Japan’s amazing underground cycle parking

Bike parking spaces are becoming increasingly difficult to get hold of. In Copenhagan, where there are five times as many bicycles as cars, cyclists have resorted to simply throwing their bikes in a pile. Not great, but with little other available in the way of options, it doesn’t seem like they had a much of a choice.

Japanese authorities have come up with a marvellous solution to the problem, an underground bicycle parking system. Users simply place their bike into the lock, and it is whizzed down underground. Register with the operator, who provide them an account card and with a chip that is attached to the bike. The machine recognises the bike and whizzes it back when you place the account card on the reader, so you don’t even have to trail around to find it again! 

It also protects from theft, as people can’t access the parking lot. Of course, your card could be stolen, but it definitely makes the bike harder to steal. It isn’t a free service, but it is a great idea that is probably well worth the money!

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