Top 5 Sidewalk Parking Tips
Dec 12th, 2007 by Leo
In New York, one of the riskiest things you can possibly do on a motorcycle is…park it. There are many strategies to parking safely on the street: some things that look risky (like parking somewhere with lots of foot traffic) are really pretty safe; and some things that look safe (like parking on a block with lots of cars but little foot traffic) are actually pretty risky. Today I want to talk about one particular parking strategy that is risky, but has a lot of benefits: sidewalk parking…
Ever since my wife got a Scooter, I’ve become a big fan of sidewalk parking. We can ride to just about any neighborhood and find a spot we can leave it for a few hours without worry: Usually we chain it up to one of those green mailboxes used to store mail for the carrier – that can usually be found mid-block on residential streets. This is a little more difficult with a sportbike (I wouldn’t recommend it at all for anything larger), but it’s still do-able.
On the sidewalk, you don’t have to worry about cars knocking over your bike, but you do still have to think about theft and the added concern of the ticket-people… Parking any motor vehicle on city sidewalks is unlawful and subject to ticketing and towing… But fortunately enforcement is spotty. Most ticket people will leave bikes and scooters alone, if they’re parked correctly and no one complains…
So how can we sidewalk park “correctly?” It’s an art, not a science. I’m no expert, but I’ve been lucky for the past year and half (although I park in between cars in many neighborhoods)… But here are my top 5 sidewalk parking tips:
Tip #1 – “Shorter is better”
The longer you park in any one spot, the more likely you are to get a ticket. The longer you intend to be there, the better the spot needs to be. If I can’t find a decent spot near where I’m going, but I’m only going to be an hour or so, I’ll settle for an out of the way mailbox or street sign.
Tip #2 – “Keep it hidden, keep it safe”
The more visible you are, the more likely you are to get a ticket. Do not park on the sidewalk during “no parking” times, or someplace where the sign says “no standing” (Although I do know people who park successfully on “Commercial Parking Only” streets on the sidewalk during the day…)
Also, try to find a spot where a parked car hides your bike from being visible from the street. But try not to get in anyone’s way – make sure you’re not blocking access to a car door or to an entrance, etc…
Tip #3 – “Chain me up!”
The real benefit to sidewalk parking is that you can chain it to something immovable. Street signs are okay, but they CAN be pulled up sometimes. The police won’t pull up a street sign to tow your bike, but thieves might. Make sure that the street sign hasn’t been tampered with already (that the base isn’t cracked or wobbly). Use a heavy duty chain. I use a couple of OnGuard Chains (with the 5+ rating) – I’ll write a post about these some other time…
On a side note, I’ve seen bikes parked (legally, between cars) on the street near a street sign locked up with a cable. This is not a bad idea either, but you need a longer chain or cable than most… All the people I’ve seen do this opt for a thinner-cheaper cable. This lessens the benefit of having a chain that can’t be easily cut…
Tip #4 – “Make friends”
If you intend to park someplace regularly, and need to leave it there for long stretches of time, you either need to park on the street in between cars, or make friends with the folks who run the buildings. The area directly in front of buildings usually belongs to the building owner (see the pic above). If you can chain your bike to a fence or gate on building property, you’ve got yourself a safe long-term spot. Just make sure the landlord is cool with it.
Tip #5 – “To have or not to have…a license plate…”
Here’s a sketchy thing some aggressive scooter parkers do – if you’re parking and chaining on the sidewalk anyway, some people take their license plates with them. You can stick velcro on your license plate mount and just take it with you when you go. A side benefit of that is, no one will be able to steal your plate…
Along with that, on a scooter, you can often “relocate” the VIN plate to someplace inside the storage compartment. This is a little more difficult with a motorcycle: the VIN number is usually on the frame near the front forks… An annoyed meter maid (with too much time) might ticket your VIN number… There are things you could do to hide the VIN number on the right fork (even just a little grease would be enough to make it unreadable) – the VIN on the left side is hidden when you use the steering lock, so you only need to obscure one – I’m not recommending any of this, I’m just pointing out what people sometimes do…but these are aggressive measures. I’d recommend you park in places you don’t need to resort to these shenanigans…
Have any more tips or experiences? Let us know!
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I find it ironic that as I am reading this yesterday someone was running into my bike parked on the street. Grrrr….
I just got 2 tickets, 1 for parking on the sidewalk and 1 for not having a license plate, cop must have had 2 much time on his hands, or had 2 meet his quota, 2 take the extra time to look for my vin #’s…Dam hater, every dog has it’s day…
Hey Tony, could you tell us what neighborhood you got the tickets in? Tribeca, Upper East Side, Park Slope, Forest Hills?
I’ve been removing my license plate for a while now mainly to prevent it from being stolen. I really think that cops will ticket a vin# if they’re already upset about the bike. I generally park on side streets and try to be as accommodating to my neighbors as possible. I find that most cops will ignore me even when I’m standing next to my bike with the plate removed.
I’m trying to fit in as much riding before winter as possible, which includes riding to work, which I haven’t done yet (subway is easier when I’m tired in the morning). I work in mid-town, and don’t want to pay for a spot in a garage…anyone have any updates / tips on places to sidewalk park in midtown (47th and 3rd)?