Bicycles are environmentally sounder than cars and they also take up less space. But even in the case of bicycles, get enough of them and they take up lots of space when parked, which leads to visual clutter and less space for other things on the surface of the streetscape. To solve this problem there is a robotic solution.
Culture Japan Network TV recently showed bicycle-parking robots of Shinigawa, Tokyo. These devices can bring bicycles underground for parking, until they are once again needed.
It becomes a key space saver for above-ground space, news reports said. It is also keeps the bicycles safe from vandals, thieves or inclement weather.
An RFID tag will be found on the bicycles. Each owner has an account. The owner puts the bicycle next to the machine and then presses a green button. In a matter of seconds, the bicycle is gently lowered into a below-ground storage area and is kept in a parking space.
Robotic arms retrieve the bicycle when the owner is ready to use it again, all the owner has to do is display the card in front of the machine reader.
Each one of these machines can hold about 200 bicycles. The machines are found in Japan.
Residents of other nations appear jealous and want them in their own countries. “America needs these,” wrote dominicdiaz285 after seeing a You Tube video explaining how the machines work.
On the other hand, New York City has a variety of traditional spaces designed to store bicycles. CityRacks provide free sidewalk bicycle parking racks and keeps cyclists from parking at mailboxes, parking meters, trees, or sidewalk structures. New York City also has bicycle parking shelters and corals located in different locations.
In addition, parking garages or parking lots that accommodate 100 or more vehicles must provide parking for bicycles under New York City regulations. “Garages must be equipped to park at least one bicycle for every ten automobile parking spaces, up to twenty bikes,” according to the city’s Department of Transportation.
