Bike park Basel
Bike parks now play an increasingly important role in commuter traffic. These specially designed bicycle enclosures have become more and more common, allowing commuters on public transport to cycle to and from the railway station and then leave their bikes there in complete security during their absence. The bike park at Basel’s St. Johann railway station is breaking new ground with its very own security system - with security solutions from Securitas and Securiton.
Securitas Group protects Basel’s bike park
Basel’s St. Johann railway station is one of six within the city’s metropolitan area. Until last year it had the reputation of an almost deserted station due to its poor connections to the railway network. At the beginning of 2009 the Vogesenplatz in front of the station was remodelled and linked up to the tram network. The redesign has meant that the area is now also much busier. And so on 31 October 2009 a modern bicycle park was officially inaugurated under the Vogesenplatz – complete with tyre pump and charging station for e-bikes.
All-round protection for bike parking facilities
The bike park has 300 spaces, which are free of charge. It is accessible via two ramps, each of which leads to a first automatic (outer) glass sliding door. Then comes the entrance itself: a second (inner) glass sliding door, which allows users to access the bike park facility. During opening hours (5 am to midnight) this door is released as soon as an authorised person requests access using a banking card, credit card or permanent user card. The card readers for the system were built in by Securiton. The bike park is also fitted with twelve cameras. The video surveillance system installed by Securiton sends live images straight back to the operations centre of the Securitas Regional Headquarters in Basel. Should a glass sliding door fail to open automatically, it can be opened from the Securitas operations centre. If this happens, all the bike park user has to do is contact the centre using an emergency call station and request an emergency door opening.
Geared towards interventions
The various security solutions built in by Securiton allow the operations centre to keep a constant check on what is happening at the bike park. If for example a user is unable to exit an area, the operations centre can use the intercom system to find a solution and guide the person out of the bike park area by other routes. If this is not possible, assistance can be summoned quickly through the assigned facility management company. Video surveillance is also designed to prevent damage to the installations and/or the bicycles. If exceptional circumstances occur, the Canton Police and Securitas can be summoned immediately. The security solutions drawn up by Securiton and Securitas for the Basel St. Johann bike park have now been tried and proven, and are regarded as a pilot project and role model for other bicycle storage facilities in Switzerland.
