Bunnings Warehouse Doesn’t Weigh In
A motorcycle rider recently parked on the yellow hatched area in a Bunnings carpark, spurring controversy when a photo went up on the Australian Disability Parking Wall of Shame Facebook Group.
The photo causes controversy because numerous folks pointed out the fact that the rider could have parked anywhere else, including the foot paths.
The idea is that the hatched yellow area is to provide space for the handicapped parking to either side of the bike. The person who posted the photo also said there was a sign that indicated this area was a “no bike parking” area.
What was interesting to me was that most of the comments on the post were obviously from folks who don’t ride. However, it does seem like there would be a better option for parking the motorcycle in the photo. .
According to Vic Roads, motorcycles can park on foot paths, and there is clearly one here. However, the sign that the poster of this picture references stating bikes aren’t allowed to park here brings up some interesting questions. Here’s what Vic Roads says about parking on foot paths:
“In Victoria, you can park your motorcycle on a footpath, unless there is a sign saying you can’t. When parking you must not get in the way, or block the path of pedestrians, delivery vehicles, public transport users or parked cars.”
With this in mind, it seems that the next best thing for the rider to have done would be to use a regular space designed for cars. As some commentors on the Facebook post point out, this still angers some people because they see a single motorcycle in a space big enough for a car.
Without more information about this particular parking lot and this particular situation, I feel a bit unsure as to how to weigh in. I believe the motorcycle rider probably should have sought another place to park, but at the same time, I don’t know what else was available.
A good solution for this is to have more designated motorcycle parking areas at businesses. This would eliminate these kinds of issues.