Take an Inside Look at Japanese Bike Parking Technology

Japan is a nation of about 127 million people. Of those people, 72 million people use bicycles, with an estimated 10 million bikes be sold each year. In Japan, public transportation is clean and efficient, and owning a car is merely costly and inconvenient for most people.

The bike has a special place in the hearts of the Japanese. However, where do they keep all these bikes during the day? Enter the underground Bike Parking system. Designed by the company Giken Ltd, the company believes that they have a way to keep Japan's streets a lot less cluttered. The system you see above in the video is called the Eco Cycle, an automated underground parking garage.

Riders pay about $21 a month for parking privileges. The system is theft-proof and keeps your ride safe from the elements. The system itself is even said to be even earthquake-proof. These silos can hold about 200 bikes at any given time. How long does it take to disperse your bike? Only about ten seconds. Is this just another variation of a cool Japanese vending machine? Would your store your beloved bike in a place like this, keep it near you or on the street?