In order to promote cycling in city centers, while also clamping down on theft, one currently popular solution is to build large underground parking facilities. The latest example can be found in Utrecht, in the Netherlands. A parking garage with space for up to 900 bicycles has just opened in the basement of the prestigious House Modernes mall.
House Modernes has recently reopened after a long period of renovation. The building now includes a special facility for cyclists. From this underground parking garage, cyclists can evidently access the various stores in the mall, but also stroll around the city center before returning to pick up their bike and go home.
This parking lot can accommodate all types of bikes, including cargo bikes and delivery tricycles. It is free most of the time, namely during the mall's opening hours and for the first 24 hours of parking.
With this new infrastructure, the city is clearly aiming to make the center of Utrecht even more attractive for cyclists. The Dutch city is following a trend seen in many other cities throughout Europe.
But perhaps the most spectacular example of underground bike parking is found in Japan, with huge underground warehouses built to a depth of up to 10 meters. Here, the cyclist parks their bike by placing it in a kind of elevator, from where an automated arm will automatically place it in a free space. To retrieve their bike, the owner simply has to scan their subscription card to see their cycle returned in the same way. This system relies on placing a sensor on the fork, which identifies the bike at every stage.
