Underground bike parking system in Tokyo: how it works

[@philiq18]

I've always been fascinated with this parking system for both bicycles and cars. Such an ingenious way to make the most of a small footprint.

[@kentallard8852]

And the entrance for it is so small it could be built in existing parks without being obtrusive

[@tallulahbeaverhausen4382]

It also prevents your bike from being vandalized or stolen, which is a big concern for bike owners.

[@Burps___]

In the U.S., the machine itself would be graffitied and the mechanism vandalized within the first week. #sadreality

[@loricrouch1076]

***** I'm thinking of how many of my bikes would NOT have been stolen if we had this.

[@Jean-qn4fy]

I have had 2 stolen. I would certainly patronize these facilities.

[@TactownGirl]

coolkayaker1 You don't think there are vandal's in Japan too? I'm sure they've taken that into consideration. IT would be so nice to have some of these around Seattle!

[@pangpengmaster]

I think space is the only concern here, since vandalism and other street crimes in Japan is not a relevant issue.

[@burningmanmike]

a beautiful solution, aesthetically pleasing, and offers protection against theft.

[@05milkajeng]

Even if you park your bike outdoor no one would steel it, coz its Japan. This system would be really needed in Europe though.

[@user-nm9vs1zc3y]

@@05milkajeng Well its not impossible it gets stolen, if i recall correctly bicycle theft is the most common crime in japan

[@05milkajeng]

@@user-nm9vs1zc3y yes most common there yet the number is so low comparing other countries. Lol

[@user-nm9vs1zc3y]

@@05milkajeng yeah its low but its not so low you never need to lock your bike for example

[@05milkajeng]

@@user-nm9vs1zc3y well my friends and i went to japan a few times and rented a bike in tokyo, left it and buy some food in the shops. Never once got stolen or maybe i just got lucky.

[@ajh.4131]

This is awesome! The Eco Cycle would do well in European countries like the Netherlands where the majority of the population uses bikes as a main transportation source.

[@noisepuppet]

***** In most places in America, it seems that transportation planners want cyclists to be hit by cars. Consequently, bicycles are said to be an "unpopular" mode of personal transit. What's really unpopular is the constant threat of death and dismemberment. Long story short, the car business is profitable, and profit runs the country, so they build it for cars, and everyone else can die.

[@chriss.9398]

***** Because of how most cities are set up. Remember tokyo, london, or the netherlands were mostly set up by people who were walking or on horseback a long time ago. While the us is much newer and made almost exclusively for cars. The infrastructure is vastly different and much more spread out.

[@isabelle3153]

Yes l was thinking the same. Especially at all Train Stations where there is a enormous shortage of storage space.

[@asantaraliner]

@Happyface It's not just the number, but the varieties of the bikes. In this system, there are rules about bike sizes that can be stored, but that won't work in NL where there are a lot of different kind of bicycles.

[@Ikhouvanpasen]

The worlds first automated bike storage system was in the Netherlands.

[@Lucuskane]

I thought this was still a conceptual idea, this is just good practical engineering. This is great, it might encourage more city dwellers to bike more.

[@DixieGirl9876]

A wonderful birds eye view of this! I'd read articles on it years ago, good to see it in action.

[@AyongDom]

I loving how simple the invention is but practical for all use..

[@gav240z]

Kirsten, just wanted to say thanks for your channel. It really highlights great solutions to modern problems, if only governments were more willing to take on the great ideas shared on your channel or at least encourage their adaptation.

[@VelvetGal5]

This is such a neat video. Thanks for sharing! I need to visit Japan again. It's been so long since I visited there. Many Japanese are such great problem solvers. I just love the many technologies, inventions, and innovations that have come from Japan. Also, I enjoy watching many of your video, Kirsten. I've been watching your channel for a long time. I find your videos to be very neat, enlightening, and relaxing at the same time. Keep up the good work, and have a nice week! :-)

[@jamesbrossi6536]

Increases the look of the city, decreases if not eliminates your bike from being stolen.. just genius!

[@not2tees]

Another wonderful video, Kirsten. I have become a big fan, and recommend your channel to friends, etc.

[@SettingMind]

Japan is perfect! A leader in technology

[@SophyaAgain]

Gosh ... THAT is technology ... I'm really impressed.

[@lancelovecraft5913]

this is brilliant 30 seconds is the same time it would take you to properly lock and unlock your bicycle. Too bad here in the u.s we too far behind in such tech and too focused on automobile

[@ryanarmishaw3305]

Awesome solution to bicycle parking! And it would solve the problem of bicycle theft as well. Brilliant!

[@cthulhuhasrisen1009]

Japan is the coolest place i have ever seen!! I would love this idea here, i ride my bike everywhere and have to lock it up in some shady areas.

