Inspired by: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12363541&postcount=13
What is up with this? I have a small cruiser (750 cc) and I wouldn’t think of parking anywhere other than a parking space. But I see other folks parked on the sidewalks, near the doors of buildings, and in yellow-striped areas. Why? Is it just too much trouble to walk 20 more yards to the door?
I’m all for people parking their motorcycles in those yellow-striped areas that aren’t suitable for squeezing in an additional car parking space. That means you don’t have a motorcycle, which has a much smaller parking footprint than a car, taking up a whole car-sized space.
Hell, I’d be for requiring parking lots to put actual motorcycle spaces in those striped areas, at least where there’s no safety-related reason not to.
I’ve got mixed feelings about sidewalks. People shouldn’t park their motorcycles where they’re going to be a real impediment to foot traffic. But if it’s a big sidewalk in an area without much pedestrian traffic, I’d be OK with that.
Smart cars don’t take up much room either. Park them on the sidewalk too.
d&r
When I rode, I always parked in those end spaces. Took up less space, less chance of being knocked over and easier to get out of. Some lots are sloped, making putting a bike on either stand tricky.
On a hot summer day, asphalt can get very soft. If you forgot to bring something to put under your sidestand, parking on a concrete sidewalk can be wise.
Also less chance of someone messing with your bike (you’d be surprised how much this happens) if you are parked where the bike can be seen from inside the building.
The stripes demarcate areas that are just the right size for motorcycles. It’s convenient for the motorcyclist, and it prevents annoying cagers who are looking for a parking space. In L.A. it’s customary to park motorcycles there. I don’t ride as much up here because of the weather, and my commute is a bit too long to be comfortable on a motorcycle so I haven’t noticed if it’s customary here. It’s not so much that it’s ‘too much trouble to walk 20 more yards to the door’; it’s that lots are often full and it’s courteous to park three or four motorcycles in the striped areas and leave the parking spaces for the cars. And it saves walking an additional 20 yards. 
Parking a motorcycle on a sidewalk can get you a ticket. In San Francisco it seemed fairly common to park one’s motorcycle on a sidewalk, usually in a alcove or otherwise such that it does not impede foot traffic. Elsewhere I’ve seen identically-parked motorcycles get a visit from Parking Enforcement.
Ok, I can see the rationale (or possibly the rationalization :p) for parking in striped areas.
But the folks that park on the sidewalk at my gym… man, I just don’t get that.
FWIW, I’ll often park my car in a space farther from the door when the lot is full. I’m sure most people have experienced walking past someone who is still waiting to get that one space that’s 20 yards closer to the door. Me, I’d rather get in, do what I need to, and get out. While there are some people who find it difficult to walk, it mystifies me that so many able-bodied people will waste time trying to get a close spot when there are ones farther away that are available.
But if a striped area exists and it’s close to the door, why not take advantage of it? My motivation is to not to take up a whole car space if I don’t have to. I reckon car drivers appreciate it. And it’s nice to park with other motorcycles.
I’m not riding much anymore (anybody wanna buy a '97 Concourse? 
), but I’ve never been comfortable parking on the sidewalk. I think I’ve done it twice in the four or so years I’ve been riding, and I always felt like folks were glaring at me. But the striped spaces are always fair game. As a rider, it keeps my bike out of the way of drivers who whip into what they think is an empty space between two other cars only to discover at the last second (or <cringe> too late) that there was a motorcycle there. As a driver, I appreciate the riders leaving an extra space for cars.
While we’re at it…
Car drivers: what’s up with trying to pass a motorcycle without moving over into the next lane? Is it soooo hard to turn your steering wheel the same few degrees that you would have to to pull around another car?
For a bicycle on a two-lane road, I’ll often move over only half a lane. For a motorcycle, I’d never think of taking part of his lane.
For the OP, I think part of the reason is that parking lots often don’t take motorcycles into account when the striping is done. If they did, many of these places would be marked for motorcycles.
I rather someone try to pass me in my lane on my motorcycle than on my bicycle. If I’m on the motorcycle I can speed up and let you know I didn’t appreciate it. I can’t do that on the bicycle.
