The city of Turku, Finland has plans to launch three experiments this fall to find ways to promote cycling. The tests will run for four months and aim to facilitate parking, provide new services, and encourage low-carbon mobility.
Earlier this year, the municipality conducted a competition to find companies that could take part in developing the experiments. The city selected three companies to provide innovative ways of promoting cycling.
Project Manager Stella Aaltonen commented on the upcoming experiments, noting: “The city of Turku has received many hopes for improving bicycle parking. With regard to electric bicycles in particular, there has been a need for both the possibility of charging electric bicycles and safe parking. The selected experiments meet the presented needs.”
Latauspolku – a manufacturer of charging cabinets – has designed the world’s first charging cabinet for electric bicycle batteries. The cabinets provide a service that allows cyclists to leave the batteries of their electric bicycles to recharge while they go about their day. To counter the risk of the batteries catching fire, the cabinets can automatically detect the ignition of a fire and put it out immediately. The cabinets also monitor batteries using heat and gas sensors – in the event of a leak, the charging cabinets will automatically switch off the charging current.
The Kaseka company has created an enclosed space where cyclists can safely park their bicycles without having to worry about theft and vandalism. To park in the garage, the rider purchases a ticket at the price of 1 euro (~$1.17 US) per 48 hours.
MarshallAI has created a system for real-time monitoring and analysis of bicycle parking. The system will use technology to gather data on the duration of parking, utilisation of parking areas, and effects of weather on the number of bicycles.
The city expects that, based on the information gathered by the three experiments, new solutions can be developed to improve and promote cycling in Turku.