www.Parctel.com: If you thought finding parking for your 4x4 at OR Tambo International Airport was tough, try finding one for a motorbike.
The airport currently does not have designated parking for motorbike owners, who are forced to improvise when they get to the airport.
Even employees battle to find parking and some resort to parking on the pavement.
Shane Smith, an engineer for 1Time, said it was unfair that there was parking for different kinds of vehicles and people with disabilities, but none whatsoever for motorbikes.
Taking risks and parking wherever there is space has resulted in a few unpleasant incidents.
"We once came back from our shifts to find that someone had written 'park elsewhere, park better' (with marker pen) on the windscreens of three of our bikes," he said.
But they were lucky - another friend found his bike knocked over against the wall and damaged. No one claimed responsibility and he had to spend close to R32 000 fixing the damage.
Now the places that the bikers have been using have "motorbikes prohibited" signs on the wall and Smith's main worry was that now they could face countless fines if the situation was not resolved.
Tasniem Patel, senior communications officer at the airport, said the bikers' request was unreasonable because they were willing to pay only R65 for parking but that parking in the airport precinct meant a higher tariff.
"During a meeting with a staff representative regarding this issue, a total of four options were presented to the group using motorbikes.
"At the time, all the options were turned down, including the option to park at our Super South parking (about 7km from the airport) facility at R65 per month.
"We are stretched in terms of public parking and are not singling out a particular group. You also have to understand that bikes are not the norm for us as people who use the airport have luggage and our passengers come first," she explained.
However, she said they were in the process of putting in motorbike bays for staff and the public.
Source: IOL
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