Modern Vespa

Hi there,

I am travelling to Paris in two weeks time by Eurostar and was wondering whether anyone has experience of parking their scooter at St Pancras for a couple of days? Is there a scooter bay in or around the station that is ok to leave a scooter for a few days? Any advise or comments appreciated. Thanks.

have a look here to see if there are any bays in the area: http://www.parkingforbikes.com/

i've never parked in that part of town for any length of time, but having lived there for a couple of years i know it is pretty bad for street crime and bonehead vandalism. I'd check out any bay that you plan to park in - if it's in a busy and well lit area you'll probably be fine for a day or two. if it were me, personally i'd leave the scooter at home and take the dreaded public transport to the station.

I frequently travel from St Pancras and I would not leave my scooter there for more than a day. I get the tube to the station.

The crime and vandalism in and around KX and Camden make it not worthwhile.

There are some secure car parks where you can park your bike. Some of them (for example, the one below the National Theatre) are free. Others, I think, offer reduced rates for bikes.

I couldn't find much specific stuff, but this: http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/transportandstreets/parking/wheretopark/vehicletype/motorcycle/carparks/

or this: http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Transport_and_streets/Parking/motorcycles.htm

might be useful to you.

(Unless I could leave my scoot in a secure car park, I don't think I'd leave it hanging around St Pancras for a fortnight. But maybe I'm overcautious...)

Edited to add: parkingforbikes is also another good website. And they sell the EXCELLENT "cupcake" guide (a handy book with a map of zones 1-2 and all the bike bays, car parks, etc, marked on it. No connection to these guys, but I LOVE this book and would recommend it to anyone in London as an essential underseat item.)

+1. the cake guide also doubles as a handy mini-AtoZ.

So we can't say p-i-e?

Any reason for it? Or is this one of the things one shouldn't ask on pain of death?

(I hope it's not. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh....

Thank you genie, Wonder Machine & Benelli Boy for super-quick replies and very useful information! Again, the power of this forum is shown. I'll check out the recommendations and will also probably do a recce of the area on my way home tonight. I hear what you're saying about the area - the head says 'take the tube' but the heart is resisting!

BB, we had to substitute "cake" for PEE YYY EEE because things like this happened:

Poster 1 - I just bought a new Vespa and I love it

Poster 2 - Woowweee you're gonna love it

Poster 3 - You are both utter gimps

Poster 1 - You're gay

Poster 3 - Everyone here is gay

Poster 4 - Why can't everyone obey the rules

Poster 1 - I don't need rules this is a rude forum I just bought a Vespa

Poster 2 - Everyone on this forum is lovely

Poster 3 - You bunch of gimping asshats. This forum is too heavily moderated. Where is the snuff film section?

Poster Bazallion - Who cares if we are all asshats, I like PYE! Posts picture of cupcake, everyone posts pictures of pies, pies everywhere.

Endless pictures of pies filled the threads. Jess therefore changed it so we didn't sound so much like a bunch of hungry stoners.

A teensy bit of lateral thinking allows pie to appear normally though.

Thanks WM. I don't think I'd have ever worked that one out in a brazilian years.

(But don't you think it leaves Jess open to a charge of gross misrepresentation )

BB, I have probably done so already....

Gotta go, I'm starving!

Am I the only one who hasn't got a clue what you guys are on about?

the p-i-e debacle has a long history you were lucky enough to join after most of it had blown over

And I do like pie!

That sounds like a good thing!

Back on topic, there's absolutely no way I'd leave a Vespa in King's Cross for any length of time. If you really want to avoid public transport, you could always get the train from Ebbsfleet (by the Dartford Crossing). Still not 100% safe, but much better than St Pancras.

Thanks for your idea norman and for everyone who contributed to this thread, including the unexpected but nonetheless interesting p.i.e/cake diversion!