In multiple European countries, bicycles play an important role when it comes to the mobility of the general citizenry. This is especially true in the Netherlands, where people living in the suburbs ride their bikes to the train station to catch a ride into the city. Naturally, the popularity of electric bicycles in recent years has only led to more people adopting the two-wheeled lifestyle.
In response to the growing number of folks choosing to hit the road on both non-electric and electric bicycles, the city of Amsterdam has built a new megaproject to address the issue of accessible bicycle parking. How did they do this? Well, they built a massive bike parking area underground, of course. Prior to this mega project, bicycle parking structures had been popping up left and right around the city. These large, steel structures were unsightly, and do very little to protect bicycles from the elements.
The new underground parking structure was constructed nine meters below the surface, and is just a stone’s throw away from Amsterdam Centraal, the largest railway station in Amsterdam. It’s considered as an international railway hub, and sees close to 200,000 passengers on a daily basis. The underground bike parking structure is exclusive to bicycles of all types—electric and otherwise—and will go a long way in keeping pedestrian areas above ground clear and accessible, while at the same time providing cyclists a safe place to store their bikes.
The new parking structure was inaugurated by the Minister of the Environment in the Netherlands, Vivianne Heijnen. In total, up to 7,000 bicycles can be parked here at any given time. Amsterdam’s bike-focused infrastructure projects don’t end with this underground parking area either. In March, 2023, another parking structure with a capacity of 4,000 bikes is set to be opened.
