SoloBay
Motorcycle parking in Hackney
Hackney charges for motorcycle parking, and the charges never went away. We asked the council directly under the Freedom of Information Act in September 2026, and the figures below are from its response. They are not published anywhere else.
The charges were frozen, not withdrawn
There was a widespread understanding among riders that Hackney pulled its proposed motorcycle charges in March 2026. The council's own words, in its response to us, are that this did not happen: the charges were frozen at the levels previously introduced, but the charges themselves remained. If you have been riding into Hackney on the assumption that the plan was dropped, it was not.
How do you pay?
Through RingGo, by app or by telephone. Hackney also confirmed that riders can pay by cash or card at a paypoint, which is worth knowing because several London boroughs have gone app only. RingGo holds the contract until February 2027, awarded to a single supplier through an ESPO framework.
What riders actually pay, month by month
This is the part no other site has. Hackney released a full monthly breakdown of paid motorcycle sessions and the revenue collected.
| Month | Motorcycle sessions | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2025 | 1,323 | £4,544.38 |
| Sep 2025 | 1,660 | £6,010.45 |
| Oct 2025 | 1,676 | £5,848.56 |
| Nov 2025 | 1,448 | £5,259.83 |
| Dec 2025 | 1,135 | £3,620.88 |
| Jan 2026 | 1,075 | £3,601.04 |
| Feb 2026 | 1,085 | £3,809.41 |
| Mar 2026 | 1,493 | £4,910.99 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,444 | £3,768.02 |
| May 2026 | 1,317 | £3,737.94 |
| Jun 2026 | 1,570 | £4,215.22 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,581 | £4,649.52 |
| Aug 2026 | 1,354 | £3,572.17 |
| Total | 18,161 | £57,548.41 |
Over the 12 months to August 2026 that is 16,838 paid sessions and £53,004.03, an average of about £3.15 a session. The shape of the year is what you would expect from a commuter borough: a dip through December and January, a recovery through spring, and a summer peak.
How that compares with Islington next door
Over exactly the same 12 months, Islington recorded 71,595 paid motorcycle sessions and £91,724.44. So Islington takes roughly 4.3 times as many motorcycle sessions as Hackney but only about 1.7 times the revenue, because the average Islington session costs about £1.28 against Hackney's £3.15. Hackney charges more per session and sells far fewer of them.
The National Parking Platform
Hackney told us it is considering joining the National Parking Platform, the scheme intended to let you pay for parking anywhere through whichever app you prefer rather than whichever one the council picked. No formal decision had been made as of September 2026 and the council expected to reach one before the end of the year. It has received a letter from the Department for Transport encouraging it to join.
What we have mapped in Hackney
| On our map | Count |
|---|---|
| Motorcycle bays | 15 |
| Car parks that also take bikes | 20 |
| Of those car parks, free | 6 |
Our Hackney bay geometry comes from OpenStreetMap and is thinner than the borough's real provision, so the count above understates what is on the ground. The charging information on this page comes from the council itself and does not depend on it.
Find a Hackney bay
Open the free web appNext door: Islington, Tower Hamlets and Camden.
More: motorcycle parking in London, what each borough charges, is it free?, what SOLO M/C ONLY means.
Charging, contract and revenue figures from the London Borough of Hackney's response to a Freedom of Information Act request from SoloBay, reference 49365845, dated 25 September 2026. Bay locations from OpenStreetMap. Always follow the sign at the bay.