Top news

Amsterdam looks to the skies to solve bike parking problem

Amsterdam is known as a cyclists’ paradise, but the growing popularity of bikes has led to a shortage of parking spaces in a crowded city.

Large underground bike parks have eased some of the problem, but the city’s engineers believe the long-term solution lies in the sky.

The city council’s engineering department (IBA) has commissioned research into a secure system for parking bicycles on the roofs of buildings.

A glass lift would transport the bike up to the roof of the building, where a machine will hang it up until the owner returns to collect it.

Cyclists would use their bank chip card to store and collect their bikes and pay for the facility.

IBA engineer Matthijs Griffioen told Het Parool that the technology could be available to use within five years at large offices and government buildings.

‘The lifts will reinforce Amsterdam’s image as a cycling city and moreover serve as an extra tourist attraction,’ he said.

Source: Het Parool: Amsterdam wil fietsen de lucht in sturen

Photo by Returning the Screw