A biker has accused a council’s parking policy of driving petrolhead Harley Davidson riders away.

Stephan Heenan, 58, has had numerous run-ins over the past few years with traffic wardens because his Harley Davidson doesn’t fit in the bike parking bays.

However, Brighton and Hove City Council does not allow bikes in car spaces and Mr Heenan has been issued a ticket for parking his Harley in space intended for a car.

He said: “It’s ridiculous. I’ve done a fair bit of travelling on my bike and I’ve got friends all over the country and no other council I’ve come across stop bikers parking in car spaces.

“We have nowhere to go. They’re shooting themselves in the foot because a lot of bikers from around Europe come to Brighton in the summer and if they can’t park then they will go elsewhere.”

The parking restrictions led Mr Heenan to move out of the city to the Marina where he had an allocated off-road parking space.

Biker events

However, after losing his job he moved in with a friend in South Chailey.

He said: “I still like to go to Brighton to see friends and do shopping but it is near impossible to go on the bike.

“When I want to go to the butchers in London Road, instead of a ten minute ride I have to catch two buses each way at a cost of £8. A round trip will take me three to four hours. It will stop people going into Brighton. The city is also a popular destination and I think it is particularly damaging for tourism.

“In summer you will see Germans on their Goldwings riding round and round looking for somewhere to park. In the end they will stop coming.”

A council spokeswoman said that they provide dedicated motorcycle bays in an attempt to minimise damage to the vehicles.

She added: “Brighton & Hove has a track record of welcoming motorcyclists to the city, hosting regular annual events such as the Pioneer Motorcycle Run, the Ace Café Reunion and Brightona.

“Motorcycle parking provision throughout the city has been steadily increasing over the years, and whenever we implement new controlled parking zones motorcycle bays are proposed in the majority of roads.”

However, she added that motorcycle parking would be reviewed as part of the Citywide Parking Review next year.

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