Sensors Map Bicycles in Underground Bicycle Parking
In the underground bicycle parking spaces of ‘’t Zand’ and the ‘Concertgebouw’, a bicycle parking system has been installed.
Using optical sensors, the number of bicycles that are left in the bicycle sheds are counted and free spaces are shown on the outside of the parking.
“In this way we get a perfect view of the use and occupancy of this bicycle sheds. This information is also displayed at the entrances to the sheds via LED screens shown so that the cyclists can immediately estimate whether there are still enough free places to be. The signs of both parkings also refer to each other so that when busy can be moved to the other parking lot where there would still be places available," says Mayor Dirk de fauw.
This installation also makes it possible to better monitor the maximum storage time. In these freely accessible bicycle sheds, people can park continuously for a maximum of 24 hours. If you park for a longer period of time, there is a risk that the bicycle is taken away by the bicycle service. During checks, the ‘orphaned’ bikes are labelled and checked again after some time. If the labelled bicycles are still on the rack, they will be taken away. However, this is a very labour-intensive way of working.
Keep parking free of orphaned bicycles
“The optical sensors keep track of how long a bicycle remains parked per parking space. We will receive a notification of this, so that the bicycles are more targeted and can be picked up so the shed remains free of orphaned bicycles. In this way, all parking facilities remain usable for cyclists”, says the Mayor.
Easily find a place
Patrick Minnaert of Interparking: “We are delighted with the installation of this bicycle parking referral system, which clearly represents a technological progress in favour of multimodal transport. By installing this referral system, customers can easily find a place in the bicycle parking. The bicycle parking under 't Zand consists of two parts: a part under the concert hall (254 places) and a part under the square (618 places).