Every bike ride starts and ends with a parked bike

In May 2022 Jens Peter Hansen, Bikeep's partner in Denmark at the time, wrote an opinion piece for Ingeniøren's MobilityTech section. His point was simple. Every bike ride starts and ends with a parked bike, and Denmark had not taken bike parking seriously enough. Hansen, an entrepreneur and cycling advocate, introduced Bikeep to Denmark in 2020.

A theft problem nobody wins from

• Over 100 a day. In 2021 just over 100 people a day in Denmark had their bike stolen. Many thefts were never reported, because owners saw no point.
• DKK 169 million. Insurers paid about DKK 169 million for stolen bikes in 2021, around 6 øre for every kilometre cycled. Cycling saves society an estimated DKK 6 to 8 per kilometre.
• Not replaced. Bikes replaced in 2021 came to only 73% of the thefts reported to the police.
• E-bikes targeted. E-bikes cost DKK 15,000 to 25,000, and professional thieves go after them with battery-powered angle grinders.

Quantity over quality

Most bike parking in Denmark was still the bent steel front-wheel rack. Developers met the bike parking rules in local plans as cheaply as they could, which put the number of spaces ahead of their quality. Electric cars, Hansen argued, got far more attention than bikes and e-bikes, even though DTU Transport's travel survey found that over half of car trips to and from home are under 10 km.

What smart parking changes

Hansen's answer was parking that does the locking for you. A Bikeep dock holds the frame, so riders don't need to carry heavy chains, and it opens with any contactless card, such as a Rejsekort, a payment card or an employee card. Owners manage the station online, with usage statistics, access control, payments and a way to deal with abandoned bikes.

Stations across Denmark

By spring 2022 Bikeep stations were open or on the way in Lemvig, Hareskoven, Værløse, Vinge, Trekroner, Roskilde, Viby, Grenå, Hessel, Tustrup and Viborg. The first opened at Lemvig station in June 2021. More on Vinge Station and the stations across Norddjurs.

Hansen's full piece is on Ingeniøren in Danish. More on smart bike parking.