As big cities become more bike-friendly, similar plights of finding parking are endured by cyclists as are already all too familiar to the car commuter. Increased use of public space for bike racks has presented a planning challenge in US cities like New York, but Tokyo is well on the way to a bike storage solution with underground parking facilities. Who would have thought a green parking garage was possible?
First operational in Tokyo in 2011, the “Eco-Cycle Underground Park” offers hundreds of storage spaces for bicycles. An automated system similar to ones common in a parking garage handles ticketing via a recognizable chip installed in a bicycle and brings each bike underground via a lift that looks somewhat like a shopping cart escalator. The process leaves a minimal carbon footprint in its wake.
Not only does the innovative system enable additional bike storage, but it keeps public space open that would otherwise be used for bike storage.
Read more about the Eco-Cycle Underground Park on Green Building Elements.
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