First automatic bicycle parking lot in Slovakia unveiled in Trnava

It is being tested until 7 January, when it will be launched for public use

The Slovak city of Trnava is currently testing the country’s first and only automatic bicycle parking lot.

But what is an automatic bicycle parking lot? The building is a large tower, 11 meters in height, boasting a total capacity for 118 bikes that takes in vehicles and houses them automatically – at an extremely affordable price – just 10 cents per 24 hours.

The process of parking is entirely automatized and takes around 10 seconds at most. Details on what exactly you should be doing are displayed at the tower’s entrance and are easy to understand and to follow – all you have to do is insert your bike in the door and the building’s computer will take care of everything else.

Once you’re ready to take your vehicle out you simply insert the voucher that he had received upon deposit, pays the necessary amount and the system finds and returns the bicycle – simple as that.

Promoting cycling and making use of expanding trends

The parking spaces, as can be expected, however, are reserved for private vehicles only. If you’re a user of one of the shared rental bike services available in the city, you’re still supposed to leave the vehicles in publicly available spaces.

Yet users of the Arboria bike-sharing scheme are entitled to a discount when using the parking lot – if you’re a subscriber you’re entitled to 24-hour free usage of the parking lot as well as an overall discount for your personal vehicle.

The City Council believes that the introduction of this new service will make cycling a more attractive and interesting option for citizens, thus promoting the use of alternative modes of transport in the city and reducing the use of cars, thus limiting the city’s carbon footprint.