Protesters fightback against Westminster’s attempts to get cash flowing in again from bike parking tax
Posted: 10th January 2010 | 11 Comments »
Westminster’s attempts to keep it’s ‘Stealth Tax’ for scooter and motorbike riders is being subject to stealthy attacks by a secret army of angered citizens. I am reliably informed that protesters have already been out in force in London to fightback against Westminster’s attempts to get cash flowing in again from their controversial and widely hated bike parking tax scheme. And these latest events are happening only days after go-ahead was given to try and make the ‘trial’ charging scheme permanent. Reports are coming in from Visordown (thanks for latest pic) & the NTBPT campaign group to confirm that within hours of the council sending contractors out to replace defaced signs, the new signs have been rendered useless.
Fresh applications of paint have already been applied to many of the new signs to cover crucial details about the charging scheme and this means that charges or parking tickets can not be legally enforced by Westminster City Council. As I have said before, I cannot condone acts of protest that can be regarded as vandalism. However, the facts of life in a democracy work like this. When officials with government powers end up disregarding a massive swath of legitimate objections to their plan for a new tax on a specific section of the public – and all legitimate paths for meaningful objection by individual citizens are closed – some individuals will take action that is outside those legitimate channels of communication from which they feel shut out.
In my view this current plan for a new parking tax is exceptionally ill-conceived and regressive, and I have done my best along with many others to explain why this is so to the bods who are responsible for creating the current mess. In essence, the key problem with this stealth tax and cause of so much anger is this. It is targeted at a specific group of citizens who work, live and shop in the central district of London who are all doing their bit to cut congestion problems by making essential journeys by motorbike or scooter. Penalising such a group with a new tax is IMHO, indefensible and mad!
And, the main reason that I can’t see objections to the tax ceasing in the foreseeable future, is that the target group for turning into a new local government revenue stream includes an extraordinary cross section of people. Powered Two Wheeler (PTW) riders range from nurses & other essential low paid workers to hospital consultants and couriers who are ensuring that the pace of business in the capital remains competitive with other world cities. So, the current situation looks like this to me. The income from the ‘trial’ of this parking tax scheme in the heart of the the capital run by Westminster Council has far exceeded any ‘benefits’ that the council originally said would justify new charges and fines to be imposed on riders. Correspondingly the only real reason for Westminster officials to try and keep this charging and fines scheme in place is to extract a bit more cash from a minority group of vulnerable road users aka bikers & scooterists.
Lastly, for now, I think there is one other thing to keep in mind. Although the defacing of signs is the most obviously ‘sensational’ aspect of the latest events that can and I’m sure will be labeled as vandalism by some who will tut accordingly, other very legitimate lines of protest are now open and are as I understand it ready to be actioned – including formal investigations by the EU Commissioners and the Audit Commission and at least two other legal challenges regarding the legitimacy of tendering processes etc, during the set-up phases for the scheme.
Excellent report.
Is it too late to buy shares in the company that makes the signs?
Or is Danny Chalkley a major share-holder and the current state of affairs the culmination of an exceedingly far-sighted plan to line his own pockets ?
Blimey what cynicism re the motives of some of our elected members in the local government community and from a cartoon character too! Have to admit that I didn’t think of the shares idea though but did make me LOL
I thought this paragraph summed up the feeling so well
“However, the facts of life in a democracy work like this. When officials with government powers end up disregarding a massive swath of legitimate objections to their plan for a new tax on a specific section of the public – and all legitimate paths for meaningful objection by individual citizens are closed – some individuals will take action that is outside those legitimate channels of communication from which they feel shut out.”
I’d never had a strong enough reason to contact the council before, but having got involved my eyes were opened at the shear arrogance Westminster City Council has towards it’s residents.
I still have just the one question for Councillor Chalkley, what am I getting for my £100 parking tax now that I wasn’t getting in July 2008?
I did try to ask him directly be he refused to go on the record, how slimy is that.
Its not just the ones cleaned that have been hit!
There are a whole lot more too! Aldwych, Strand, most of Ladbroke Grove as far as I can tell.
How long before Westminster residents get fed up with Chalkley and his pals throwing their money down this bottomless pit?
I was looking forward to a white christmas, but hey, a blue, black or any other colour that saves me £100 a year is a much better gift. Thank you to whoever is doing the painting. (I wouldn’t brake the law, or encourage anyone else to, but I sure am pleased that free parking for them many is the out come of the law braking of the one/few).
What i would like to know is where is Boris and the tory leadership, don’t they have any clout
Thanks to all who have made comments so far and who continue to take an interest in what we all recognise is a dreadful plan to create a new tax scheme for riders of motorbikes and scooters. It is heartening for me to to see so many very different types of riders rally round to oppose this pernicious and constraining move. And it is good that so many see that this move is really for no other reason than to develop a new revenue stream – and that it is being pioneered in one of the richest local authorities on the planet. It is also really heartening to see that so many will do all they can to oppose this attempt to add a new financial constraint on riders and to try and create a new deterrent for those who might choose some form of powered two wheeler to enable them to live and thrive in a great, and I believe greatest, world city.
Keep up the good work, if these ratbags are successful then it’s only a matter of time before all the other local authorities follow suit. I don’t live close enough to be of any practical help to your campaign but I shall make sure I spread the word to all other riders I meet on my travels.
So just how much taxpayers money are WCC going to waste replacing defaced signs across the borough?
You would think the that they might finally realise that they have a serious fight on their hands and that those who oppose this tax are not simply going to go away.
What next, security guards to look after the parking signs! Chalkley and co have probably already got that one in their notebooks. What a sad state of affairs when people cannot admit they they simply got it wrong.
I have no doubt that there are no shortage of aspiring artists willing to demonstrate how they can improve a WCC parking sign.
Excellent question re spending money on replacing signs.
My hunch is that WCC will spend most of the £1/2 million they’ve already got from riders through this tax on replacing signs – and the rest will be spent on big PR campaign portraying them as ‘innocent’ victims of wicked biker vandals.
[...] and i am delighted to report that I am far from being alone in that view. And as I’ve reported a few days ago, some scallywags in our midst have been so angered by what they see as a totally unfair and [...]