The City of Ghent in Belgium wanted to offer visitors and employees a total solution in terms of bicycle parking, where all the luxury for bicycles can be found. Think of charging points for electric bicycles, racks for scooters and bicycles, lockers for folding bicycles, and a bicycle maintenance station where you can inflate your tire. But also extra space for cargo bikes.
A real innovation in this bicycle parking facility is the extended charging point with a locker for chargers and e-bikes. This idea originated with the metal worker Erwin Rogiest from the Ghent City Office. The City Office included his idea and prototype in the tender, with VelopA's design being the best fit. VelopA has taken the Fourchet+ bicycle rack as a starting point for this, with the standard charging points being extended with lockers and and lock attachment rings. There are several advantages of the charging points combined with lockers. You can easily access your locker, store your e-bike charger in the locker and secure the bicycle with your chain lock at the same time. All the cables and chargers are not lying around on the floor either.
Ghent City Office is very satisfied with the solution. The bicycle parking facility is always filled with bicycles and all parking spaces are well used, including the charging points. In the meantime, the City of Ghent has also equipped all the city's carpool locations with these racks and charging points and there are still some projects to come.
“It was a new collaboration between the City of Ghent and VelopA. There were some teething troubles in the beginning, but VelopA resolved the problems quickly. We have achieved a good result, the end result is impressive," says Christine Droesbeke, Purchasing and Logistics Department, Fleet and Bicycle Management Department, Ghent City Office.
Amsterdam’s largest and world’s first underwater bike garage opened its doors on January 25
In the heart of Amsterdam, the Dutch capital spent € 50 million to create a parking structure that can store 7,000 bicycles in a submerged facility at the city’s central train station. It is the world's first underwater bicycle parking facility.
Official opening
The Stationsplein bicycle garage at the front of Amsterdam Central Station was officially opened on the 25th of January 2023 by Vivianne Heijnen, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management. Architectural firm wUrck was responsible for the design of the bicycle garage, which was realized by contractor Max Bögl on behalf of the Municipality of Amsterdam. In addition, wUrck supervised the architectural components of the entire entrance, including several bridges.
Next-level cycling infrastructure
The garage is part of a sophisticated infrastructure project to modernize the station in the Dutch capital. As well as the bike garage, there is also a new metro station, which quickly transports travellers to the city’s outskirts, and a tram stop nearby can take you all around Amsterdam. The next-level cycling infrastructure project in Amsterdam has been in the works for four years.
A solution for its messy, overflowing bicycle parking facilities
The new underwater garage for 7,000 bicycles makes an end to the messy and overflowing bicycle parking facilities in front of the Amsterdam central station. It’s tucked away out of sight beneath the clear waters and pleasure boats. Bikes can be parked freely for 24 hours and then at a cost of €1.35 for the next 24 hours.
The bicycle detection technology uses optic sensors and a smart software algorithm that is able to simultaneously detect up to 20 bicycle parking slots. The system will detect available spaces. Green and red lights are shown to indicate if parking spaces are available or not.
Two-tier bicycle racks by VelopA
VelopA - European market leader in bicycle parking - supplied the two-tier bicycle racks, CapaCITY, for this project. The CapaCITY allows to store bicycles one above the other, thus doubling storage capacity at a stroke. The system uses integrated gas springs to provide assistance when lifting bicycles to the upper level.
Projects in Europe
As cycling becomes more popular around the world and particularly in Europe, it is expected that similar projects soon will be realized by our distributors in Romania, Poland, Denmark, Spain, France, UK, Germany, etc.
Port 7, a former factory for prefab concrete panels, offers not only modern office centers but also high-quality amenities, including shops, restaurants, daycare centers, hotels, and temporary housing. Surrounding the complex is a spacious two-hectare public area filled with greenery, featuring a riverside promenade, seating, and sports facilities. Everything has been developed as energy-efficiently as possible to minimize the ecological footprint.
For this impressive project, VelopA has been selected as the supplier of bike parking solutions. The new and innovative VelopA-Up bike rack was chosen for its quality, sleek design, and user-friendliness. The decision was also influenced by the need to maximize the use of available space, with the double-layer racks providing an efficient solution. In total, 84 bike parking spots have been created for this unique project.
If you want to learn more about the VelopA-Up, please get in touch with our advisors to explore the options.
The design of this Pixel bicycle shelter was made by Oomen Architecten. In terms of design and material, the bicycle shelter fits in well with the business premises. Construction company Heerkens van Bavel Bouw installed this bicycle shelter at QNP, an IT solutions company.
The Austrian Bundesbahn (ÖBB) was looking for a bicycle parking system which could accommodate as many bicycles as possible in a limited space. A sustainable dual-level bicycle parking system which is reliable and easy-to-use. The Easylift+ has been installed on a floor with a 7% gradiënt. It has a total of 616 bicycle parking spaces.
