Article: Houten celebrates cycling

[ozbob]

From A view from the cycle path click here!

Houten celebrates cycling

Houten celebrates cycling

Houten, "Cycling city 2008" in the Netherlands, celebrated the official opening of two railway stations, a work of art and -by opening a giant bicycle wheel lock- the grand bicycle parking facility under the main railway station, with a town wide party on Saturday 16th April 2011.

The bicycle parking facility for over 3,000 bicycles is located directly under the railway tracks and platforms. The bicycles are not hidden in some dark cellar in a distant corner here. No, this bicycle parking facility is in fact an important and integrated part of the station. The bicycles are sheltered, guarded and free. There are the logical extra services like maintenance, repair and rental bikes. But there are also lockers and toilets and even the Tourist Office is located in the same building as well. The lightness and the bright colours are not just making the facility prety, coupled with the fact that all passengers walk right trough it and there is someone present at all time, it creates a high level of social safety. Which is an important factor for a facility to be used at all.

This bike parking facility is called 'transferium' because it is so easy to transfer from one mode of transport to the next. In this case from bicycle to train and vice versa. In fact 60% of train travellers in Houten come or go by bicycle. In the rest of the Netherlands that number is around 40%.

The bicycle parking facility opens daily just before the first train leaves in the early morning and closes only after the last train arrives in the late night. Which on weekdays is from 5 am to 1:15 am.

More ..  here

[nitramluap]

Thanks for posting this, Robert.

I'm part of an Australian group heading to The Netherlands in a few weeks to see how these things are done properly. There are some officials from Governments in NSW & Victoria but sadly, none from Queensland, despite many offers.

You can follow us at http://cyclingdutchstyle.com.au/ where we will be blogging as we go (hopefully!).

One of the stops will be Houten, where will will meet with Dutch planners and see this magnificent facility - not a car park to be seen!

Cheers,

Paul Martin