Smaller cities with large bicycle populations such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam use multi-level parking lots. A new lot at the central train station in Amsterdam can accommodate 10,000 bikes with security guards to prevent theft.
Tokyo is a sprawling mega-city and many people use a bicycle to commute to their local train station, so a more dispersed approach to parking is appropriate. Despite Japan's very low crime rate, bicycle theft is common. It is not usually done for money, as the common city bike here is inexpensive (around $150). Rather, a bike is stolen because someone stayed out too late and missed the last train and steals a bike to get home.
New computerized parking machines securely store anywhere from 600 to 6000 bicycles each, with no risk of theft or damage and eliminate having to search through hundreds or thousands of bicycles to find one's own.
The article containing this video can be found here: The Guardian UK
Happy cycling. ~ Isis



