post.

In terms of avoided it being a target for theft I think having an older bike that has an immobiliser is your best bet. It seems like the common thefts are bikes with no immobiliser being stolen by knackers who want to race with their mates in housing estates etc. The white van crowd mentioned previously would be less likely to be bothered with something ten + years old. The other group I have heard about robbing bikes is gangs using bikes for robberies and murders. Not really sure how they operate or what kind of bikes they would go for, they might be some of the ones stealing bikes from underground parking lots.

So if you want to park your bike in town and not stress over it I would invest in decent chain. I was using a krptonite one which I accidentally left in my bike when I sold it. I bought a squire one to replace it. I think both of these likely can be cut with a bolt cutters in 30s though. Almax make chains that you need to spend a few min cutting with an angle grinder but they are very heavy and quite expensive.

Muahahaha

Anyway know what the grey area is with the law on parking on footpaths. I've reason to park in Naas the odd time where the traffic wardens are notorious for tickets and am half expecting a ticket for doing it. But if I park in a pay and display spot theres no way to display the ticket without it blowing off.

BaronVon

Naas use Apcoa for their parking enforcement, so you can pay with their app

macplaxton

Muahahaha wrote: »

Anyway know what the grey area is with the law on parking on footpaths. I've reason to park in Naas the odd time where the traffic wardens are notorious for tickets and am half expecting a ticket for doing it. But if I park in a pay and display spot theres no way to display the ticket without it blowing off.

I've no idea what the custom and practice down Naas is, but with all these local parking things it's worth a quick look at the council's parking bye-laws:

http://www.kildare.ie/CountyCouncil/RoadsandTransportation/Payparking/PayparkingNaas/

Now, unless I've mis-read it, the definition of "vehicle" (bye-law 4, bottom of page 6) doesn't include motorcycles. However (bye-law 14 page 9), motorcycles can be parked in pay & display bays. Bye-law 5 states that only "vehicles" (as defined in bye-law 4) require to display tickets, with the exemption of "vehicles" in the case of loading.

If they wanted you to pay and display, they would have written the bye-laws to say so.

Muahahaha

So basically the by laws for Naas are saying that motorbikes can park in parking bays but they are not required to buy a ticket or to display a ticket. It says under the by laws that "vehicles" are required to buy a ticket but a motorbike does not fall under the by law definition of a "vehicle". So my reading of that is you can park a motorbike in a car bay and you don't need to buy a ticket nor display one because you are not a vehicle.

Happy days, free parking in the car spaces in Naas. Glad I asked because up until now I had been parking on the footpaths in Naas but was paranoid about getting clamped for it. Probably would have been too had APCOA seen it, at least now I know I can use the car bays legally and for free.

macplaxton

That's my reading of it anyway.

Whether or not the on-the-ground enforcement of the bye-laws is carried out to the letter is another matter, but should there be a discrepancy, I'd guess your chances of winning an appeal would be extremely high.

Also note that in the bye-laws that they expressly forbid pedal cycles to be parked in pay and display ticket parking spaces during operational hours. (This is in contrast to Dublin City Council, which expressly forbids pedal cycles AND motor cycles (with or without sidecar))

The only problem I would foresee is an ignorant driver taking umbrage at your use of the pay and display ticket parking space and damaging your vehicle.

Now that you've drawn my attention to it, I'd love to test out the bye-laws with a Reliant 3-wheeler, sidecar combination and other tricycle which are by most measures are classed as a "motorcycles" :pac: