Wallonia's first smart bike parking at LLN Science Park

On 16 September 2019 the first Bikeep smart bike parking station in Wallonia opened at LLN Science Park in Louvain-la-Neuve. The business association Alliance Centre BW led the project, with help from the City of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve and the Science Park itself.

Funded to get people cycling to work

The station cost close to €11,000, excluding installation. The Walloon Region paid for it through its "Sustainable Mobility and Business" call for projects, which supports employers and business groups that make it easier for staff to leave the car at home.

LLN Science Park is home to many companies and research teams. Secure parking at the park gives the people who work there a reason to cycle in rather than drive.

How it works

• Ten docks. A locking bar closes over each bike frame, so riders don't need their own lock.
• App or card. Riders unlock with the Bikeep app or a contactless card.
• Alarm. Every dock sounds an alarm if someone tampers with a locked bike.
• Free to use. Parking costs nothing.

A station with regulars

The station at Voie des Hennuyers has logged about 2,450 parkings, most of them by a core group of around 60 riders. That is what employee bike parking looks like when it works. The same people come back day after day, because they know their bike will be there at the end of the day.

Bikeep's Belgian partner Click SRL looks after the station. Local channel TV Com covered the opening in French. More on bike parking for workplaces is on the offices page.