Gov't announces ban on parking bicycles around Tokyo Station

Bicycling is good exercise and environmentally-friendly, so discouraging it should be discouraged. I suggest the city build the parking facilities first, then ban parking outside designated areas.

Spoken like a true motorist. There's not enough parking provided, just many stupid rules made. Tokyos chance to promote greener healthier lifestyle is about to disappear in a puff of smoke.

Billions of yen are spent on building high rise and underground parking spaces in Tokyo, its about time someone climbed out of the box and thought of applying the same principles for bikes. They are totally and utterly environmentally friendly...it wouldn't be too difficult to turn Tokyo into a greener and healthier city for its citizens and may even help with the bid for the olympics.

They did this in Sapporo. It meant that I was no longer allowed to park my bike even at the office building where I work. The closest lot is often full. The latest anti-cycling initiative. I hope they figure in these measures when calculating Japan's greenhouse emissions.

Lame on the government's part they put the ban in place without having anywhere for these people to park. I suggest a protest.

The Metro Gov should promote cycling, not discourage it. Instead of going the usual way of banning thing and setting up their rules, they ought to find ways to accomodate people wanting to use their bikes to work.

For the sake of the more clean air in Tokyo. I do hope the government will have some alternative idea very soon.

**I sometimes feel the urge to puncture the tires of these bicyles cramping the pavements because I can't get through with my baby's trolley. Such a nuisance.

You want a helathy lifestyle bikers? Then observe the rules and respect us pedestrians.**

And sometimes I want to scream at mothers who take up the entire sidewalk with their larger than life strollers and screaming kids. We share this area and while I can understand your frustrations about poorly behaved cyclists, it works both ways. Lord knows I have seen women with stollers block pedestrians and cyclists, not to mention clog up cafes with their giants strollers. However, very few of us complain about it.

How about Japan come to gripes with the number of cyclists and make bike lanes? I don't bike of the sidewalk for a variety of reasons but one of the main ones is that pedestrains do NOT watch where they are going.

Regardless, clearly the cities here need to do something about bike parking. I am more than happy for them to hull illegally parked bikes away but they have to create an area where people CAN park. I don't see that happening. I see junk bikes for months on end that do clog up the place and I see very few places I can park my bicycle. Where is the middle ground?

Instead of banding them why not stricter bicycle registration and penalties. Seems like the government is working to help JR. Bicycles don't pollute, use less space than cars and motorcycles, and are good for your health.

Not enough money in providing parking spaces for bicycles.

Instead of being pleased that more people are cycling into work, they're trying to stop them doing so? The money-grubbers with no common sense are going at it bassackwards.

Borscht is quite right - build the parking spaces, then clamp down on parking in undesignated areas.

The government SHOULD promote cycling but until they can figure a way to make some money out of it, they won't. My former city started charging people to park their bikes. What a joke. If people are paying city taxes, they should be able to park their bike for free. Build bike parking and cut back on the pollution. It would also mean healthier people so less money out of the health care system. Of course that's common sense so nothing will be done to support any such ideas.

buggerlugs,

No, there is not a link. I work in Marunochi, tt's same bikes everyday. In defense of the office workers that commute via bicycle, there isn't much parking in the offices here. It is first come, for serve basis.

1600 more people commuting by bike. Solution? Ban parking bicycles near the station. Another edition of "Japan: If it makes sense, then do something else." Gotta love it.

So the city acknowledges an increase of some 1600 commuting in this area cyclists but is only going to provide a mere 750 parking spaces. Interesting. And that's after it's going to ban them from parking around the station which will surely discourage cyclists. Maybe there is a method to their madness after all. Still, it is completely stupid and another wasted opportunity. Why not provide more parking spaces for bikes and encourage people to ride? It would help with pollution if it kept people away from cars and would help with train crowding if enough people could do it without it being such a hassle. One possible solution would be to have people buy reasonably priced parking stickers designating parking within certain zones. So if I work in zone 6 I would pay maybe 2000 yen for a six-month sticker and could park in any designated area in zone 6. Presumably I would park as close to my workplace as possible so it would help keep the bikes spread out over a reasonable space. The money could go towards providing locked and leveled bicycle parking slots around the zones.

The city estimates that there has been an increase of around 1,600 commuters cycling in from new residential developments in the Tokyo waterfront area.