[@HungryTrashPanda]

Absolutely brilliant.

[@RomyIlano]

automated parking for cars and bikes is so cool!!!! much more secure too

[@MakeMeThinkAgain]

This would be great for San Francisco simply to avoid bike theft. They are currently planning an upgrade to Market Street and this should be a included, but it is probably already too late.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Japan always ahead of the curve.

[@amstudio56]

I love you Kirsten, you always keep us up to date!

[@remirms2239]

Good concept, although I completely disagree with the comments at 0:33...

[@jcvjcvjcvjcv]

Yeah, it can use some underground cabling if we are talking about beauty. Lol!

[@user-b3i2q]

That's pretty cool.

[@4FYTfa8EjYHNXjChe8xs7xmC5pNEtz]

Average retrieval time is 30 srconds. So if you try to retrieve your bike at a busy time when there are f. ex. ten people ahead of you, you will have to wait for five minutes. As opposed to no wait at all with a traditional bike rack.

[@Eternal_Starlight]

Thank you for thus video! I've seen pics of this but never understood how it actually works but now I know.

Speed of this machine is incredibly high!

[@VectrexRoli]

That´s great! :-) I would like to have that in my country.

[@TheNails3]

Can't believe I've only just heard about this, it's mind-blowing!

[@ammarisrar2005]

This so such a genius solution, it de clutters sidewalks and entryways, it’s a less of an eye sore if we’re being honest, and it protects your bike from vandalism or theft, this needs to be implemented in cities in the states, plus it can be used as a hub for rental e bikes or electric scooters

[@jcvjcvjcvjcv]

Vandalism in Japan? For real? Maybe look at their immigration policy if you are interested in safety and security. Also their whole culture helps a lot too.

[@karlalalap7585]

your content is so relevant and fascinating! I always somehow find myself coming back to your channel when I'm KZbin binging, thanks for sharing ^-^

[@pashtofuntuch2878]

amazing bike vaults i have ever seen.

[@apriksatria]

The Eco Cycle its awesome!!

[@beeindruckendetechnologie2467]

Very impresive. Watch the underground shaft! And how many bikes it an store. Lots of space is saved. Only problem is when 10 ppls at one time wonna store or take the bike, right?

[@Kyliethegreat]

excellent

[@Wicky3214]

60 fps yesssss, always looking forward to new videos from you Kirsten

[@kelvinxu3058]

Excellent engineering design

[@AndreBird]

That's brilliant. Japanese people, I love'm, very cool.

[@Retroweld]

Awesome!

[@3rty7]

i like the safety, shelter and security of it.

[@MiamiCali706]

Please sell this technology to other countries. This should be in downtowns and malls in every major city. Saves gas, encourages good health, helps the environment and is safe from most thefts.

[@ehop22]

your so lucky to travel to Japan! ... So innovative!

[@RandomButtonPusher]

Solution for congestion, yes; solution for aesthetics, well that's pretty subjective. When I lived in a big city in the middle of China in the mid 90s, when bicycles still vastly outnumbered autos and motorcycles, I found nothing visually unappealing about the huge ranks of bicycles parked in the urban center -- in fact, I loved seeing (and participating in) this bicycle culture in action. It has been the rise of the car in China that has crowded out urban bikes and, more importantly, the wide bike lanes, and taken up urban space while adding to the massive pollution. Also, none of my Chinese friends ever complained about anyone stealing a bike, though each bike was equipped with a simple frame-mounted "C" lock that closed through the rear wheel, and everyone used them. As urban densities continue to grow, the space consideration for bike storage (if bike culture survives in the face of various "high tech" urban/public transport concepts) is an issue that can be addressed in a variety of ways -- hopefully ways that are as energy efficient and low tech as riding the bike itself.

[@Jay-jq6bl]

Aesthetics can be addressed through design. Pretty much the only thing necessary here is the track and doors. You could probably stick this into the side of a building.

[@stuvs830]

Terrific idea! Boy Id like to own one in the US.

[@HelenaMikas]

what a fabulous system ...

[@ioveraas]

Kirsten, I wish I had known you were in Japan! I live an hour south of Tokyo and would love to meet you. Keep putting out awesome content!

[@noviceprepper53]

great idea

[@deenibeeniable]

00:36 - This detracts from the city's beauty and FOOT-traffic flow, not "traffic [i.e. car] flow.

[@morenofranco9235]

ONLY IN JAPAN! Wake up rest of Planet! THIS, is how it is done. Thanks, Kirsten, for a very informative video. From Cape Town.

[@JTF2402]

I love the bike vaults! Now only bicycle streets!

