Bicycle carousel contributes to bicycle use in The Hague

Since 2019, the Vruchtenbuurt neighbourhood in The Hague has been home to a fully automated bicycle storage facility: the ‘bicycle carousel’. Decisio evaluated this innovative parking solution and advised the municipality on potential further rollout. The evaluation shows that the bicycle carousel is operating as intended. Subscribers are satisfied and report cycling more often, while local residents feel the facility has improved the quality of the public space. We concluded that bicycle carousels can certainly be an attractive solution in specific situations.

Bicycle parking challenges in the Vruchtenbuurt

The Hague actively encourages cycling in the city. In its ‘Ruim baan voor de fiets’ strategy, the municipality focuses, among other things, on high‑quality bicycle parking facilities. In 2017, it became clear that there was a shortage of suitable parking spaces. The Vruchtenbuurt, one of the neighbourhoods facing this shortage, was therefore selected for a pilot with a fully automated storage system: the bicycle carousel. Decisio was commissioned by the municipality to evaluate the carousel and provide recommendations for possible expansion elsewhere in the city.

“Bicycles belong in public space just like cars. But bikes blocking the pavement are annoying.”

Resident, Vruchtenbuurt

Bicycle carousel works in practice and in policy

The bicycle carousel performs well from the perspective of the operator, subscribers, and local residents. The operator is satisfied with the low and declining number of malfunction reports, while subscribers particularly value the short time it takes to store and retrieve their bikes. Residents are generally positive too. They see that the bicycle parking problem has been reduced (temporarily and locally) and consider the carousel an improvement to the neighbourhood.

“The clutter on the street has decreased where the carousel is located. In the surrounding streets, there’s no noticeable difference.”

Resident, Vruchtenbuurt

The waiting list for the bicycle underlines its usefulness. Almost half of the non‑users surveyed would consider using it once a space becomes available. They are also willing to pay for it: just over €7 per month, provided the carousel is within a one‑minute walk. This is around 50 cents less than the willingness to pay among current subscribers. For both groups, willingness to pay decreases as the distance between home and carousel increases.

The evaluation also showed that the bicycle carousel leads to changes in mobility behaviour. Subscribers reported cycling more often and some even purchased a new bicycle after the carousel was installed. Non‑users, however, are not inclined to buy an e‑bike or touring bike solely because of improved parking options, even though they recognise the benefits and are willing to pay for them. A clear modal shift from car to bicycle was not observed.

Bicycle carousel is an option under specific conditions

Finally, Decisio examined the conditions under which it would be desirable to install bicycle carousels elsewhere in The Hague. Although the facility works well in practice and aligns with policy goals, the investment costs are high and cannot be recovered during operation (even with full occupancy). This means the bicycle carousel is only an attractive option when several conditions are met: (1) there is a clear need for secure, enclosed bicycle parking, (2) public space is scarce, (3) there are no or very limited opportunities for creating indoor neighbourhood parking, (4) population density is high.

Full report

The full report can be accessed here.