Last month LB Hillingdon ran a public consultation for planned changes over the way that motorcycles can park along Ruislip High Street. Essentially, until now they’ve been able to park in any pay-and-display bay – without charge – and the changes will mean that they can only park in the two bays marked “SOLO M/Cs ONLY”.
Those two bays have, until now, simply been reserved for motorcycles (ie, unavailable to cars) – but motorcycles have been able to park there, or anywhere else. The UberEats, JustEat and Deliveroo riders have been parking outside McDonald’s in the motorcycle bay, and also spilling out into the car parking spaces either side. If Hillingdon’s plan’s go ahead, that will no longer be possible – the bays will be available only for cars, and motorcycles will have to park either in those two bays or one of the carparks off the high street.
The motorcycle bay outside McDonalds has a sign which says “20 mins, no return in 1 hour” while the other one (opposite KFC) having no such restriction, but is much smaller.
Until now, motorcycles:
- have been able to use any pay and display bay
(including those intended for cars) - haven’t needed to pay to park, anywhere
The changes will mean:
- motorcycles will only be allowed to park in either:
- the ‘Solo M/C only’ bay outside McDonalds, or
- the ‘Solo M/C only’ bay opposite KFC, or
- a carpark away from the high street
- it does not matter who is using the motorcycle: the rules apply apply equally to both…
- residents visiting the high street with a domestic motorcycle, and
- JustEat/Deliveroo/etc riders picking up an order from a fastfood outlet
- this is independent and unconnected with McDonalds’s own work to extend next door and direct riders to collect bags of food from a door at the back of that takeaway instead of inside the restaurant itself
The two dedicated motorcycle bays will remain where they are, the same size as they are, and continue be free to park in.
The council’s intention is that enforcement officers will ticket any Deliveroo/JustEat riders who park outside the two small bays – to eventually educate them not to use the rest of the High Street.
McDonalds’s extension and new pickup point
The work at McDonald’s to extend the restaurant and move their collections to the back of the building is not related to moving motorcycles away from the high street. McDonalds of course has no control over where people park, whether they be shoppers or couriers: their construction work is simply extending their restaurant and restoring it back as a restaurant so that the helmeted riders are not disrupting people sitting at tables while eating.
Motorcycle spaces opposite KFC
This small bay opposite KFC and outside 51 High Street will be the only other place that motorcycles will be allowed to park along the High Street if the proposals are adopted. This bay does not have a ‘no return within an hour’ restriction sign.
Motorcycles will still also be allowed to park in the carparks at both ends of the High Street, and the one behind the shops on the McDonald’s side, but of course it remains to be seen where the courier riders will choose to wait. We can’t really expect them to disappear, and they collect from more than just McDonald’s – so the McD collection being outside the restaurant and at the back will only serve to change one of the takeaways that they collect from.
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