Flemish cities are being inundated with requests to install neighbourhood bicycle parking facilities. As cycling continues to grow in popularity, demand for parking is exceeding supply and authorities are struggling to keep up.
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Cities struggle to keep up with demand for bike parking
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“The Flemish are cycling more than ever,” says Wout Baert of Fietsberaad, the knowledge centre that supports municipalities with their cycling policy. “Cycling has increased significantly in recent years, and the Flemish government wants to see it increase even more in the coming years.”
This means more parking facilities are needed. People living in apartments in cities often don’t have a safe and convenient place to store their bicycles.
“The size of the bicycle also plays a role. To store cargo bikes or trailers, you naturally need more space,” says Baert. “These larger bicycles are also more expensive. And more and more owners want to be able to store their expensive bicycles safely to prevent theft. They prefer not to just leave their bicycles locked up on the street.”
Covered and locked
Neighbourhood parking facilities help to solve these problems. They are covered and locked facilities reserved for locals. Users pay a rental fee and access the facility with a badge, key or code.
“But the demand for such facilities is now enormous,” says Baert. “The biggest bottleneck is that cities have to find the necessary space. That’s why, for example, vacant buildings are being considered for conversion.”
The search for suitable buildings in the right location is a challenge for cities. If people have to walk more than 200m, they use the facility much less. The closer the parking, the more often people use their bikes.
Facilities near stations
“In short: if you want to get more people cycling, you need to ensure that they can park their bikes easily and safely near their homes,” says Baert.
In short: if you want to get more people cycling, you need to ensure that they can park their bikes easily and safely near their homes
At the beginning of this week, representatives of Flemish cities travelled to the Netherlands to see how they are tackling the issue in The Hague, Rotterdam and Delft.
“When it comes to bicycle parking, the Dutch are already a lot further ahead,” says Baert. “You can see this, for example, in the quality of the bicycle parking facilities near stations, but also in the range of neighbourhood bicycle parking facilities in cities. They have been working on this for some time and therefore have more experience with it.”