SIGforum
Motorcycles: Parking on the sidewalk
August 21, 2019, 06:52 PM
mlazarusMotorcycles: Parking on the sidewalk
It's called a side-walk. Not side-park or side-ride. I park in the gutter.
Ignem Feram
August 21, 2019, 06:54 PM
Balzé HalzéI don't ride, but what's the big deal with parking on the sidewalk? It never bothered me. I figured it's just a perk for those that ride. When you have such a small footprint like a motorcycle, I think you deserve a little leeway.
And anyway, at least it's not taking up a parking space for a car. Maybe that's why it never bothered me. More of a chance that I'll find a better parking space when motorcycles are on the sidewalk.
~Alan
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August 21, 2019, 07:07 PM
1s1kI don't believe I have ever seen a motorcycle parked on a sidewalk other than someone parked on one in front of their own house while washing it.
August 21, 2019, 07:23 PM
Chris42Did it 40 years ago in Chicago because parking there was always a problem. It was a sidewalk tapered for an entrance for maintenance equipment into a park. Parked a motorcycle there - got a ticket. Parked a car in the same place - got another ticket. Haven’t done it since.
August 21, 2019, 07:28 PM
jeffxjetDepends on when and where and how big the sidewalk is. I have done it numerous times on large sidewalks. Especially in "urban" type areas with limited parking. Save space for the cars. I don't know if all the places I did it were in large bike friendly areas or what, but I never had one person say or do anything when my bike was on the sidewalk. It's all about reading the scene and the area. Not all situations are equal.
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August 21, 2019, 08:40 PM
SpinZoneI do it sometimes. The sidewalk area has to allow me to park it where it is out of the way of where people would normally walk. If it would block poeple from walking i won't.
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August 21, 2019, 10:37 PM
P210I always use the motorcycle spaces when provided.
August 21, 2019, 10:41 PM
V-TailThe inconsiderate moron with the Jaguar needs to have a beater parked about 1/4" from his car, on both sides.
הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים August 21, 2019, 10:49 PM
YooperSigsI have been known to. But only if the sidewalk spot is far enough away to not impede access, foot traffic or wheelchair ramps. And even then just for quick stops.
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August 21, 2019, 10:58 PM
P210quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
The inconsiderate moron with the Jaguar needs to have a beater parked about 1/4" from his car, on both sides.
I think a potential beating parked next to them conveys a good message.
August 21, 2019, 10:59 PM
EssKayR22quote:
Originally posted by Jelly:
I voted sometimes, it depends places with large sidewalks like hardware store, home depot, bike shops usually don't care. Believe it or not some people get pissed if you take a cager parking place on a motorcycle. The plant I retired from (1800 people) did not allow motorcycles in a cager parking place the last 5 years I was there. I've been riding a long time, over the years I've been confronted three times by people, over precious parking spots in a car lot. Some people don't think motorcycles belong in a parking lot. Where in the fudge Am I supposed to park people?
This is why. I hate doing it, but do so rarely. People are very passive aggressive in parking lots, and if there is a huge amount of space, I *might*. It has NOTHING to do with getting attention, or being lazy, etc. But I dislike doing it every time.
Edit to add: I don't ever park on the sidewalk, per se. Rather, in an area that might be close to the building that is completely out of the way of pedestrians or a loitering area. I would never block a walkway with my motorcycle or truck.
August 22, 2019, 03:35 AM
zoom6zoomIn some jurisdictions, it's also a fire code violation if it's parked right next to a building.
I have my own style of humor. I call it Snarkasm. August 22, 2019, 08:46 AM
OldriderI don't. I usually park where I'm among other bikes, or at least where I can keep an eye on it.
I consider it rude if you block pedestrian traffic. But I also consider it rude when people feel it's ok to play with the handlebar controls, work the throttle (I'm a carburetor Luddite)flooding it, and any other handling of my bike. Amazingly enough, some people find it rude when I tell them to quit.
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August 22, 2019, 09:27 AM
joatmonvI've never parked on a sidewalk.
I'll stop to get gas, pull off to the side and drink some water. That's about the extent of me stopping unless I'm going to a certain place.
This weekend is Tall Ships in Erie, PA and if I go on the bike, I'll park where I can but never somewhere that I shouldn't be.
I'd rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I'm not.
August 22, 2019, 09:33 AM
gearhoundsI would never. It is no different than a car, and almost everyone that does not ride (or even those that do) looks at them that way. I’ve written tickets for it without a shred of sympathy (as a rider myself, it represents laziness and perhaps a bit of arrogance).
“Remember to get vaccinated or a vaccinated person might get sick from a virus they got vaccinated against because you’re not vaccinated.” - author unknown August 22, 2019, 09:34 AM
pedropcolaThere is some meandering going on here. A sidewalk is a sidewalk. The concrete areas that abut things like big box stores such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc, while concrete and people walk on them, aren’t sidewalks.
Think Main Street. Sidewalks line both sides of street and pedestrian traffic is what they were designed for. Don’t park on those. Ever.
As for people giving you grief for parking in cagers (never heard the term before), well, fuck them. It’s a parking lot.
August 22, 2019, 10:48 AM
V-TailWhen I was still riding, there were occasions where I sort of had to park on the sidewalk.
On very hot days here in Florida the asphalt paving in the parking lot would get soft and my stand would sink in, allowing the motorcycle to tip over. Concrete sidewalks did not have that problem. When this situation arose, I did park on the sidewalk, but I always found a place where I was out of the way and did not impact pedestrians.
הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים August 22, 2019, 11:13 AM
HRKYep, generally park in the lot, however super heated blacktop lots are made for car tires not motorcycle stands, as Vtail said they can sink right down into the blacktop.
Big stores with concrete pads I'll pull up front since the lots are full of pickum-ups, and spaces are few, and you run the risk of getting your bike hit in a spot since folks will pull in quick to get that spot and not see the bike.
August 22, 2019, 12:54 PM
mkuefferThere are also assigned places for bike parking...
A few Sigs and some others August 22, 2019, 07:19 PM
the_sandman_454I don't park on sidewalks, but I'm not overly shy about parking in cross hatched areas of parking lots which are not designated as part of handicap spaces. The bike fits fine, doesn't obstruct anything, and it frees up a parking space for a car to use.
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