Dutch citizens love getting around by bicycle, also thanks to the structure of their territory: finding a place to park, however, can be a big problem. To solve it, Amsterdam had planned in September 2021 an ambitious project, which today finally sees the light: an underwater parking for bicycles.
Thousands of bikes underwater
As part of an “overall” makeover plan, the city of Amsterdam is making the area around the central station more accessible to pedestrians by building two new bicycle parks: one underground, the other underwater. The works were entrusted by the architecture firm wUrck of Rotterdam at more than 9 meters deep (it may not seem like much, but you have to consider that the Netherlands is practically on water. Sometimes IN the water).
The happy task of cutting the ribbon fell to Vivianne Hejnen, the Minister of the Environment, who yesterday (25 January) officially inaugurated what is currently the largest bicycle park in the city. 7000 cycles carefully kept in a spectacular bright and airy environment, obviously with an aquatic theme.
An underwater debut that will not remain isolated
The new underwater car park can be accessed from street level via fixed and mobile walkways. It's a great sight, but in my opinion the most beautiful thing is what you DON'T see. A structure of this kind not only has zero impact on the surface space, but also allows you to renovate areas that were previously used for other purposes. In the coming weeks, for example, a good part of the bicycle racks will be removed to improve the aesthetics of the entire station area.
And it didn't end here. The example will be a paradigm for other facilities of this type: next month a second 4000-bike facility will open on nearby IJboulevard. Ah, if the same thing could be done (with the same ease, I mean) for four wheels too!