[@LucaMatteis]

"Bikes detract from the city's beauty... and traffic flow" This is where he lost me: thinking that traffic should take precedence over bicycles.

[@williamhoogendijk2536]

Pedestrians are also traffic

[@1990Danilwin]

great idea. Good realosation

[@batbawls]

Well done!

[@josephinetyree1476]

WOW................................................................. I remember thinking it was fascinating...for me to get my sheets/shirts... by handing in my 'ticket' and getting them back ...all clean/ironed in a nice brown wrapped package....!!!

[@EstarBeautiful]

So awesome!

[@Ndo01]

Would love to see more Japanese related content

[@stormthrush37]

That is soooo cool! Thanks for sharing! I'd also be curious to know what the costs both for consumer and owner alike are.

[@JoshuaHere]

There's some issues with this, even though it looks really cool. The first problem is that this wouldn't be able to be used near any major transport hub as the amount of bicycles it can carry is too low, a 30 second interval is way too long. Secondly the technology behind this can be very prone to breakdowns and the worst that can happen for someone storing their car is if they can't access it anymore after they stored it. I wonder if this has come a long way since those 4 years.

[@yekutielbenheshel354]

Your concerns might seem reasonable in theory but they probably are unfounded in reality. This system had been used in Japan for over a decade. Therefore, they have had time to work out the bugs. The technology is simple, not much more complicated than an elevator. Hundreds of millions of people drive automobiles all around the world. Automobiles are far more sophisticated and prone to breakdowns than this technologically simple bike parking system. Second, with a smartphone, riders could order their bicycle brought back to street level roughly 30 seconds prior to arriving at the bike parking location. 30 seconds later, when the rider arrived at the bike parking location he could swipe his ID card (or use his smartphone instead of an ID card) to have the system release the front wheel of his bicycle. This would presumably negate your concern about having to wait an excessive amount of time. Criticizing new ideas is easy; understanding them is often more difficult.

[@carolynzaremba5469]

@@yekutielbenheshel354 30 seconds is not a long time. Less time than retrieving a car from an underground car park.

[@dan49781]

very cool

[@diannefitzsimmons9027]

WOW ! Thank you

[@clintonwong7398]

Just curious. What happens the bicycles when they need to do maintenence on this bicycle storage system?

[@jeffngo79]

Can it fit any types of bikes or just certain ones

[@michaelchoki2133]

I still think the bicycle sharing system is better.. you can have personalized storage system for everything, but community usage is always better than personalized stuffs. Though it's costlier to maintain because people doesn't really take care of public or shared properties the way they do personal belongings. But most importantly is to provide bikelanes and letting go of mentality that personal motor is superior. Truth is Japan's companies control the largest share of automotive industry around asia, so it's a bit hypocritical sadly that they push this product in their countries while reaping the financial benefit of industries that completely doing the opposite overseas. But then again, aren't most countries do that these days? Thanks for your video, hope for a longer one next time, it's much fun really.

[@nairanascimento6485]

Awesome Video. Can you please share the website where I can sign up for the parking? I live in Tokyo but couldn't find it online. Thanks.

[@JTF2402]

Were are the bicycle ways? Because they are cycling on the car way or pedestrian street

[@schuuichiminamino]

This is amazing.

[@rtjahyadi7868]

SO COOL!!! like a science fiction

[@carolynzaremba5469]

It's only science fiction to Americans, whose technology is way behind that of Asia.

[@captainchaos3667]

With so many people cycling I'm surprised at the apparent lack of street infrastructure for bicycles. I'm not seeing any cycle lanes or paths; people seem to have to cycle with the cars or on the pavement.

[@nebulaman9184]

whats the price to build this fancy thing?

[@relacionomia]

And you can do it on trains: you arrive at station, put your bike in a "container" and click a button where you'll stop. The machine will then put the bikes of the container into a wagon of the train Finally, when you arrive, the wagon will put back your bike into the station's container, and you'll be able to finish your ride ;)

[@rudy14240]

This is so cool. 👍

[@fiona5036]

It would be good in the UK too even for motorbikes as well as they are always getting stolen

[@ChristineBEACHCRICKETLowery]

This a Great Idea!

[@iMoreno]

The underground bike parking is only limited to urban bicycles and smaller. Some bikes like a full suspension mountain bike or a cargo bike wouldn’t fit.

[@dutchseawolf]

wow, this is something to think about in the Netherlands.

[@hendman4083]

Not really. They considered putting up one of these at the rail station of my town (35.000 inhabitants). The idea was quickly dismissed when they realised that in morning rush hour people would have to wait 20 to 30 minutes to store their bike.

