The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) is slamming central London Boroughs for failing to provide adequate parking facilities for capital riders.


The call comes after Transport for London (TfL) Director Derek Turner announced a 20% increase in the numbers of motorcycles, mopeds and scooters on London roads since the introduction of the Congestion Charge in February.

MCI Director of Public Affairs Craig Carey-Clinch said action from central London Boroughs was crucial.


He said: "Clearly the increases in motorcycling demands a more proactive policy from central London Boroughs. More people are riding in London, not just to beat the Congestion Charge but traffic congestion in general and there is an urgent need for increased parking provision."


Mr Carey-Clinch said Westminster and The City were the worst offenders while others such as Wandsworth and Camden had a more proactive attitude towards parking for motorcyclists.


MP Lembit Opik, chair of The Parliamentary All Party Group for Motorcycling (APG), said: "You didn't have to be a traffic genius to work out that motorcycle usage would rocket once The Congestion Charge was introduced. And you don't have to be a prophet to predict that more powered two wheelers means more on-street parking is needed. The question is when will central London boroughs wake up and realise that it's in everyone's interests for riders to have more on-street parking space."


Derek Turner made his comments about the increases in motorcycle usage at the conference, 'Congestion Charging in The Capital & Lessons For The Rest of The UK', held in London today.


Mr Turner based the 20% increase on TfL figures gained from regular traffic counts and said motorcycles were 'undercounted'.

Unfortunately the London Congestion Charge has more to do with politics and the raising of revenues for a loony-left Mayor thatn any real practicalities. It is widely admitted he caused trafic light sequences to be tampered with to produce actual congestion before the introduction of the £5 daily charge so that he could manipulate the figures later to "prove" congestion charging was a success. Now you have situations where motorists who have to be in London for real reasons either can't get through on their mobile phones or the website to pay their charge so get penalised. AND Red Ken is talking about doubling the charge already, and it's only been in force since January.

Someone wrote to say there is a booming trade in cloned numberplates. Not hard to see why.

I doubt if two-wheelers were ever considered, this is not about managing traffic, it's about corrupt bureaucracy.

I am personally in favour of properly managed congestion charges based on genuine traffic management agendas, like Singapoer, and think that it simply has to come to Manila before the place becomes the world's biggest parking lot. But not like London.