Magyar CIVINET Workshop Showcases Best Practices for Public Bike Storage
Image by Magyar CIVINET Titkárság
On 24 March 2025, Magyar CIVINET organised its latest workshop on the topic of public bike storage and best practices hosted by the Municipality of Kispest. The event took place in Kispest, a municipality with extensive experience with residential bike storage, making it an idea setting for the exchange. In his welcome speech, Attila Varga, Deputy Mayor of Kispest, emphasised the importance of knowledge sharing between municipalities, which is also one of the objectives of Magyar CIVINET.
Community Bike Storage Facilities
The first presentation was given by Benedek Virág, representing bringatarolo.hu, on the possibilities of creating community bicycle storage facilities in vacant places. The initiative presented shows that well-designed bike storage facilities in underutilised properties can not only encourage urban cycling, but also enhance the functionality and visual appeal of public urban spaces.
Áron Halász, from the Climate and Environment Department of the Mayor's Office of Budapest, presented the Budapest Municipality's tender programme for the establishment of residential bicycle storage facilities. He described the objectives of the programme, tender criteria and key takeaways from ongoing and completed projects. The primary aim of the programme was to build capacity, allowing municipalities to gather and share as much knowledge as possible, so the Magyar CIVINET event was also an opportunity and a place for this exchange of experience.
During the lunch break, the members of Magyar CIVINET, municipal representatives, transport authorities, transport experts from districts and cities with county rights, and professional advocates continued the informal discussion of the issues raised by the presentations. In the background, a photo exhibition commemorated the 30th edition of the Magyar CIVINET event and showcased the locations, themes and atmosphere of previous meetings of the community.
In the second block of presentations, as the event moved geographically closer to the venue, the districts presented their views on the topic. Zoltán Noska started the session by presenting the Ferencváros sheltered bicycle storage project, which was supported by the capital's grant programme to develop secure bicycle storage facilities in the József Attila housing estate. Gizella Farkas-Gáll presented the Zöld Kőbánya (Green Kőbánya) programme of the municipality of Kőbánya, a broad spectrum of active mobility promotion, and focused on the topic of residential bicycle parking, through the investment and operational experience of a previous development and the presentation of a current development.
Kispest's Developments for Public Bike Storage
Finally, the line of presentations arrived to Kispest: Attila Varga, Deputy Mayor of Kispest, presented the experiences, challenges and development plans of the district regarding public bike storage. A chronological overview of the district's cycling developments showed that years of thoughtful and persistent work have paid off. A well-functioning solution for residential bike storage, which was the theme of the event, could be the use of "Bringabox" (Bicyclebox) alongside reliable, clear and consistent customer management. To conclude the programme, László Kálmán, representing Avibike Ltd., presented the BringaPont project at the KÖKI Shopping Mall and mobility hub, which offers a new, innovative and secure solution for public bike storage. The mission of the solution provider is to eliminate bike theft, not least to improve the overall safety of public spaces.
After the presentations, the participants took part in a site visit, during which they could see the Bringaboxes installed in Kispest and the KÖKI BringaPont, both with professional commentary, in both places, by Attila Varga, Deputy Mayor of Kispest, and László Kálmán.
Many questions were addressed to the speakers during the presentations and during the site visits as well, and the local government professionals present were actively involved in the professional dialogue. The meeting demonstrated that the topic is highly relevant and of great interest to local municipalities.
Author: Magyar CIVINET Titkárság
