The importance of cycling communities is rising, which has prompted several local governments to construct high-tech and fully equipped cycling parks. But the question on everyone’s mind is will there be a charge for parking? Unfortunately, yes, there will.
The good news is that cyclists who were constantly worried about the safety of their bikes can now rest at ease. These parking stations, like the German-designed parking station Radhas Parking Tower, will allow cyclists to park their bike with a low fee of £2-£3 ($3.04-$4.56 USD) for a whole day. Thus, the threat of vandalism and theft can now become a thing of the past.
When you are late for work trying to find a parking space among the crowd of bikes, it can strain the nerves of even the most patient person. Nick Child, the Managing Director of Cardok, explains that the Radhas Towers will be distributed in Britain to offer the cyclists a compact solution for parking their bikes.
The Radhas Tower is 10.5 meters in height but occupies a relatively small surface area of 55 square meters. Apart from its small surface area, it will be able to hold 120 bikes in individual parking spaces that can be accessed by a chip card. The three-story modular design can be assembled within three weeks, which is one of the reasons why it is attracting a lot of attention from railway and development companies.
The Radhas Bike Tower is not the only high-tech parking solution for bikes. Companies all over the world are creating feasible solutions for cyclists. The London design company Cycle Hoop has collaborated with local councils to recycle furniture into parking spaces. Hence, projects like Bike Port and Bike Hangar allow cyclists to park their bikes in lockable spaces.
The city of Malmo, Sweden has also constructed three new bike parking facilities. The city government is responsible for operating these facilities and managing 4,500 bikes per day, and providing 24-hour service of air pumps, lockers, accessible storage, and restrooms. CCTV and security monitoring is available in all three facilities.
Tokyo is not far behind. The fully automated EcoCycle garage is a high-tech parking solution designed by Giken. Cyclists can deposit their bikes into an elevator that automatically delivers the bike to its designated space as identified by a chip card.
Nijmegen, Denmark has also built an indoor bike facility that is monitored and is available free of charge for 4,000 cyclists. Consumers can even check parking availability by display screens, and detectors can be used to find lost bikes.
It is important to mention here that city governments are taking more interest than private companies in creating parking spaces that provide functionality rather than just being a flashy solution. For most cyclists, the biggest problem has been the lack of space and safety. But these innovative companies have created a sustainable and productive solution. The scale and the low cost of parking spaces can cater to the needs of cyclists worldwide.
