We have this week come across a few pictures of the motorcycle parking facilities in Milan (Italy). Not only spaces are individually delineated to provide plenty of room for bikes to park, without the risk of being damaged, but also excellent and user-friendly security devices are being provided free of charge, to which the front or back wheel of a bike can be locked, with the use of either a chain or U lock.

This is to be compared and contrasted with the motorcycle parking facilities provided in the Central London Borough of Westminster (United Kingdom), which largely do not include any security devices at all and no on-street individual delineated spaces. Westminster City Council have however decided to stealth tax motorcyclists to use their basic third world parking facilities, where bikers have no choice but squeeze their machines into tiny spaces and over-crowded parking bays. Surely, with the millions of pounds sterling that Westminster City Council have been cashing in from bikers for the past fourteen months, they can afford the installation of proper security devices, together with delineated individual spaces, like in Milan.

In Milan, as in Paris, Barcelona and Singapore, motorcycles are seen as a key transport solution to prevent congestion and, for this reason, their use is highly encouraged by the local authorities. In London, and particularly Westminster, motorcycles, on the other hand, are seen as cash cows, easy targets for the Council to raise revenue. They don't care about the many benefits that motorcycles bring to a congested and polluted environment, all they care about is how much money motorcyclists can bring in to the Council, by stealth taxing them to use their third world parking bays. But what can we expect from Westminster, since one of their councillors believes that "motorcycles, even small ones, pollute more than hummers" (Councillor Burbridge)?

Not a single penny collected from motorcyclists, keen to benefit the environment by using bikes, has so far been specifically reinvested into motorcycle parking in Westminster. This doesn't come to us as a surprise, since some Westminster Councillors believe that cars are greener and less contestant than bikes. And Councillor Burbridge believes that "being environmentally friendly would be to encourage motorbikers to use more public transport", while of course, she gives herself the benefit of a free official parking permit for her car. We didn't know that a London double-decker bus was less pollutant than a motorcycle, interesting isn't it?

We are French motorcyclists campaigning against the introduction of parking charges in Central London (United Kingdom, where we reside) for motorbikes and scooters. We view motorbikes and scooters as a very effective solution to cut road congestion and air pollution in city centres, and stealth taxing them for parking is, in our opinion, discouraging their use, which is not what a local public authority is expected to do, in a pure attempt to fill up its coffers. We have come across excellent parking facilities for motorcycles, provided free of charge, in the Italian city of Milan.