Veloviews for February 17, 2023 – Amsterdam’s New Underwater Parking Garage for Bikes

The next time you’re out on a bike ride, think about where you might safely park your bike out of view of possible thieves. And no, I don’t mean if you’re just pulling up to your local coffee shop after a morning ride. More like, where would you leave your bike if you were a commuter or tourist.

Suppose you needed to park your bike for the day so you could take a train to a town farther away for work or pleasure? Well, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, according to an article on the Nice News website, has supplied an answer. The city has built a spiffy new underwater parking garage (just for bikes) right next to the main train station.

Amsterdam: A Progressive Hub for Change

A large percentage of the people who use Amsterdam’s Central Train Station arrive there by bike. Amsterdam (and the Netherlands in general) is a significant hub for cycling. In fact, 32% percent of the city’s residents choose bicycle transport as their primary mode of transportation.

The problem with all those cyclists becomes where can they safely park their bikes. Amsterdam’s public areas are overcrowded because of this, so the city responded with this new garage and another one it plans to open soon. Between the two garages, 11,000 bikes can be parked/ stored.

Garages Created with Function and Beauty

The fact that Amsterdam invested in infrastructure to house bikes makes it a true progressive hub for change. A lot of thought and planning went into these garages as well as a lot of money. The Stationsplein parking garage, for instance, took 12 years to build and cost $54 million.

The reason for that high cost is that the garages aren’t just empty, dimly lighted spaces where bikes can wantonly be parked. They have “curved columns and double-stacked bicycle rows” along with artwork on the walls. In each row, there are electric ramps so cyclists can easily park and then retrieve their bikes.

Another feature of the Stationsplein garage is that cyclists are made to feel important and not a nuisance. The garage offers cyclists a bike shop where riders can buy accessories or, if necessary, get a quick repair.

Last Thoughts

Building dedicated parking areas for bikes illustrates how important cycling is to Amsterdam. It also shows that not only the Netherlands but also other areas of Europe, such as Denmark, care about preserving the environment for future generations. In the end, fewer cars, trucks, and buses mean cleaner air and a healthier population with less impact on the climate.

Have you been to Amsterdam? Have you biked around the city? Please like, share, and comment if you enjoyed this post.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!