Boston Parking, son of a b*tch

[Wolfgang]

So i park my bike on Boylston st. next to a hydrant with 6 or so other bikes, no one completely blocking the hydrant. I do this every day, and so do the other peolpe. Last week i walk outside for lunch and find every bike with a ticket on it that's parked in the area. This goes for at least 3 blocks.

Now im assuming this is a standard parking violation ($75), but i've done this every day for the past 2 summers and had no problem. MA parking regulations state you must be 10ft. from a hydrant, but i've never seen tickets before. I'm going for an appeal. I know, $75, no big deal so dont bust my balls, but every penny counts when youre in school

yesterday i moved the bike as far away as possible, put the ticket back on, and took a picture to use as "proof." Whats the real deal?

Wolf

[Awesome]

So you broke the law for a few years and got away with it, are upset that you finally got caught and are going to try falsifying evidence in an attempt to get you out of the violation that you committed? Ok, just wanted to get that straight.

[Ducrappy]

[The Snowman]

I actually talked to a "meter maid" about this one, since I was going to start parking in the Financial District.

She said that the rules for bikes are the same as for cars. No special treatment. You're supposed to use a meter. And usually a mix of 2 hours in any one spot.

What she did tell me, since she's a rider herself, is that if you cover the bike, they can't touch it, unless you're parked close to something like a hydrant.

They're not supposed to lift the cover.

SO, I'll stick to parking where my wife works near the Pru. We get to park for $13/month with the bike.

[RandyO]

Originally posted by Wolfgang

yesterday i moved the bike as far away as possible, put the ticket back on, and took a picture to use as "proof." Whats the real deal?

Wolf

then they will get you for submitting falsified evidence, you don't think they have a picture of it's position when they put the ticket on it ?

[Wolfgang]

Originally posted by 97BladeRider


SO, I'll stick to parking where my wife works near the Pru. We get to park for $13/month with the bike.

Do you need to be a Pru employee? thats right around the corner from me. Im across the corner from the Hancock

Thought about the picture thing also, figured i'd throw it out there and see what people thought... bad idea it seems

[The Snowman]

Not a Pru employee, but an employee of the place my wife works.

They actually cut motorcyclists a pretty good break as a monthly car parking pass is $75 or $40 for car-poolers.

[Wolfgang]

Yeah, thats a sweet deal. I'll look into it, thanks

[breakdirt916]

Ehh, boston motorcycle parking on the street is always a crapshoot. As 97bladerider said, according to the law, you have to abide by all the same rules as cars: park in a metered spot, don't park on the corner of the street, don't park on the sidewalk, don't lane split, and you have to pay just like everyone else.

Fortunately, some/most meter maids won't care, and you can get away with tricky parking. You can get away with it even more if you're not causing any hazards (ie. spilling gas or blocking entrances to buildings) or you're on questionable territory (ie. at BU, anything past one block of concrete is BU property...not Boston property...so the maids can't ticket you). Some places even have legal exceptions for motorcycle parking (ie. at MGH, you can park in the motorcycle lot without paying). So do what you can, and do it as inconspicuously as possible. If you get bagged, it's really not their fault. It's probably just a bitchy meter maid. Pay it up, find another spot (for at least another week), and try to stay out of the radar. If you can't stand getting a ticket or two, maybe commuting on a motorcycle into the city is not for you.

I don't know why there aren't legal parking breaks for motorcycles. They don't clog streets with as much traffic as a car and they don't take up as many parking spaces when parked perpendicular to a curb (or on the pavement).

Is any major motorcycle association working on letting a city official know about this?

[ssg]

Math was never my strong point but 75$ for 2 years of parking = good deal.

[sanfelice]

yeah, $75 for free parking for two years is pretty good. btw, I always park less than 10 ft. from a hydrant at my job and have yet to get a ticket, but expect one some day (hopefully not today).

i was going to ask about permit parking and bikes in Boston and Cambridge, but think I'l start another thread on the subject.

[nixoid]

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