Dismay for motorcyclists in Northern Ireland as country ranked the worst in the UK for the number of designated bike spaces in council car parks

Only 13 of the country’s 26,410 total parking spaces* in council car parks are dedicated to motorcycles - a paltry 0.05%. Those motorcycle-specific spaces** can only fit approximately*** 14 bikes in them and leaves a huge shortfall when compared against the number of riders in Northern Ireland. There are around 30,200 registered motorcycles but the lack of provision means just 0.05% are able to park in bays that are allocated exclusively to them in authorities’ off-street parking facilities.

The damning under-representation looks even worse when you consider there are roughly 1.05 million registered cars in Northern Ireland. Every 25 in 1,000 cars are being catered for by councils, but LESS THAN ONE in 1,000 motorcycles - over FIFTY times less.

The eye-opening statistics were unearthed by Bikesure, the UK’s largest motorcycle insurance broker, which has produced one of the most in-depth reports ever seen on the issue.

Its detailed analysis found that councils in England are collectively providing the best offering when it comes to this form of motorcycle parking. Northern Ireland ranks bottom. Calculations were based on the following:

• Most cars can take advantage of a one-bay-per-vehicle offering but the majority of allocated motorbike parking comes in a shared form by way of larger bays or areas that have the room to fit multiple machines

• Therefore, to provide the most accurate picture of demand versus capacity, the number of registered bikes in an area was divided by the approximate number of motorbikes that can fit in its designated motorcycle parking spaces

• This gave a comparison-based percentage to draw the best conclusions on how councils, counties, regions and countries are serving two-wheel motorists

England (0.82%) claims the dubious bragging rights of topping the UK statistics by way of having room to park around 10,250 of its 1.25 million registered motorcycles in areas reserved for bikes. Using the same formula leaves Wales (0.49%) and Scotland (0.47%) faring worse but still in much better shape than NI.

Rob Balls, Bikesure general manager, said: “Our findings lay bare the reality that UK motorcyclists are being undoubtedly overlooked when it comes to the safe and secure parking of their machines - and it’s certainly a very sorry story in Northern Ireland.

“It’s concerning to us that, despite there being over 30,000 licensed bikes on Northern Irish roads, councils have made provisions for fewer than 15 of them. This just doesn't feel good enough. It’s time for all local authorities to recognise the scale of the problem and start addressing the imbalance. The numbers just don’t add up, and bikers deserve better.”

Other key takeaways gained from collecting data from 362 authorities, 11 of which are in Northern Ireland, include:

• Eight districts in Northern Ireland have zero spaces dedicated to bikes. Half of the regions in the country have pay and display offerings – the highest percentage in the study

• The paltry 13 spaces would be much worse if it weren’t for the 12 that are available in Ards and North Down

• Ards and North Down gains even more kudos among bikers for offering free parking in ALL of its bays too

• Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council couldn’t provide any data because its car parks are privately managed

• Belfast may allow riders to park in any of its bays, but offers just one dedicated area for bikers despite being the capital city. It’s also only big enough to fit just two bikes

The findings mirror the disappointing figures for motorcyclists around the UK. Just 0.41% of the 1,046,437* total parking spaces in council car parks are dedicated to two-wheel motorists. They fit approximately*** 11,058 bikes - provision for just 0.76% of the around 1.4 million registered motorcycles. The stats do not take into account spaces, bays or areas that allow both bikes and cars to use them. This is because with almost 40 million drivers on the road compared to 3.6 million bikers, it’s likely that a majority of those will already be filled long before a motorbike tries to park up.

The misery continues for bikers even if there are any dedicated motorbike spaces available in the first place with confusion reigning when it comes to rules around parking in off-street car parks. This includes no uniformity in the size of dedicated bays, the ability to use them being contingent on how others have parked and confusing parking communications that remain open to misinterpretation. Some bikers are even prohibited from leaving their machine in certain car parks, while others are instructed to park in a “sensible area” – but not in bays.

Mr Balls added: “Of course, we can appreciate that space and resources are limited and not every council can follow Stratford-on-Avon Council’s lead in England by providing a dedicated car park exclusively for motorcycles. Nonetheless, we believe that riders deserve the same consideration and consistency as is given to car drivers. Clearer rules, fairer charges, and safer, designated areas would go a long way in helping bikers feel recognised and respected on the road.”

Visit the Bikesure website to read the in-depth report in full and dig into a plethora of visual stats with a national, regional and local focus.

*The term spaces covers all motorcycle-specific parking provided by a council regardless of whether they describe it as a space, bay or area throughout this report

** Every effort has been made to consider the figures listed as totals as being correct but these are based on council-provided data which, in some rare cases, includes estimates. The number does include disabled bays but does not factor in other types of spaces (EV charging, lorry bays, resident bays etc)

*** Many single motorcycle specific spaces, bays or areas can accommodate more than one bike and this figure takes that into account. Where a council has been unable to provide a concrete figure or estimate, it has been considered to be a standard size. This, based on data, suggests that one bike-specific space is able to accommodate three bikes.

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