Portland gets automated car parking: Will robo bike parking be next?

A new, LEED Silver Certified apartment complex in Southeast Portland includes all the expected eco-friendly bells and whistles. But The 20 on Hawthorne will also include the nation’s largest automated car parking system. Check it out in the video below:

According to a press release about the new building from developer Gerding Edlen, the “puzzle parking” system stores cars on “trays” that move up and down and side-to-side. “This system allows for 29 cars to be parked in an area that would typically only accommodate 10.”

It’s also easy to use. Residents simply swipe a card and 30-40 seconds later their car is ready to go.

Sounds like a neat system and it’s great that Gerding Edlen is making more efficient use of space. But this makes me wonder if a local developer will one-up The 20 on Hawthorne and install an automated bike parking garage. Never heard of that? Check out this video from Tokyo:

Space to park bikes will become more of an issue as bike usage rates continue to climb (ask anyone who’s been to Amsterdam), especially at dense housing complexes. I can definitely imagine a local developer installing one of these some day soon.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

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Mike M
Mike M
14 years ago

Soon might be a bit of a stretch. Square footage prices for land are far from urban Japanese prices. We would likely need to have density higher than LA or NYC for an automated bike storage system to pencil out.

The only incentive I can see would be an additional level of bike parking security. Currently most people who live in multi-family housing don’t feel safe leaving an expensive bike anywhere but their unit. This could add a bit of security while getting additional space in a unit.

foz-man
foz-man
14 years ago

I, for one, welcome our new robotic, car parking overlords.

Ma
Ma
14 years ago

Huh? some day soon? An automated parking stall adds about $30k-$50k per stall to the cost of a unit.

I wouldn’t doubt automated bicycle parking would be at least half or a third of that.

So ask yourself: if you were purchasing a unit for $300k, would you then add $about 10k for auto-bike parking, or pay $30k for parking? Or would you pay an additional $1k for a locked storage closet with a wall hook? Even cheaper yet, I keep my bike in my bedroom much to the dissatisfaction of my spouse. 🙂

Most developers, unfortunately, can care less about bike parking because it doesn’t generate revenue as with a car parking stall.

Thane
Thane
14 years ago

Does not look promising for ExtraCycles.

MadKnowledge
Kent Brockman
14 years ago

I would like to remind them that we can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves.

Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
14 years ago

No toiling in the sugar caves for me. I voted for Kodos.

Trev
Trev
14 years ago

Sounds good until it breaks or the power goes out and you can’t get your car/bike.

Oh Word?
Oh Word?
14 years ago

Trev – that’s a great idea. If they put enough of these parking puzzles in, all we have to do is kill the power to have car-free days!

Bingo Sun Noon
14 years ago

Someone asked me recently if Robobike is now offering parking services in Portland.
We are not.
Just custom bikes built in Sellwood.