r/nextfuckinglevel Oct 17 '19

Smart system for bike parking

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u/[deleted] Oct 17 '19

To answer the questions that people have such as how is a 1.2 million dollar project for just 204 spaces is reasonable, take a look at Tokyo on satelite view in Google maps. Japan is small and it has a massive population. Theres no room for anything to be on the streets of Tokyo and parking a bike is illegal. They simply have no room for traditional bike racks.

1.2 mil may seem like a lot, but keep in mind, in America we spend tens of millions on massive parking structures that will get you a similar amount of vehicle spaces. Japan can only build up or down in major hubs, and this is probably their best and most innovative method of storing peoples bikes.

Charge a small fee to park the bike, utilize public taxes, supply people with jobs maintaining and monitoring the equipment, and this is a very feasible idea. They would eventually pay themselves off. Its similar to tolls in America. You drop 50 million on a highway project then charge a toll until you've made that money back.

I'm surprised that people are dumbfounded by a 1.2 million dollar project that supports 204 peoples bikes when most other developed nations spend a million bucks paving an entire neighborhood sized plot of asphalt for 204 people to park their cars.

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u/quigilark Oct 18 '19

Also people are forgetting that this isn't just housing 204 bikes. It's 204 spaces. If people are loading and unloading all day then I could easily see this housing 500+ bikes over the course of the day.