Friday, April 6, 2012

Oceans and Oceans of Bicycles

Two weeks ago Amsterdam announced the start of a campaign with a stricter enforcement of bicycle parking restrictions around Leidseplein. To “tidy up” this central square that has a number of theaters and a very high number of bars and restaurants. They all support the campaign. In principle, parking your bicycle on the public roads is permitted everywhere in the Netherlands under the road act from 1994. A municipality can however designate specific areas where restrictions are in force. They can either be restrictions in time of parking that is allowed (ranging from 30 minutes to 28 days) or that bicycles can only be parked in specific parking racks or areas. Cyclists that leave their bicycles for too long or outside the racks risk confiscation by the local government. Mostly the bike can be retrieved for a small fee. More municipalities have taken measurements for so-called concentration areas. High on the list of popular destinations are railway stations. With 40% of the train travelers arriving by bicycle the stations in the Netherlands have huge problems with the number of parked bikes. The four-story parking facility in front of Amsterdam Central station may be the most photographed facility in the Netherlands. Read More in Bicycle Dutch.

2 comments:

Chris said...

oh bicycle parking!! One of the many reasons I decided to get a folding bike. I'm not sure how it would work in the Netherlands, but I feel like most places, I can just take my bike inside with me, so outdoor parking (and theft) isn't something I have to worry much about.

Bike Locks said...

Amsterdam has put a positive step to keep the bicyclists in the line and to provide them excellent opportunity to keep their bicycles a distinguish importance.