Can you park a motorcycle like this? Debate rages online

A photograph of a motorcycle parked nose to the kerb is triggering an online debate as to whether the practice is illegal.

A photograph posted on the social media platform Reddit showing a motorcycle parked with its front wheel facing the kerb has raised questions about the legality of motorbike parking in Australia.

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Blocking almost half of the road, the bike seems to be dangerously placed as a potential obstacle for traffic approaching a nearby intersection.

That, coupled with glare from the low-lying sun, could mean the motorcycle is hard to see and could be inadvertently struck by a car.

Would it have been more sensible to park the bike parallel to the curb?

In a line of parallel parked cars, it is not unusual to see a motorcycle parked like this as it takes up less space, but with no other vehicles around, the bike does look to be positioned dangerously in the road.

In all Australian states, a motorcycle can park at any angle (including parallel) where “at least one wheel is as near as practicable to the left side of the road”, and it is recommended to always park with the rear tyre to the gutter to make moving out of the space much easier. This makes the bike in the photo legally but not sensibly parked.

As readers of the Reddit post point out, there may have been cars parallel parked when the motorcycle arrived that left before the photo was taken.

However, there is a more important road rule that the motorcycle may be breaking.

No vehicle can park within three meters of double lines and, based on the angle of the image, it seems the motorcycle is very close contravening this road rule.

This would mean that a car approaching the intersection along the residential street would likely have to cross the double lines when negotiating around the motorcycle, which, while legal in this instance (avoiding an obstacle) makes the approach to the intersection more dangerous.

What do you think? Should the bike have parked differently? Let us know in the comments below.

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