Asked to Move

[Mizono]

So I had a few errands to run this afternoon and decided to take my bike. First stop was the grocery store. No not to get food. I needed to get the registration for our cars. So i pull in the parking lot and find a empty parking spot. No sooner than i had most of my gear off one of the store employees asked if i could move my bike up to the lined area at the front of the row. I was actually shocked. here i was parking in a totally legal parking spot and i was asked to move into a lined off area. Granted it was ALOT closer but it was just odd. I wasn't upset or anything just struck me as weird. I would have imagined it going the opposite way if i had parked in the lined off area first. Oh well just a odd occurrence today.

[drowe531]

Some areas allow/prefer motorcycles parking on the sidewalk/lined area. That way it allows an actual space to be available still to a car while not turning away the person on the motorcycle.

[Linuss]

I'm just too scared to try it barring not knowing how each place will react to it.

[Mizono]

Originally Posted by drowe531

Some areas allow/prefer motorcycles parking on the sidewalk/lined area. That way it allows an actual space to be available still to a car while not turning away the person on the motorcycle.

Which i understand totally. But this was a HUGE retail grocery store with TONS of places open. It more struck me as funny than anything. Im like Linuss i wont do the sidewalk parking thing due to not knowing how a store or patrons will react. I would rather go find a parking spot like everyone else.

[Snake]

That is kind of odd. You would think they would frown upon parking in the lined off areas. They just need to make designated bike parking spots.

[peachdiddy]

Originally Posted by Snake

That is kind of odd. You would think they would frown upon parking in the lined off areas. They just need to make designated bike parking spots.

Yes! They do!
Working at Wal Mart I can see why a retailer would prefer that. There are drivers that just don't see bikes, parked or not. And if a motorcycle gets hit and ran or knocked over, it could be possible for the owner of the bike to sue the retailer for damages (seen it done before).

So as a liability thing, I can see that. But I work there, and they want me to park the farthest away from the building (and the cameras). Oh well. If she gets tipped, I just pay $250 to get a new one!

[sombo]

Down here in my area I park in those areas all the time. Like when I go to Walmart and they have those lined areas at the end of the lanes (some have the cement dividers instead) I, and just about every other motorcycle, park there. No one ever says anything about, including the parking lot security. Over at Seaworld they would actually tell me to park in those areas as long as it wasn't in the handicapped or reserved parking sections. Haven't done the sidewalk parking yet though.

[CynicalC]

Why didn't you ask why?

[bluesinorbit]

If it's more convenient for you, you might as well park in the front. More open area would make your bike more visible and less likely to get hit or messed with. What the employee should've done is tell you that you can park there next time instead of telling you to move. It's kind of tacky.

[alex.s]

if someone told me to move my vehicle (i don't care what vehicle) when i was parked in a valid parking spot i'd tell them to move their ass to the dumpster and learn not to alienate their customers. now if they said "you know it's alright to park in such and such"... thats a different story.

[CZroe]

It is very common to see motorcycles parked on the super-wide sidewalk area outside the front of a department store here in CA but the law is clear: it MUST be between stall lines in a parking stall to be legal. Yes, stall does = space (I had to look it up).

There is a place at the grocery store close to where I live where there is a cart corral, then an unpainted gap, then diagonal blue area, then a handicapped space (first parking space), as you move away from the store. I always park in that unpainted gap because it really is exactly like a motorcycle-sized parking space (though full length) and it is between stall lines and it is outside of the handicapped loading area. It's also the most visible and close space to the building that no car could utilize. It would seem that I am helping EVERYONE out, but it still feels weird because it doesn't explicitly say that I can park there.

[SSR]

I've always wanted to do the "park my bike in a spot a car can't", but never had the gumps to do so. Most of the time I can always find a spot.

[kaiserz]

I parked on a side walk near our mall, In front of a restaurant(I was grabbing lunch) and I almost got a ticket for it... The "mall police" was already writing the ticket whenI walked up to him, I asked him about my parking, he ignored me and continued writing the ticket.

But I got off (; ( He looked Filipino, so I asked him in my native tongue if he was, I was lucky that day, I apologized and explained, and bam I got saved from a $25 - $50 ticket )

[Havok]

i do this all the time, sidewalks, lined off spaces usually off to the side, Cagers dont mind because i leave them a space, retailers dont mind because i give them an extra space. WIN WIN for everyone.

[NathanUc]

I was asked once to move by another driver...

Here's my 2cents on the matter. It's illegal and ticket-able to park in those areas most of the time. Unless a police officer is giving me absolute permission, I'm going to park my Ninjette in the car parking spaces as the law mandates.

I will say I get extremely annoyed with my campus parking officials because I see scooters parked just about everywhere without tickets, but the minute I try to park in an over crowded motorcycle parking space (usually forcing the bike to be sticking out a LITTLE bit but nothing that causes anyone grief) I get a ticket.