Monday, January 18, 2010

New underground bicycle parking hits japan

Now that bicycle commuting has become so much more popular, parking is becoming an issue. We have seen huge bicycle parking lots full of bikes, but this is taking up key space in downtown squares:


The Japanese have found a solution with the Ecocycle underground bicycle storage system. At a cost of around $30 per month, you can park is a safe, dry place, and retrieve the bicycle when required for the trip back!

Bike lane above traffic for cycle commuting in cities


A new design for a bicycle lane above the traffic comes from Bulgarian architect Martin Angelov. The "bike lane" is actually a steel U-shaped wire that is connected across distances, and the bike's tires fit into the U. There is also a stabilizing wire that connects to the handlebars, or rider, to keep the bike and rider from falling off.

This type of system would provide a safe bicycle lane in congested cities, with a smaller infrastructure and space investment than is required for bike lanes. It would also provide a scenic, traffic-free tourist attraction!