SoloBay
Motorcycle parking in Manchester
The dedicated bays are free, a pay and display bay is not. Manchester is the city most often got wrong, because its rule is the opposite of the one riders assume. We hold very few mapped bays here, which is a gap in our data rather than a shortage on the ground: the council lists around sixty dedicated city centre bays.
The short answer
| In Manchester | |
|---|---|
| Motorcycle bays we hold | 4 |
| Of those, recorded free | 1 |
| Of those, chargeable | 3 |
| Cheapest bay | Free |
| Car parks that take bikes | 241 |
| Council publishes a motorcycle policy | Yes, quoted below |
What the council says
This is the part worth reading, because it is the part that is hard to find. Everything below is taken from Manchester's own published position, not inferred from our data.
On the street
- Manchester City Council: its 60 dedicated city centre motorcycle bays are free, but this bay is not on the council list.
- In Manchester a normal pay and display bay needs a ticket, even for a motorcycle, so check the sign here rather than assuming it is free.
- Manchester City Council: a dedicated city centre motorcycle bay, free for motorcyclists to use.
In the council car parks
Worth separating, because a council can give a motorcycle a free bay on the street and still charge it in a car park. That is not a contradiction, it is just two different policies.
- Manchester City Council: 10 free motorcycle bays here. Use the marked motorcycle bays; the rest of the car park charges as normal.
- Manchester City Council: 12 free motorcycle bays here. Use the marked motorcycle bays; the rest of the car park charges as normal.
- Manchester City Council: 4 free motorcycle bays here. Use the marked motorcycle bays; the rest of the car park charges as normal.
The bays nearest the centre
Closest first, measured from the middle of Manchester. Each has its own page, which is the link to send when you are telling somebody where to meet.
| Bay | From the centre | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Motorcycle bay | 480 m | Check signage |
| Motorcycle bay | 587 m | Free |
| Motorcycle bay | 758 m | Check signage |
| Motorcycle bay | 2.8 km | Check signage |
Car parks that take bikes
We hold 241 car parks in Manchester, and a car park always takes a motorcycle, which is the usual answer when there is no bay near where you are going.
The price shown on a car park is the car tariff. That is what the operator publishes, and it is almost never what a motorcycle pays. Plenty of councils let bikes park free in a designated area, some charge a flat daily rate, and some have a separate bike cage. Where Manchester has told us, the section above says exactly what a bike pays here.
Other cities
Nearest to Manchester: Liverpool (50 km), Sheffield (52 km), Leeds (58 km).
Riding into the capital instead? Motorcycle parking in London is covered borough by borough, and by destination.
Find a bay now
Free to search and navigate, on iPhone, Android and in any browser.
Open the free web appCounts are every record we hold inside the Manchester local authority, correct when this page was built. The council position quoted above is taken from Manchester's own published material. Bay locations outside London are mapped from OpenStreetMap, which is contributed by volunteers rather than published by the council, so treat counts as a guide. Always follow the sign at the bay.