We’re back in Portland and going over our notes and photos, which will surely prove a rich source of posts for many weeks to come.
One theme we’ve already discussed is the prevalence of bike parking in the Netherlands. Here are some very concrete (pun intended) examples from the town of Apeldoorn.
There is an eerie parallel. Here at home, a densifying urban environment means we convert surface lots (for autos) to structures, in the best case underground structures. Well, exactly the same thing is happening in the Netherlands, but for bike parking.
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We’re back in Portland and going over our notes and photos, which will surely prove a rich source of posts for many weeks to come.
One theme we’ve already discussed is the prevalence of bike parking in the Netherlands. Here are some very concrete (pun intended) examples from the town of Apeldoorn.
There is an eerie parallel. Here at home, a densifying urban environment means we convert surface lots (for autos) to structures, in the best case underground structures. Well, exactly the same thing is happening in the Netherlands, but for bike parking.
Pictured here is new underground bike parking under construction at the Apeldoorn rail station (that’s Portland Bike Coordinator Roger Geller snapping a picture, and Apeldoorn’s Bike Coordinator explaining the project). Parking will be one Euro per day.
In the center of Apeldoorn we encountered what is probably the most beautiful bike parking structure I’ve ever seen. It’s a very striking two story building (including a translucent glass wall on one side) with two-level bike parking.
One level is on the ground, the other over your head. There is a very clever mechanism that drops from the ceiling. You then attach two hooks – show here – to your bike, and then your bike is hoisted up to the ceiling! And parking here is free!
Our bike racks here in Portland feel so prosaic now…