Bicycle Parking - 800 meters of cycle racks in Utrecht (Netherlands)

It is known the Dutch are world champions in utility cycling. That they combine public transport with cycling is lesser known. What it leads to can be seen in this video. Thousands of parked bicycles at the city's main station.

Utrecht has the Netherlands' biggest railway station. Next to this railway station we find the light rail and bus stations. Many commuters park their bikes near one of these three stations and continue to work in other cities. They have a street of 800 meters (half a mile) full of bike racks (mostly 4 rows of them) at their disposal. And we don't even see the numerous indoor bike parking facilities both above and underground.

A lot of commuters also arrive by public transport and continue by bicycle to their workplace in Utrecht. The bicycles of the latter group of commuters is parked over night and will not be visible in this video.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• bicycle
• parking
• facilities
• bike
• cycle
• bicycling
• biking
• cycling
• Utrecht
• station
• commuters
• commute
• commuting
• combination
• Netherlands
• Holland

[kdejaeger]

I guess this view will change a lot after the extension of the station during the next years.

[markenlei]

@kdejaeger Yes. According to the plans I have seen all these racks will be removed and in this street a "Fietsgebouw" (Bicycle Building) will be built. Three floors over the busstation with 9000 bicycle parking spaces, over that a new office block will be built. The buildings will remain but they will get a new ground floor where these racks are now. The street will be a lot wider (33 meters).

A picture: jhk dot nl/uploaded/105Image894.jpg

[downfader2]

An amazing sight. Dont bikes get jammed together like that sometimes? The cycle parking at my works, although small scale, is as packed as that. But now and again cables get pulled by handlebars and things get knocked.

[markenlei]

@downfader2 Oh yes that happens all the time. Especially since there is such a shortage of racks that people put bicycles 'in between' racks. These racks carry double the amount of bikes they were designed for. So yes that gets bikes entangled. Yet another reason the Dutch don't use expensive bikes for commuting. The only alternative to these racks is using the indoor facilities. Those are payed for and guarded. Double parking is not accepted there.

[downfader2]

@markenlei We have a problem at my workplace where you'll lock up in the morning, come back later and find sometimes 3 bikes on a stand. The third having its wheel squeezed in between the two others.

How much do they charge for paid parking over there? All of our stands as far as I know in the UK are free. Not as secure though

[markenlei]

@downfader2 Generally they'll charge you about 100 euros per year, 55 euros per half year, 10 euros per month or 1 euro per day. You can choose what kind of (season) ticket you prefer.

[hikusar]

Imagine how big of a parking garage you would need if every bicycle in the video was a car. Oh wait. That's America...nvm.

[icannotspell2]

wow just think if all those bikes were cars how much space they would use 

[xzaz2]

@kentcyclist Road tax is not a ticket for space in the crowded citycenter. Road tax is a tax to support the roads, like highways etc where cycling isn't permitted.

[kentcyclist]

what a waste of space> Think of all the poor car drivers that urgently need this space and its them not cyclists that pay road tax

[greenrage247]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT

Netherlands, quick, knock out U.S power grid and take over the world!

[weeardguy]

@rudolftheduck Uhm... you just remember?

Especially when you do this more often, you start to notice certain elements in the surrounding that lead you towards your bike (for example a sign-post, light-post and other things.

And for the rest: in the Netherlands you don't know better... so it's probably something you grow up with.

[zokka]

Like China 20 years ago....

[domin8ah]

I think I just spotted my bike in my usual parking spot :D

[domin8ah]

@downfader2 yeah sometimes.. it's usually best not have a bike with handbrakes as the cables might get ripped and such. Just get the simplest bike since it might also get stolen ofcourse :)

[martin2k2]

wow...you better remember where you parked your bike!

[ulyssesgood1]

@totoroben you are rigth