Covered licence plates on motorbikes in London

[Hersham Boy]

Why do I see so many motorbikes parked in London (on the pavement) with things (plastic bags, cloth, tape etc) covering thier licence plates? Is this some way to avoid getting a ticket?

[Obo]

It is indeed a way to avoid a ticket. A traffic warden can only issue a ticket if they know the registration number of the vehicle, however they are not allowed to move anypart of the vehicle so by covering the registration plate the warden cannot issue a ticket. I believe the owner of the vehicle can be prosecuted by the police for not displaying the reg plate but I think they have more impotant things to do. As proof it works a colleague of mine recently parked his motorbike on the pavement outside the office with 3/4 other bikes, when he returned he was the only one with a ticket as the others had covered their plates!

[lodekka]

Wouldn't the tax disc have to be obscured as well?

[Hersham Boy]

As an answer to lodekka, most bike riders keep their tax in their wallets as it's too easy to pinch the discs from a bike. Thanks for the answer!