Happy Anniversary to the World’s Largest Bicycle Parking Garage!

This August marks the five-year anniversary of the grand opening of the world’s largest bicycle parking garage in Utrecht, which has been fully operational since 19 August 2019*. In this week’s video we take a look at people entering and exiting the garage in a steady rhythm that can increase to two bicycles a second on average at peak hours.

The north entrance to the world’s largest bicycle parking garage in Utrecht.

View from above: The cyclists moving in and out, combined with the curved lines, create a “cycle ballet” especially set to music, as you can experience in this week’s video.

With over 12,500 spaces, this €30 million facility took nearly five years to complete, making it a significant part of Utrecht’s Central Station’s redevelopment. The garage was designed for easy and efficient use, with cyclists able to ride directly into the building, choose from three floors via ramps, and park according to their needs—whether catching a train or visiting nearby shops. Designed by Ector Hoogstad Architects, the facility has received praise for its functionality, with users rating it 8 out of 10. Professional recognition was also evident when it won the “Concrete Award” in 2017.

Even in the middle of summer, with schools closed for the holidays, the cycle road leading to the bicycle parking garage remains very busy.

Lines, curves, motion, and reflections create a beautiful sight.

The garage isn’t just about capacity; it’s also about innovation. The basement offers direct access to train platforms, while the top floor connects conveniently to the surrounding area. Despite its scale, Utrecht’s approach emphasizes simplicity over complex technology, contrasting with Tokyo’s Kasai station (believed to be the second largest bicycle parking facility in the world), which uses automated lifts to store bikes underground. Utrecht’s facility, however, features an array of cameras detecting parked bicycles to offer real-time information about available spaces displayed in the corridors, at the entrances, and at strategic locations in the city.

The green figures inform people in real-time about the number of free spaces available in the entire garage and on separate floors. This is the south entrance.

Once inside the garage, the figures are provided for each corridor and for the upper and lower racks separately. ‘Vol’ means fully occupied, ‘<5’ means fewer than five spaces left, and the green figures display the actual number of free spaces.

In 2022, the garage underwent necessary repairs due to non-dangerous cracks in the concrete floors. The city of Utrecht took this opportunity to enhance user experience by widening entrances, improving signage, and adding non-slip surfaces. These upgrades, informed by three years of use, have made the facility even more user-friendly.

As Utrecht continues to grow, the demand for bicycle parking is expected to increase, with plans already underway to expand the station area’s total capacity beyond the current 33,000 spaces. This proactive approach ensures that Utrecht will remain a global leader in sustainable urban transport solutions.

* The first half of the garage had opened two years earlier, in August 2017, but the official opening festivities and the opening of the final section took place on 19 August 2019.

The world’s largest bicycle parking garage was opened 5 (and 7) years ago, this August.