Underground Bicycle Parking Systems in Japan

stu-bim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pcZSU40RBrg

asprilla

Finally my bike will be safe from pranksters.

rjsterry

Would love to know how the finances work for that. Land values need to be pretty high to make it worthwhile building residential space underground, let alone bike storage. And then you need to add on the cost of the robotics.

kelsen

Asprilla wrote:

Finally my bike will be safe from pranksters.

The first 10 seconds of that clip really set my expectations, then it just got all utilitarian.

DrLex

Oh, those pesky pranksters! I blame Ken Kesey.

Headhuunter

rjsterry wrote:

Would love to know how the finances work for that. Land values need to be pretty high to make it worthwhile building residential space underground, let alone bike storage. And then you need to add on the cost of the robotics.

I shouldn't think it's free parking so to some extent it would be self financing. Cycling in Japan is hugely popular, in many cities it's like the Netherlands or Denmark with everyone riding around on shopping bike/roadster type things in "normal" clothes without helmets, outside train stations, just like in the Netherlands and Denmark, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of bikes parked up. This solution is probably part funded through taxes just simply to free up space and make it easier to get into stations!

asprilla

Land prices in Japan are phenomenal so going underground is frequently the only option. Japan's topology in principally mountainous and only a very small area is suitable for building on, and that's even before you take activities such as agriculture into account.

FoldingJoe

Asprilla wrote:

Land prices in Japan are phenomenal so going underground is frequently the only option. Japan's topology in principally mountainous and only a very small area is suitable for building on, and that's even before you take activities such as agriculture into account.

Basic economics, innit!!

Headhuunter

Asprilla wrote:

Land prices in Japan are phenomenal so going underground is frequently the only option. Japan's topology in principally mountainous and only a very small area is suitable for building on, and that's even before you take activities such as agriculture into account.

In and around Tokyo yes but not that high in other cities. Homes in the suburbs of Osaka are definitely cheaper than homes in zone 2, 3 etc London. I remember looking at flat prices when I was living there...

veronese68

Supposedly they are building a car park like that in Verona, here.
Well they have been for the last couple of years and it still isn't finished. Residents can buy a space in it for some exhorbitant fee and the car is lowered and put away automatically. They reckon it takes 3-4 minutes to retrieve a car. Can you imagine the waiting time when you get a few people that want to get their car so they can drive to work? Wether it will ever be finished and actually work is a different matter

asprilla

Veronese68 wrote:

Supposedly they are building a car park like that in Verona, here.
Well they have been for the last couple of years and it still isn't finished. Residents can buy a space in it for some exhorbitant fee and the car is lowered and put away automatically. They reckon it takes 3-4 minutes to retrieve a car. Can you imagine the waiting time when you get a few people that want to get their car so they can drive to work? Wether it will ever be finished and actually work is a different matter

I used to work in the building here marked MBtech Consulting. The smaller long thin building you can see in front with the white roof is the carpark. All glass and automated hydraulic lifts. As far as I can see, this is how it worked:

1) You drive up to one of the four door.
2) Lift comes down and doors open
3) Park car on lift and get out
4) Touch card on sensor and car is raised up and deposited in parking space.

Then at the end of the day:

1) Walk to appropriate door
2) Touch card on sensor
3) Car is picked up from parking space
4) Lift jams half way down
5) You and everyone whose car still requires access via the broken lift gets the train home.

A triumph of modern engineering. Don't let anyone ever tell you that stuff in Germany 'just works'.

rjsterry

Coincidentally, there was a nice photo of the automated parking system at the VW factory in yesterday's Standard.



Something a little bit Matrix-y about them, no?

Headhuunter

rjsterry wrote:

Coincidentally, there was a nice photo of the automated parking system at the VW factory in yesterday's Standard.



Something a little bit Matrix-y about them, no?

I stayed at a hotel that looked a bit like that in Shanghai...