Free parking or not

Found this on another forum, know we get free parking in Scotland but suspect some councils down south are going to try and go the way London has gone by the looks of it .....

Hi i don't know if everybody knows but motorcycle/scooter parking in London has to be payed for in car parks and in the streets/parking bays etc, and councils across the U.K are also looking at introducing these charging possibilities. Payment is by Mobile phone texting payment by a set up account, which makes it hard if visiting from far and you don't know of this..... A petition to parliament has been set up (see link below) just click link and if enough people lobby then parliament will have to rethink this tactic..... [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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For some time now in London motorcycles parking in car bays have had to pay whatever the cars pay. However its not all bad news as there are plenty of motorcycle bays with locking rings that you can use for free. There are also maps on various websites (Local Councils and Transport for London (TFL))which show where these bays are, always handy to download and keep a copy on you just in case the one you want to use is full and then you can quickly move onto another. Single yellow lines can be used after 6.30 pm until 8am in most places and all day Sunday, but do check the signs.

That's good info, is it right that allowing motorbikes in bus lanes varies between boroughs? and what about congestion charges for bikes?

Just a thought, maybe we should plan a Sunday sight seeing ride into the big city?

If you are riding along a Red Route (Red Line on road next to kerb) then you can ride in the Bus Lanes. If there is no red line then you are restricted by the blue signs posted at the beginning of each bus lane, surprising how many don't read these and just assume its a bus lane and that you cant go in it. It is mostly the boroughs that have restrictions on bus lanes. The congestion charge was withdrawn from West London some time ago so I have not had to be worried about it, pretty sure that bikes didn't pay, but that kind of information is on the TFL website. Like wise there are routes through London that will get you through London without paying congestion charge at all. For example - M4, A4, Earls Court Road, Embankment North, Vauxhall Bridge - not sure after that (South of the River!! lol)