[@Tyler380]

It looks precise.. A slight earthquake could misshape something enough to mess it up?

[@qwertboyo]

What happens if the elevator mechanism used to life the bikes breaks?

[@carolynzaremba5469]

Bicycle Repair Man

[@isabelle3153]

lm.my city they actually closed the only protected bike storage place because staff made it too expensive. Now chances are high your bike gets stolen or vandalised .So.many people have 2 bikes. An old cheap one they can leave at the station. This would be a great solution!

[@Pandoraaaa408]

We need this in the US!

[@3rty7]

i like their overnight sleeping boothe idea too ?

[@MorganBennett]

Interesting

[@damarh]

Need a few of these in Amsterdam to reduce the footprint of the MASSIVE parking garages for bikes. this is much more space efficient. and quicker. but it might cause traffic jams of people trying to store their bikes.

[@FredPlayzMineCraft]

This is awesome :D

[@jessiesmith668]

I love Tokyo.

[@DarkMoonDroid]

This idea could just as easily go laterally or up. The idea of putting it underground is great, if there is a lot of unused underground space. But a structure of bikes encased in glass or a cage could be an interesting sculpture depending on how you manage it. Esp. if it were constantly moving. The whole thing reminds me of *Monsters Inc.* and the "Closet Door" storage.

[@MrZ4X5C6V7]

Is it cost / effective? Does it relieve the parking problem? Or is it used by the locals who don't own a car to begin with and have never owned a car? This allows more people who are driving their cars from further away from Tokyo and finding no parking.

[@carolynzaremba5469]

Reducing car traffic is a laudable aim.

[@markho5627]

Great idea. But what about the finances? How much to build one of these 35 feet deep? And what is the monthly charges, or is it per use?

[@CullenCarter]

If I were a bicyclist I would have a hard time trusting a machine to handle my bike in such a manner *and* take it completely out of my sight. However, I ride a recumbent trike instead. I'm sure that it inaccessible to this anyway. (still, it's a promising sign of the inevitable change in our transportation infrastructure. Thank you for sharing.

[@Jay-jq6bl]

I'd have a couple questions about this. Are e-bikes allowed? I'd see users of them as the biggest customer here, considering how much e-bikes can cost. If one were to catch fire, is there a fire suppression system? Of course the easiest solution would be to require people to remove the battery, but that would make this solution less attractive in certain situations.

[@JL-od4wg]

how much is the parking fees ?

[@Julie-jl2kk]

please bring this to new york

[@skipbolance]

What if it breaks down , how would you get your bike

[@NimN0ms]

I'm really interested to know how you find your subjects. I see the fair companies logo, do they do something? I have been watching your videos for a while, but I don't seem to get the purpose behind them. Is it going to be a documentary? Is it a study? Nevertheless, the videos are just amazing. I love unique architecture!

[@gabrielleb74]

I think that's a good idea and excellent use of technology. How much the service costs?

[@gabrielleb74]

Anangke found this. A month-long membership @1630, about $26, and students receive a fifty-percent discount. Members will then receive an RFID card which they use to insert and retrieve their bikes.

[@Burps___]

Thank you for finding out the monthly cost, A. Not cheap unless used every day. Unfortunately, I feel most in the U.S. would balk at spending that amount on anything but coffee and booze. Lol. What am I talking about...most Americans would balk at riding a bike to work in the first place. Lol. Thanks again for looking it up.

[@gabrielleb74]

coolkayaker1 you're welcome :)

[@carolynzaremba5469]

@@Burps___ Wrong, people in the San Francisco Bay Area pay more for monthly transit cards than that.

[@MyPeter53]

Why is the last clip in reverse?!?🤷‍♀️

[@sandybeach368]

what if you lose your ID card or it's stolen? I don't see a backup keyboard or anything for manual entry of an ID.

[@carolynzaremba5469]

That could easily be adapted for.

[@bevsartsandcrafts715]

Brilliant :)

[@noneofyourbusinez]

Dang japan has got it together!

[@Burps___]

Just my luck, I'd put in my Cannondale racer and it'd shoot me back a Huffy! 😭

[@michaelg2246]

You should build this for motor scooters in Thailand

[@MattRingel]

I'm curious what the pricing for something like this is for the consumer.

[@singlejointed]

PringelDude From Time's "Check Out Tokyo’s Amazing Underground Robotic Bike Parking System: Why does Japan get everything cool?:" 2,600 yen (~$26)/month, 1,300 for students.

[@boss1234234]

singlejointed thats a really good price if you ride a bike everyday

[@wertgameking]

boss1234234 it's less than a monthly paid bus ticket where i live :D awesome

[@krtong]

holy crap, look at all the bicycles in that one silo.