ANGRY bikers are today revving up for a fight after their seafront parking was slashed as part of a facelift for Felixstowe's pier area.Motorcyclists – who have been visiting the resort in their thousands over the past few summers – warned that less will be so keen to come in future.
ANGRY bikers are today revving up for a fight after their seafront parking was slashed as part of a facelift for Felixstowe's pier area.
Motorcyclists – who have been visiting the resort in their thousands over the past few summers – warned that less will be so keen to come in future.
Councillors are spending £37,000 renovating Pier Bight to smarten up the area, create cycleways, and make it safer for pedestrians.
But the re-modelling of the car park in Undercliff Road West has cut the amount of parking for motorbikes drastically and riders say they were not consulted at all about the project.
Until now, an area equivalent to four car parking spaces has been designated for bikes next to the sea wall, providing enough space for around 25 bikes.
But from now on there will only be three spaces – and these will not be a block together, but single spaces dotted around the car parking between spaces for cars.
"It is absolutely ridiculous and a lot of bikers are very angry about it," said Dave Barker, of the Motorcycle Action Group.
"Why couldn't the council just leave things as they were – if it ain't broke, then don't fix it, as they say.
"Felixstowe has been attracting growing numbers of bikers and I have seen 30 to 40 gathering on the car park outside the leisure centre because they know there is a designated parking place there – and up to 25 parked there at one time.
"These three single spaces will not hold anywhere near as many bikes – if a biker parks slap bang in the middle of each one they will only hold three bikes in total."
Mr Barker, of King Street, Walton, Felixstowe, said the council was going against the latest government white paper which urged more facilities and "ample parking" for motorcycles.
No-one was available from the council to comment.
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