Here's a wild idea. How about the metropolitan government, which is most certainly rolling in the sales tax largesse of an extra 1,600 hot, hungry cyclists bringing their tax yen to the city, get off its duff and build additional bicycle parking facilities?

Cycling reduces emissions, requires less space for parking garages, involves far fewer fatal accidents than automobiles, and is good for people's health. To penalize cyclists because the fools at the top are incapable of seeing past anything more superficial than, keeping "the capital's streets clear" is asinine.

Provide more bicycle parking!

Bicyclists should be able to park their bikes anywhere and drive anywhere they like as long they don't make accidents.

Not forgetting that the Tokyo MG have a vested interest in keeping you on THEIR subways and buses.

I don't recall seeing many parked bicycles there.

Maybe no link... But an opportunity seems to have been taken. There needs to be a lot more done to promote that green life image that Tokyo wants. More bike parking and better infrastructure.

They should build more of these...

http://www.dannychoo.com/en/post/26963/Japan+Underground+Bicycle+Parking+Systems.html

Also this will take more than a year but the discouragement starts today.

It also announced plans to provide 750 bicycle parking facilities by next year.

Not 750 parking "spaces," 750 "facilities." This would seem to be a lot more.

Seems like the government is working to help JR.

Of course they do. Knowing what we do about JR and it's latest shameless exploitation of commuters' info, I think we can be sure this has little to do with bicycles being left in the streets and more to do with missed business opportunities for corporations involved with the government.

The logical solution (yeah, yeah, I know this is difficult to grasp) would be to: 1. Ask people to park their bikes out of other people's ways. 2. Build more bike parkings 3. Then fine whoever has problems understanding where to park.

But hey, Tokyo promises to be the greenest olympics 2020 so I guess they have some great ideas up there, right?

Not forgetting that the Tokyo MG have a vested interest in keeping you on THEIR subways and buses.

More like the railway companies, which own the transport systems as well as the real estate as the desirable destinations. They have a double incentive to make people ride public transport.

These rules are made so that make new division to get their people employed..waste of public money & looks like corruption ...

25psot has my vote. Why should cars be given every privilege?

So, they estimate at least 1,600 new commuters are using bicycles and they intend to provide 750 new bicycle parking spaces? Japanomics!

and yet they'll build rental bikes with spaces all around marunouchi. heaps fair!

I've just seen the bonodori in marunouchi on the 26th. Any link? I bet there is.

1st world problemo.

The massive sense of entitlement of many JT cyclists is annoying to read. Just look at the one before this by 25psot to see a good example. Just because you make a personal choice to ride a bicycle doesn't mean you should get free parking everywhere and dedicated parking lanes. Moped riders have to pay to get and maintain a current license, pay state and local tax, pay road tax, pay insurance, pay tax in evey fuel top-up but they don't get (or expect) dedicated traffic lanes or free parking.

Cyclists on the other hand just buy a bike and off they go for free, disrupting foot paths when riding and blocking entrances and narrow roads. And like Mikihouse says, the enforcement and punishments are pathetic for inconsiderate bike parking. In my experience, many cyclists ignore proper parking facilities because they don't want to pay or because they are too lazy and inconsiderate and so prefer to leave their bike right near the entrance of where they're going (knowing that enforcement is unlikely). No doubt many in the suburbs decide to buy/rent in a cheaper, inconvenient location, where walking or biking a long distance to the tain or bus is their only option, then refuse to pay to park and park illegally instead. Thinking how bad the government is for not subsidising their personal choices.

You only have to look at how many bicycles are illigally and inconsiderately parked, to see that cyclists are largely rude freeloaders, not environmental advocates.

The govt should restrict and enforce law to the max so that all illegally parked bikes will be impounded. Only then people will use designated parking spaces. If people will pay, there will be more places opening up. Right now, nobody wants to pay the 100Y a day fee or 50Y in some areas.

I sometimes feel the urge to puncture the tires of these bicyles cramping the pavements because I can't get through with my baby's trolley. Such a nuisance.

You want a helathy lifestyle bikers? Then observe the rules and respect us pedestrians.

That's a good idea!

Bikes parked outside could get stolen or be vandalized.

It's also unsightly and an eyesore for motorists and pedestrians!