Council scraps free motorbike parking

Free parking for thousands of motorcyclists and moped riders in central London will be scrapped.

Westminster council has announced the move in response to a huge increase in demand for bike parking spaces.

Many workers have opted for two wheels in a bid to avoid the congestion charge and parking fees.

But the demand for parking spaces has outstripped supply, prompting many riders to travel to work early to grab a spot or face a lengthy walk.

Council bosses are considering a £1.50 daily charge - or a £150 yearly season ticket - that would allow riders to park anywhere in central London-A spokesman for Westminster council said the move was needed to pay for work to increase the number of parking bays.

He said: "We need to put in extra spaces but it's going to cost us £1million to do it.

"We're planning to increase the number of spaces on the street, offstreet parking and security rails for bikes. We plan to do this over the next six months, but the charges will only be brought in when we have provided a considerable number of extra parking spaces."

The spokesman added: "There are not enough motorcycle bays. There has been a huge increase since the introduction of the C-charge and we expect demand to rise further when it is rolled out."

The number of mopeds and scooters being ridden into central London has soared since the congestion charge was introduced in February 2003. Ninety eight thousand motorbikes and scooters were registered in the capital in 2000. But by 2005 a total of 111,000 "powered two wheelers" were registered in the Greater London area.

Transport for London said there were no plans to introduce a C-charge for motorbikes .