Comments on: De Fietshangar (bike hangar)

By: henry

henry — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:52:18 +0000

Axel, Most bikes simply live outdoors here. Why do you think that bikes will rust faster in the sheltered hanger than in an unsheltered, outdoor bike rack?

By: Axel

Axel — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:37:26 +0000

I bet bikes will rust fast in that hangar. It needs a chimeny to tent out moisture. I dont think the mesh on the side will be good enough in a city enviroment.

By: henry

henry — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:58:07 +0000

Sean,
I honestly have no meaningful insights into the motivations for stealing or vandalizing bikes but I seriously doubt there’s much “group or lifestyle tormentation” involved. My suspicion is that there are just more young men hanging around and that just leads to more petty crime in general. Note that there aren’t really any “rough” neighborhoods in Amsterdam nor are there many in the entire Netherlands. There are just poorer, uglier, more boring neighborhoods here. One can safely walk around anywhere in Amsterdam at night without much fear of violent crime.

Thomas,
There are about 15 million bikes on the Dutch streets and several hundred Fietshangars. Even if every Fietshangar was filled to capacity they would only house a couple thousand bicycles… approximately 0.001% of the bikes here. Thus, to answer your hypothesis: No, bike garages like this cannot have had a measurable influence on the popularity of cycling in the Netherlands.

Todd,
Yes, you’re on the right track: when the Fietshangar is placed on public property (including in a car parking space) the city purchases and maintains the unit and then rents it to the residents for a small fee. On their site are descriptions of how the process works (in Dutch of course) including how residents can submit requests to their city. But the bottom line is that the city must first “get with the program” and possibly accept that parking revenues will be lost.

By: Todd Edelman

Todd Edelman — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:33:31 +0000

You say the heavier version is installed by the city? What does this mean? The relevant neighbours make a formal request? The city pays for everything? How is access provided? People get keys, changeable combinations, smart cards? Who is responsible for maintenance? It is use-at-own-risk?

By: Todd Edelman

Todd Edelman — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:10:40 +0000

Nice, but so many issues here: First of all, I am curious if laws had to be changed to allow those on the motor vehicle or non-ped mixed use part of the street. In NYC, SF, Berlin it would not be possible to just place this in one spot, because the car storage spots need to be cleaned (city needs to make revenue), and whatever is there needs to move. They put that pink car van thing on the street in Copenhagen for cargo bikes, does it move? (Mikael, I know you are reading this.) So maybe change the law or put wheels on this or…

Also, the design is kind of “tagging-proof” but a better solution could be to make it with murals on it, maybe.

Hiring at-risk youth to make street furniture like this – and paying them well – could that be useful?

There are poor and or at-risk kids everywhere, and not all of them – probably not most of them – are vandalising things. Everyone points to these kids as inspiration and I can’t think of anything better: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trunk_Boiz and see NOTES

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:14:14 +0000

That is a nice bike hangar. I like the idea, that this kind of hangar is widely used in towns. It could be the reason, why cycling is so popular in the Netherlands.

By: Sean

Sean — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:42:36 +0000

This reminds me of a recent New York Times article I read about the Velib program in Paris. The article described theft and vandalism on bikes in the system, and how these bad deeds were generally done by disgruntled youth from the city’s immigrant neighborhoods. The reasoning was interesting. These kids didn’t ride bikes and didn’t want them for their own use. They enjoyed stealing and/or destroying as a way to seek revenge on the “bobos,” the bohemian bourgeois – a group that frequently uses Velib bikes and one that the kids despise.

I’m wondering if something similar happens in Amsterdam. Are people in rough neighborhoods stealing bikes for personal use or to sell? This is a pretty straightforward transaction. Or, are they vandalizing or stealing to vandalize as a way to torment a group or lifestyle they don’t like.

If it’s the later, I’ll inject a bit of armchair psychology. When I first came to New York, I was young and without much money. I lived in a bad neighborhood which was depressing and frequently pure hell. I noticed that the kids there never left, and often seemed to resent anyone who had experience with the world beyond their 10 block radius. I’m wondering if this is similar in Amsterdam and maybe a reason for these acts. Are they ways for people “going no where” to punish those “going somewhere” in both a literal and metaphorical way?

By: henry

henry — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:22:20 +0000

That one has a similar shape but is clearly designed for more “friendly” environments. It wouldn’t last long on a Dutch street.

By: macfred (wormholetraveller)

macfred (wormholetraveller) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:46:49 +0000

Thank you for posting this one !
I´m just looking for a bike – hangar …
Found this one : http://www.cervotec.de/

greetings
macfred