An inconvenient truth.

Early on Monday morning a group of riders collectively named R.A.T.S (Riders Against Tory Stealth-tax) rode their bikes into the front doors of Westminster’s City Hall. Quickly they chained their bikes together to block access to the front of City Hall. We learnt that this was in protest against the council’s offhand and cavalier attitude towards powered two wheelers (PTW) riders and the way that the council viewed motorists as cash cows to top up council coffers.

Council security were caught off guard, but did eventually come to the front door to find out just what was going on. Their main concern was a breach of health and safety regulations, what a pity they were not aware of the regulations being breached in Councillor Danny Chalkley’s parking department. Council workers were asked to use the rear entrance, which ironically was partially blocked by one of the councils own safer streets vans straddled across the pavement. Once the security staff had listened to a few of the R.A.T.S members, the situation calmed down. It was clear the R.A.T.S riders were not there to bite peoples heads off, or damage council property.

Arriving council staff were politely asked to use the rear entrance, often with a “sorry for the inconvenience” from the protesters. Some commuters who were on foot stopped to ask what’s going on, and once they understood, there were messages of support for what the protesters were doing, even from passing motorists who sounded their horns in support.

Both the council staff and the protesters behaved well, with only one show of temper from an older chap arriving at the entrance claiming to be the buildings’ manger. He was so full of himself he clambered over the bikes to squeeze himself in through the front door, obviously a very important servant of the public.

22 minutes into the protest the police arrived and made their way into City Hall for discussions with Council staff. 7 minutes later two policemen came out to talk to the protesters. First they needed to establish what or who R.A.T.S were. I suppose they could best be described as a collective, as there seemed to be no figurehead and decisions were taken collectively, perhaps they are the Borg. Sergeant Paul McIntyre said to the R.A.T.S gathering “In a nutshell, is there anything I can say or do that’s going to make you move your motorbikes… and please don’t say get rid of the parking tax“. “You know the Police do facilitate lawful protest, this is now verging on an unlawful protest. However we do understand the reasons why you’re doing this, and your legitimate right to protest. What we ask you to do is negotiate and work with us, as you are blocking a fire exit“. Although I could not hear anything else that the R.A.T.S protesters and the Police discussed, a bike was moved to allow access for a disabled emergency exit from the building, and a time was given when the R.A.T.S people would stop their protest.

So who, why and what are R.A.T.S, I asked some of them. “We are a group of riders who have become fed up with Westminster City Council ignoring us. I myself am sickened by the attitude, deceit and incompetence shown to me by both some councillors and their officers.” said one. “It seems to me that everyone knows this bike parking tax is a sham, everyone except Chalkley and Goad, it’s just a cynical move by the council to create another revenue stream.” “The Council are not listening, they’re not even replying to letters, what else can we do but take direct action” said another. So what are their plans “If the tax continues we will set up more R.A.T.S events. We will make our voices heard, and aim our protests directly at the councillors who took part in the decision to approve this stealth tax, it will be a very exciting election for them.” another said “the people who vote in Westminster will be made aware of just what type of people they voted for four years ago, their free parking permits, the dirty deals, civic lunches and the huge loss of public money“.

This particular demonstration seemed to me to be very effective, if the looks of the officials arriving for the PiP meeting that morning were anything to go by. We remembered Westminster’s low ranking parking officer Kieran Fitsalls’ words, that this was nothing that the Council haven’t seen before. I wonder when was the last time the Council had motorcycles jammed in their front doors. Which other London boroughs want to bring in an unfair, illegal and unjustifiable tax against PTW owners, lets see shall we.