A petition launched to oppose the planned introduction of parking charges for motorcycles in Hackney has attracted almost three thousand signatures in five days.

The petition organiser, a group called Safe London Motorcycling, urged the council to reconsider its plans.

The organisation argued the new charges could have a devastating impact on the livelihoods of riders.

Motorcycles are currently not charged for parking in Hackney, however, the cabinet agreed in February 2021 to extend parking charges to motorcycles.

Under the new rules parking permits would be based solely on emission for any vehicle in an effort to improve air quality.

A Safe London Motorcycling spokesperson said: “It’s a basic fairness point. The council is proposing to charge motorcycles the same amount as cars because they say motorcycles have the same impact of cars.

“That’s false, the evidence they’ve used to get that conclusion is incorrect and it’s absolutely not fair to charge us the same amount as cars.”

The petition organiser argued the evidence which suggested motorcycles emit similar amounts of CO2 as cars is incorrect.

They highlighted the impact the proposed changes would have on commuters, delivery riders and couriers.

“We also take the view that motorcycling is part of the solution," they said.

"Motorcycles are so much less polluting than cars on a kilometre basis, we don’t cause congestions and we don’t get stuck in congestion ourselves which means we’re not pumping out fumes because we can’t move.”

Hackney council proposed the changes following a public consultation period in 2020 with the aim of ensuring local air quality and tackling climate change.

A Hackney council spokesperson said: “These changes will allow businesses, delivery riders and other organisations that provide valuable services to continue to do so, while also discouraging the use of motorbikes for commuting, which contribute to local emissions and take up valuable kerb space from local residents and businesses.

“We have recently been seeking feedback from the public on proposed prices for all our parking permits, and have met with motorcycle groups to hear their views.

"These will be taken into account, together with the feedback from other groups, ahead of any final decisions being taken by the council.”