Not only am I pure lazy, but it’s been my experience that a bike out in the parking lot is susceptible to a) punks who want to kick/scratch/slash seats for fun, b) moms who think junior looks cute on my expensiver-than-your-fucking-minivan custom bike, or c) teens/punks who think sitting on aformentioned bike for a laugh is acceptable in any universe, and d) theft from my trunk/saddlebags/tank bag.
I usually park up near the building/venue/place so no one screws with my bike.
Most bikes and scooters take up little enough space that parking on the sidewalk won’t impede anyone, so why would anyone care?
Other non-spaces? If I park there, there’s more spaces for your car!
It’s a win-win situation.
Until I catch utes on my bike…
Last September I came home to find my bike on its side. I suspect a couple of teenagers who wanted to buy it (as if!) wanted to sit on it, dropped it, and then couldn’t pick it back up.
Total damage was over $2,000.
I’ve been driving a motorcycle now for about six months, and I tend to park it much as I would a car. If I pull into a space, I do try to make it as visible as possible- I park close to the end of the space so that cars won’t try to pull into the space.
Here in Baltimore, motorcycles are required to use the paid parking machines if you park on the street. This is very annoying, because I use less than half the space a car does, so I’m already being kind of ripped off. What’s worse, though, is that there’s no way to secure the parking slip to the bike. Even if you have some way to attach the ticket to the bike, there’s no guarantee that someone won’t just come up and grab it for their own use. I’ve decided it’s best to just put the thing in my pocket and save the receipt in case I get a ticket.
Short (and shit-stirring) answer: Because we can
Long answer: What they all said. Safety, security, not taking up a full space if not necessary.
I don’t often leave my bike parked. When I do, I’ll generally choose the most secure, least likely to be messed with spot I can detect. Sidewalk parking is legal in some states and illegal in others (in Australia), but that doesn’t really enter into my calculations - I’m more concerned about looking after my bike, while still being considerate (i.e, I don’t park it where it will be in other people’s way - not only is that inconsiderate, but it also puts it in a ‘more-likely-to-be-messed-with’ zone)
I can’t bring myself to park on the sidewalk or in a striped area, even though all the other bikers in Phoenix do it and nobody seems to care. Maybe I’m just being an overly cautious worrier, but it strikes me the same as a bicyclist shooting through a red light; you do it because you can, but it’s still considered a vehicle and should rightfully be treated as any other vehicle. Plus my bike is pretty big and it feels like an overgrown monster if I try to pull it up on a sidewalk next to sleeker bikes.
Ouch. I feel you man. My bike got knocked over once too, but was stood back up by whoever did it. The only damage was the front tire guard had shattered, but that was still a solid $150. I suspect it was someone trying to pull into a spot and either didn’t see the bike or misjudged distances, because I’ve been a lot more careful about where I park it now and it hasn’t happened again.
My question, from the perspective of a bicyclist, is why in the world would a motorcyclist think the best place for him to park is lengthwise right in front of the bicycle racks? This is a pain in the ass for those of us who travel by vehicles which are even easier to steal.
Motorcycles may be small compared to cars on the road or in a parking lot, but they’re generally pretty big with respect to a sidewalk. That’s why anyone would care. It’s also apparently pretty difficult to park a motorcycle so that it’s right up against a building along its full length, at least judging by the motorcycles I’ve encountered on sidewalks over the years, so it gets in the way of foot traffic.
If someone wants to drive a vehicle that has particular problems associated with it, it’s unreasonable for him or her to deal with them by making them my problem. If a driver doesn’t his shiny new BMW scratched, he can park at the deserted far end of the lot, rather than parking diagonally across two spaces. (If there’s no deserted section of the lot, he’ll have to park in one space and take his chances.) If someone wants to ride a kind of vehicle that is less safe than other kinds of vehicles, he just has to deal with that risk, rather than going the ‘loud pipes save lives’ route and blaring noise at everyone within a quarter-mile, just to reduce his risk of harm. And if someone wants to ride a kind of vehicle that, for whatever reason, is more prone to vandalism than other kinds of vehicle, he doesn’t have any right to inconvenience random pedestrians in order to reduce that risk.
I’ll park on the stripes if it’s reasonable for the reasons listed above. On the concrete around WalMart where it won’t be in the way. Or in a regular space if the above aren’t available.
If I do park in a regular space, I’ll park to one side so another bike can park beside me if they need to. And sometimes they have.