World's second biggest bike garage opens in The Hague

The second largest bicycle parking garage in the world opened in The Hague on Wednesday. The bike garage on Koningin Julianaplein, at Den Haag Central Station, has space for nearly 8 thousand bicycles. Only the underground bike garage in Utrecht is bigger with a capacity of over 12,500 bikes. 

The Hague garage covers an area of 8,000 square meters -  about the size of 1.5 football fields. It has space for 700 public transit bikes and 7 thousand other bicycles. Seventeen well known buildings in The Hague are depicted in the garage's glass walls, including the Ridderzaal and the Vredespaleis. Parking in the garage is free of charge for the first 24 hours. 

Rail company NS is pleased with the opening. "Nearly half of our travelers come to the station by bicycle," Magdalena Piotrowska of NS said. "In recent years there was not enough parking space at this station. That is why we are happy with this beautiful, spacious storage facility."

The massive parking garage is also part of The Hague's plans to become a real cycling city. "The combination of bicycle and train contributes to sustainable mobility and the accessibility of The Hague," NS said. 

Dit is de nieuwe fietsenstalling bij Den Haag Centraal! 🚲 Zojuist in gebruik genomen. Er zijn 700 nieuwe OV-fietsen en er kunnen ruim 7000 andere fietsen gestald worden. #Denhaag https://t.co/lWuLE74C4i pic.twitter.com/cUor9dgBHX

— NS online (@NS_online) July 1, 2020