NEXT DEMO: 7th Dec 09 – “Seizing the Initiative” or “The Double Assault!”

[vespa]

On Monday, 7th December 2009, the No To Bike Parking Tax Campaign aims to “seize the initiative” by taking to the streets twice in a “double assault”, firstly by meeting outside Westminster City Hall, Victoria Street, SW1 at 8am ( Map) to attend, as observers, the Westminster City Council-led consortium of local authorities called Partnerships-In-Parking as it holds its quarterly meeting there. It is this consortium that has introduced the socially-exclusive pay-by-phone parking system to the exclusion of all other methods of payment, that has now been extended to motorbikes and scooters.

Secondly, our main evening demo/ride-out meeting at Park Lane Underground car park between 6-6:45pm on 7th December 2009 ( Meeting point Map & Previous Demo Vids just to remind you why you should be there!).

Enquiries into PIP activities have uncovered a string of violations of EU Law on procurement, with the most salient violation being the encouragement of other local authorities to take advantage of the same pay-by-phone scheme without a tender process by merely joining the PIP consortium. As PIP was originally funded using UK Taxpayer money from the  Department of Communities & Local Government (DCLG), the ride-out will terminate at the DCLG offices in  Bressenden Place, SW1 where an official demand will be deposited.

Whilst all other road-users are reeling from the news of the prospect of being charged by the “mile-travelled”, and with petrol prices poise to rise again, neither of these being challenged by any credible organised group of citizen protest, DON’T MISS OUT ON BEING PRESENT AT THIS MOST POIGNANT DISPLAY OF DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS BEING EXERCISED BY YOUR FELLOW RIDERS ON BEHALF OF THE WHOLE UK-WIDE MOTORCYCLE & SCOOTER COMMUNITY.

Meet Park Lane Underground Car Park between 6-6:45pm on 7th December 09 ( Map) or be at the Ace Café ( Map) for 5pm to join a pre-demo ride-out which will then make its way to Park Lane to meet with the rest of the pack.

More details: What about “Seizing the Initiative”?

As Westminster City Council’s unprecedented delayed decision regarding the permanence of the Motorcycle Parking Tax Scheme (MPTS) continues, thereby delaying our high Court challenge, we are seizing the initiative of demanding a Public Inquiry into both the set-up, and running of Partnerships-In-Parking (PIP).

One can only make an educated guess as to  Mr Alastair Gilchrist ’s motives ( Read article Danny and his mate Gilchrist). Described by a WCC Councillor as a “one-man selling machine for Verrus”, his plan was simple: ensnare as many road-users as victims, and offer other local authorities to follow suit, incentivised by greater revenues and a “tender-process” circumvention i.e. join PIP and simply sign up Verrus!

Well, that was the plan, and with his puppet Councillor Danny Chalkley, ready to sign where required, and the oh-so-easily-coerced Built Environment Scrutiny Committee so eager to lap up his silver-tongue phoney justifications, he may well have got away with it were it not for his greed into trying ensnare bikers and scooterists.

He certainly did not countenance the community spirit that pervades all motorcycle/scooter riders, and that, unlike car-drivers, we don’t take unjust legislation lying down. And, whilst Head of Legal at WCC, Peter Large, may challenge our ability to do anything about the misdemeanour’s as individuals, he can’t stop us from putting our findings in front of those who can.

More details: Why a demo on the 7th December? Why a “Double Assault”?

At 9.30am on that day, is scheduled the next meeting of Partnerships-In-Parking (PIP), the Westminster City Council-lead consortium driving forward  Alastair Gilchrist’s (Director of Parking at WCC) ambitions of fattening up the profits of Verrus UK Ltd.

However, as WCC are not very vociferous at promoting it as being open to the public to attend, let us do it for them. And attend we shall, and hope as many of you too will be able to take a couple of hours that morning to come and see the megalomaniac, Alastair Gilchrist lauding over his fiefdom.

We will be meeting for coffee first at the Café Nero opposite Westminster City Hall, Victoria St, SW1 at 8am  to allow good time to get through WCC security and to ensure a front-row seat.

However, can we please stress, whilst this is a public meeting, this should be viewed from an “observation” point of view, and we urge you to respect the process and apply due decorum to allow the meeting to progress undisturbed.
Then the main demonstration details are…

As we feel certain that our demanding a Public Inquiry will garner far more press interest that we are used to, your attendance at the main demo/ride-out on the evening of 7th December 09 becomes more crucial than ever. If you can make the morning as well, we’ll be delighted to see you, else, see you at either Ace Café ( Map) (leaving there at 5pm) or Park Lane Car Park (Between 6-6.45pm) on Monday 7th December ( Meeting point map).

[kaychanc]

will be there as always.. might be a bit late in the morning as i gotta long way to go!

[templar]

I might not bring the bike in the morning...just in case they try to keep the nasty bikers out.

I'd love to see them try and keep me out after I flash the press card!

[Badger]

will be there as always.. might be a bit late in the morning as i gotta long way to go!

Get up early . This might be the most inportant show of this anti-tax demo yet.

[kaychanc]

dude... i live over 30 miles away!! gotta wake up at 6 am!!!

[Bandit]

"Madame Zelda forsees an early night for Kaychanc on Sunday 6th..."

[templar]

"Madame Zelda forsees an early night for Kaychanc on Sunday 6th..."

[kaychanc]

gonna try and see if my friend will lend me his super high def camera and listening device so hopefull we'll have a record of these muppets as they talk.... if they let us in that is... 

[vespa]

Charley Boorman will be at Bluewater Shopping Centre tomorrow, 14th Nov at midday, anyone get down there and get his opinion of our campaign, or just to spread the message to other riders which will be going down there to meet him?

 http://twitter.com/CharleyBoorman

[kaychanc]

charleys a great guy, his and ewans garage is down the road from my uncles office. i'll see if i can get a flier down there...

[SHOESHINE]

  Better still see if we can ask him to do a personal show at the demo...or at least offer some support!

It should be great PR for the movement!


Pepsi
www.1stopinstruction.com

[kaychanc]

Better still see if we can ask him to do a personal show at the demo...or at least offer some support!

It should be great PR for the movement!


Pepsi
www.1stopinstruction.com

i'll see if i can find a way to contact him... anyone know a press agent?

[kaychanc]

have found his agents email address and sent an email to him... hope for the best!

[templar]

It is a long shot - agents are generally only interested in cold hard cash. In Boormans case, it would be more good publicity for him, further endearing himself to bikers in the UK. Which is basically what his living is based on.

[kaychanc]

It is a long shot - agents are generally only interested in cold hard cash. In Boormans case, it would be more good publicity for him, further endearing himself to bikers in the UK. Which is basically what his living is based on.

i hope he listens!!!

[bigdave]

http://forum.notobikeparkingtax.com/members/charlie-boorman/msg9416/#msg9416

[gibbo]

i work nights but aim to be there in the morning.... excuse me if im a bit grumpy ..... we need a good show in the morning as well as a massive turnout later

[kaychanc]

i work nights but aim to be there in the morning.... excuse me if im a bit grumpy ..... we need a good show in the morning as well as a massive turnout later

we do indeed... can't have too many in the morning cause i don't think they will let all of us in!

[kaychanc]

just realised... where are we gonna park on the 7th in the morning. in the evening as we are on protest we can park anywhere... but what about the morning?

[Ogri]

Park where you like.

I'd like to see a CEO try issuing PCNs to a 100 bikes while their owners are standing right there.

I'll be parking on the pavement to help keep the traffic moving.