Jim Wright said parking officials gave no warning before ticketing motorcycles on Sunday. (CBC)

Motorcyclists are upset after the city closed off an area many riders used to park their bikes while attending Ottawa's annual Bluesfest music festival.

Jim Wright said that for years motorcyclists have been able to park on a narrow strip of gravel between the sidewalk and a fence across from the Bluesfest mainstage at Ottawa River Parkway near Booth Street.

The location was convenient for riders as street parking is not allowed in the immediate area during Bluesfest.

But on Sunday, he said he and dozen riders returned from a concert to find parking control officers had ticketed their bikes.

"Sure enough every bike had a forty dollar ticket on it," said Wright.

"The parking control man said the festival management had requested this," he said. Parking enforcement manager Troy Leeson said the request to ticket the bikes came from police, not Bluesfest.

Leeson said 16 bikes were ticketed because they pose a safety hazard to pedestrians who spill out onto the road when the last Bluesfest show wraps up at night.

"We are afraid of pedestrian-bike collisions," said Leeson. "In addition we also see heated tempers. Last year I witnessed a pedestrian bumped by a vehicle that involved a fist fight afterwards."

A Bluesfest spokesman declined to comment.

Wright said the risk of collision is overblown, as motorcyclists are able to make their way through the crowds and wait until people clear.

"I think that's a bit of an excuse," he said. "I doubt there has been any near collisions."

Since ticketing began on Sunday, the city has put up no parking signs on the fence next the gravel strip.

With files from the CBC's Simon Gardner