It’s been over three years since the City of Charleston and Republic Parking Systems, operator of the City’s 19 parking garages, banished bikers from its shady, covered parking garages onto the hot asphalt and coin guzzling parking meters of the city streets.  The reason for the policy instituted in 2007, was to limit any possible liability that the City faced with motorcycles not always being detected on the loops and the potential of the gate coming down and injuring the rider.  But the affect was to dramatically limit the parking options available to bikers on the Peninsula.

Today, there are a few biker-friendly metered lots located near King Street and Market Street. (Clearly marked as Black or Grey Squares on the map on the City of Charleston Parking Guide. And the City’s new SmartCard Parking Program allows drivers and riders alike to use prepaid cards to feed the meters instead of turning out their pockets and digging in their couches in search of loose change.

When parking in a metered spot, remember the City allows up to 6 motorcycles in each metered spot, so long as all the vehicles are parked within the boundaries of the space. (Municode Section 19-256).