Tight squeeze for bikers as carpark policy is changed

There are fears motorcyclists will be deterred from visiting Newark, affecting town-centre trade, due to a change in parking policy.

Until recently, bikers could park free in any space in carparks run by Newark and Sherwood District Council.

Now they can still park free but must be in designated spaces marked with M/C.
There are such spaces in all Newark’s carparks but most have room for only two to four bikes.

There is a slightly larger motorcycle bay at The Wharf, but there are fears fewer spaces there will stop motorcyclists visiting The Castle Barge pub, which is usually popular with bikers.

Biker Mr John Judson, of Southwell, who organises a Christmas toy run for Newark Salvation Army, said: “I think the changes are lamentable. Bikers can park in the delineated spaces with metal hoops, but there are only four or five places they can go.”
He said it would put bikers off coming to Newark.

“I think the feeling was that bikers might use car spaces and put just one bike in them,” Mr Judson said.

“Usually bikers will ride together to visit somewhere and they park two, three or four per parking space.

“The Castle Barge relies on bikers for custom and if you reduce the carpark it’s going to affect their trade.”

Mr Frank Dyson, licensee of The Castle Barge, said his pub was popular with bikers thanks to its location next to The Wharf carpark.

"It’s telling bikers not to come to Newark"

He said: “Sometimes there could be 20 or 30 motorbikes in the carpark on a late evening or a Sunday morning when you could park anywhere you wanted to, and now they have stopped coming.

“It will have an impact on how well the business is doing because it’s going to stop motorbikers coming.

“There is no logical reason why they should deter bikers because they don’t cause any problems. They are willing to spend money and they don’t stay for long.

“It’s telling bikers not to come to Newark because we don’t want you.

“We have still got motorcyclists coming in, but some of them have said they are going to stop coming to Newark.”

Biker Teri Vincent, of Long Eaton, contacted the Advertiser to say she would not be visiting Newark any more having visited The Castle Barge for years.

“The first season’s bike ride of a group I belong to was changed from Castle Barge to Willingham Woods, after a couple of us checked the available parking and found it was no longer suitable,” she said.

“I am also of the opinion that if my money isn’t good enough when I am on the bike, it isn’t good enough when I’m in the car either.

“I won’t be visiting Newark until they change the restrictions on bike parking.”

Mr Alan Batty, business manager for environmental health and licensing at the district council, said the policy for motorbikes and scooters was changed last month to make it fairer for all customers.

“Previously motorbikes and scooters could be parked free of charge in any marked parking space for as long as they wanted because it is difficult to securely fix a pay-and-display ticket to a motorbike,” Mr Batty said.

“However, we found that too many spaces, which would otherwise be available for cars, were being occupied by motorbikes and scooters for free.

“Now we have created at least two dedicated motorbike spaces in each of our six carparks, where motorbikes and scooters can still park free for up to eight hours, with no return within 12 hours.

“If they park in a bay designated for a car or van they must pay the required tariff and secure and display the ticket and if they do not do so, they are liable for a fixed-penalty ticket.

“We are in the process of improving our signage to help better communicate these changes to those affected.”

The district council introduced the policy in its Southwell carparks in 2015.