New house, where to park my bike?

B

Beakster

Member
Forum Sponsor
Hi,

So I just moved into a new rented house. It is in North Riverdale. It' a detached town house and there is no garage or driveway or rear access. I'm trying to work out the best/safest place to park my bike. It's a Triumph Bonneville, so not a massive bike.

For the winter I'm planning on keeping the bike in a shed in the back garden, there is a space between the houses which will give me space to get the bike through. There's also a large paved area here so it would be a good place to park but it would mean moving mine and my neighbours bins each time to get enough space to get the bike through. Also it would mean either mounting the kerb where there is no ramp, or using the next door neighbours driveway ramp, and pushing the bike over the garden path.

I thought about just putting the bike on the path or the front lawn, maybe even putting a couple of big paving stones down so the grass doesn't get chewed up. But now I see that bylaws exist which prevent parking of a motor vehicle in a front yard without a permit (which costs thousands). Also you aren't allowed to drive up onto the kerb where there isn't a ramp, and crossing the kerb must be done directly, so I can't use my neighbours ramp.

It seems my options are to:
1) Put a couple of paving stones down neatly and park my bike there hoping no one complains (my neighbour has paved most of his front yard). If they do I get a fine and I need to find another solution.
2) Stop the engine on the road, push the bike onto the kerb, up the garden path and round to the back of the house each time I park. (Or just drive it there and hope no one complains)
3) Buy a parking permit at the same price a car pays (assuming they are available in my area without a waiting list), but incur higher insurance and risk cars knocking the bike over when they are parking (wouldn't be the first time).

Any advice or experience much appreciated. :)
 
_23267.jpg
 
Do you ride a lot OP? I would definitely park it in the shed but seems to me like riding was not exactly one of the priorities when you were looking for a place to rent.
Maybe consider taking a year or 2 off since the situation seems to be a major PITA.
 
Last edited:
North Riverdale by Leslieville? Motorcycle street parking permits are free AFAIK. You just have to go get them. The parking in the back sounds like your best bet if you don't want to do street parking. Moving a couple bins will become habit after a while, but it depends how often you ride really.

Edit* do not park on your front lawn, more trouble than its worth. Like riding without insurance hoping you don't get an accident, it's peachy until your caught. Then ouch.

Sent from my LG-H873 using Tapatalk
 
What's a 'detached' townhouse?

Agree with post #4. If riding is important to you, than that factors into the decision of where/how you live.
 
build a little wooden ramp and place it where it needs to be
to go up or down the curb from your own property
store the ramp at side of house when not in use

ride to where the bike needs to be in the back
it's good to be considerate, but pushing it is silly
just keep the noise down and there's nothing anyone can do about it
moving trash cans doesn't sound like too taxing an activity

street parking may be free for bikes with permit
but it is a poor solution for long term
it will eventually get knocked over
 
I wouldn't hesitate to ride up a curb or along the sidewalk from your neighbours driveway. Keep the revs and speed down and look for LE and pedestrians before you do it.

If I wasn't going to use the bike for a few days, back yard for sure. If I was using it again the next day, front yard or street. I would probably just put a brick in the ground to support the kickstand. You will only kill two tiny patches of grass that way (or use a portable kick stand support and park the bike in a different spot each day to even out the wear).
 
Are you in a lease or month to month? My house in SW Scarborough is for sale. I built an extra long garage with a side door angled to get a bike in and out behind the car without needing to move it. PM me if you're in the market. ;)
 
Take the extra time to park it in the back and out of sight. Keep it hidden so it doesn’t get stolen.
 
kruzuki said:
What's a 'detached' townhouse?
Click to expand...

A house which stands independently of neighbouring houses. As opposed to a semidetached where 2 houses are essentially the same building.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-detached
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-family_detached_home

DemonPig said:
Do you ride a lot OP? I would definitely park it in the shed but seems to me like riding was not exactly one of the priorities when you were looking for a place to rent.
Maybe consider taking a year or 2 off since the situation seems to be a major PITA.
Click to expand...

Monday to Friday to North York and back and to do my shopping at weekends April to November. Other months I buy a TTC montly pass.

Mango Rider said:
North Riverdale by Leslieville? Motorcycle street parking permits are free AFAIK. You just have to go get them. The parking in the back sounds like your best bet if you don't want to do street parking.
Click to expand...

How can I find out about free permits for bikes? I looked on https://www.toronto.ca/services-pay...parking-permit/residential-on-street-parking/ but can't find anything.
 
i would park it out back out of sight. build a little ramp for the curb?
btw detached townhouse is I think, the foundation is share/connected but above ground the units are separated
 
Last edited:
No one will complain if you hop the curb. Half the driveways in my neighborhood do not have a cut curb meaning it's legally the same as just parking in the front yard. No one complains.

Only time I had problems was when I first moved to Toronto and didn't realize you needed a permit to get the curb cut. So I emailed 311 to ask about it and they said no problem, we'll come cut it. I actually specifically asked if there was a permit or paperwork required but they didn't even address that question. Next thing I know I'm getting bylaw notices for parking in the front lawn (which is actually a paved driveway just without the curb cut). After much digging (because bylaw won't tell you who called them on you) it turned out 311 realized we don't have a permit so rather than just email me back and tell me I can't park there or have the curb cut they called bylaw to come harass me. Made no sense. I even went around to all my neighbors to ask them if they complained or had a problem with it and they all said no and half of them told me their driveway isn't legal either. Bylaw didn't even bother with those other "driveways" though.

I stopped parking there for a couple months and now I can park there all the time without problems (although I usually park it out back behind my car to make it less of a theft target). You'll probably be fine to just hop the curb and park in the front lawn.
 
There are lots of lane ways in that neighborhood. Maybe you can find someone who has garage space for you a block or 2 away. If you not paying rent then you can at least pay for the parking space.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom