Ghent chooses the future city bike bin
Ghent city council has chosen the future bike bin. A strong, solid steel silver grey box will shortly brighten up our streets and provide safe and secure parking for bikes.
A bike bin is a covered mini-garage for five to six bikes that is placed on public spaces or roads. They are installed in densely populated districts of the city to resolve the problem of high pressure on bicycles parking. The evaluation of the CIVITAS pilot in 2011 with seven types of different bins showed that the initiative was highly appreciated by the citizens of Ghent. A call in the local city magazine resulted in more than 300 applications for a bin! As a result, Ghent city council decided to install another 20 bike bins. A public tender was launched and the best solution was found to be the "Velo Boxx". This type of bicycle shed has many advantages. The bin is easy to open and can remain open at any height, thanks to the built-in gas springs. The bin opens with a security key and is vandalism-proof thanks to its 100 percent steel construction. The city of Ghent is now looking for new locations to place the additional bike bins on the basis of different criteria. The new bike bins will be available as from autumn 2012.
