Parking at Park City?

As I’ve mentioned before, there is no specific parking area for scooters or motorcycles at Park City Center. But sometimes you just have to go there; it’s the heart of shopping destinations in Lancaster County. Friday was one of those days for me. So off I went on my 50cc scooter, up Harrisburg Avenue. As I was approaching the mall, some yellow bollards caught my eye outside of BonTon.

I wanted to lock my scooter, as it can easily be lifted by 2 men, thrown in the back of a pick-up and be gone in 11 seconds. I wanted it to be in a high visibility area, giving would-be crooks less time to work without being spotted. One of these bollards seemed like the best choice in sight. But as I was chaining up, a finger-wagging security guard stopped me. No parking allowed there. Not wanting to be too argumentative, I didn’t ask why. I did ask, “Can you recommend where I should park?” Well, no he couldn’t. He claimed he was new there. So I asked where the Security Office was so that I could get some answers.

I parked in a standard space near the Security Office. I can’t help but wonder how many drivers I frustrated, taking up a whole space for a tiny scooter. Especially such a prime one. But; visibility.

I spoke to the staff at the Security Office, and they were very nice. It took some explaining of the predicament, but eventually the answer was to use the bicycle racks around the East entrance or the food court. “That’s what they’re for.” Well, one can be excused for thinking that they were for bicycles, not plated and registered motor vehicles. But, I was assured that a 50cc scooter would not be ticketed there. One guard even said that he has a scooter and has used those racks himself. That was reassuring.

I asked if I could let other scooter riders know it was proper to park there. They were a little uneasy. “How many? 2 or 3 is OK, but fifty is going to be a problem…” So be forewarned: next time you go to the mall, don’t take forty-nine of your friends.

At this point in our story it seems appropriate to point out that one the criteria for good motorbike parking (or even bicycle) is signage. I didn’t go to a bike rack initially because I didn’t know that I should. Nor did I see any, or know where they were. They aren’t at every entrance. If I’m going to BonTon, and I don’t know that there are racks on the opposite side of the mall, why would I spend the time and energy to circle the whole establishment? But I digress…

So, where should a small scooter park? Well, the bike rack at the East entrance is one-sided due to a landscape island. The worst of the lot. The rack at the food court entrance was pretty good. There is a curb-cut right there, so you can get to it without lifting your scoot. This rack does have a tree on one side, which reduces the number of cycles that can use it, and subjects your scooter to sap and bird droppings (not so nice for the seat). The food court entrance does have a lot of teenagers hanging out there. If you happen to be a teenager, this could be a plus I guess.

The best parking I found was not mentioned by the Security personnel. That was the area outside of T.G.I.Friday’s. It is near a curb cut, out in the open, and accessible from all sides. The bus stop increases visibility. This will be my preferred spot from now on, even when I don’t need a flat-iron steak.

I didn’t ask if there was a size limit on this arrangement. The line between scooter and maxi-scooter can get blurry, and I didn’t think that discussion would go anywhere with the staff on hand. If I had a scooter that was as big as a motorcycle, I would be fine parking in a standard spot. I would feel reasonably comfortable that some frustrated SUV driver wasn’t going to run it over or drag it out of the spot he or she wanted. But a 250cc scooter? I bet a Vespa is going to be fine at the bike rack, while a Morphous might draw the hairy eyeball. Until Park City Center and General Growth Properties, Inc. recognizes the growing trend in motorbike use and gives us some true motorbike parking, we’ll have to use our best judgment along with what advice we can get from their Security Office.