COMMUTERS whose journeys begin with a bicycle ride to the train station may
soon have extra reassurance that their bikes will be there when they return.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Dortmund have come up with the
cyclist鈥檚 answer to the multistorey car park.
The risk of theft and damage to bicycles parked at railway stations puts
commuters off using bikes, says Klaus Vosseberg of the institute鈥檚 storage and
transport systems department, which built the prototype. According to Vosseberg,
around 300 000 bicycles are stolen each year in Germany, most of them from
railway stations, college campuses and shopping centres. By providing secure,
covered bike storage, the researchers hope to reduce bicycle theft and encourage
鈥渂ike and ride鈥� initiatives.
The developers envisage that large versions could store over 3000 bikes,
although their prototype is less ambitious, with space for 16. Each space is 2
metres deep, 1.2 metres high and 0.7 metres wide. So the prototype is around 7.5
metres long, 2.7 metres wide and 3.4 metres high.
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The design consists of a microprocessor-controlled carousel, equipped with
special bike supports that prevent the frames from being damaged. After being
rolled into a recess on the support, the front wheel of the bicycle is held in
place by a spring-loaded roller. The carousel then transports the bikes to the
various parking levels. The bike shed can be built into existing station
lock-ups at an estimated cost of DM2500 (拢1100) per parking space. The
system is equipped with an automatic ticketing system similar to those used in
car parks.
According to the German Railways, bicycle 鈥済arages鈥� should be an important
feature of railway stations. Apart from reducing theft, they could help keep
bikes off station concourses, where they can cause an obstruction.
