Amsterdam Digs Deep To Take Bicycle Parking Lots Underwater
It’s no secret the Dutch love bicycles, and although this method of travel is far more eco-friendly than gas-guzzling cars, there’s one issue: where to park all the bikes once they’ve reached their destinations.
Land area is scarce, and huge lots can’t be dedicated to just being holding areas for the numerous bicycles across the country. As such, the City of Amsterdam has come up with an interesting solution to the problem in the form of huge underground parking projects.
To make the area around the Amsterdam Central Station less cluttered and more accessible to pedestrians on foot, officials have decided not only to bring parking spots underground but also underwater.
Two new underground facilities have been commissioned, with one huge project near the subway station recently launched. The latter was undertaken by Rotterdam-based studio wUrck Architecture in 2018, where cyclists can leave 7,000 bikes over 30 feet below the ground.
According to New Atlas, this vast space is now the city’s largest parking facility for bicycles, and despite it being underwater, it boasts a “bright and airy” interior design featuring water themes. Cyclists can easily access the site by using stationary and moving walkways from the street.
Take a look at how the accessible parking space works below.
Een kijkje in de nieuwe (en grootste) fietsenstalling van onze stad! 🚲 Deze is vandaag geopend en ligt aan de centrumkant van het Centraal Station.
— Gemeente Amsterdam (@AmsterdamNL) January 25, 2023
↔ï¸In totaal is hier ruimte voor 7.000 fietsen.
📅Op 28 januari vieren we de vernieuwing van het Stationseiland. Ben jij er bij?🎉 pic.twitter.com/HIvJ9NelTf
[via New Atlas and City of Amsterdam, images via City of Amsterdam]
