Bikes meet cars: WÖHR transforms a multi-storey car park into a mobility hub

Mobility is changing – more and more people are switching to (e-)bikes as an environmentally friendly alternative – including for regular commutes to work. But where should these often expensive bikes be kept during the working day, ideally protected from the weather and theft? After all, bike parking spaces are often in short supply in densely populated areas or on company premises. This is precisely where a new, forward-looking project by WÖHR Autoparksysteme from Friolzheim comes in: during the construction of the Klinikverbund Südwest hospital complex on the Stammheimer Feld III site in Calw, consideration was also given to the many commuters who cycle to work. An intelligent solution – the WÖHR Bikesafe – has been integrated into the new multi-storey car park on the hospital grounds, specifically into a spiral ramp originally intended for motorists entering and leaving the car park.

An innovative best-practice example

An important signal for the future – that is how Calw’s mayor, Florian Kling, describes the new Parksafe on the hospital grounds: “I believe that, in this day and age, bicycle traffic must always be taken into account when building a multi-storey car park. Cycling keeps you healthy, and if you’re given the chance to park your bike safely under cover in the car park, that’s a great thing. The hospital group has taken exactly that into account, which pleases me greatly and shows how forward-thinking and innovative their approach has been.” District Administrator Helmut Riegger is also convinced by the new facility: “With the Bikesafe on the Calw Health Campus, we are promoting sustainable mobility whilst creating practical added value for residents. The collaboration with WÖHR demonstrates how important strong companies are for the positive development and future viability of our region.”

At the opening, Markus Hofheinz, Managing Director of WÖHR Autoparksysteme, explained: “This innovative best-practice example shows how existing car park infrastructure can be reimagined and enhanced with high-quality, secure bicycle parking spaces. This smart idea offers great potential not only for new buildings but also for existing car parks: by integrating the Bikesafe into existing ramp spindles, a hybrid car park of the future is created without the need to build on additional land,” said Markus Hofheinz.

Working towards the mobility of the future for decades

Almost 70 years ago, WÖHR Autoparksysteme – founded in 1902 as a metalworking shop – came up with a brilliant idea: to save even more space in one of its Munich car parks by stacking cars in ‘pairs’ on top of one another using a vertical lift system. Since then, there have been a series of innovations, such as the Parklift, the Combilift and automatic parking systems for cars and bicycles.

Since 2014, the parking experts from Baden-Württemberg have also been thinking about bicycle storage, and at that time presented a world first: an automatic bicycle car park in a tower or shaft version. In 2016, the Bikesafe was developed – which has now been integrated into a conventional car park for the first time on the hospital grounds in Calw.

The ‘bicycle meets car’ principle

The fact that the Bikesafe has now been successfully integrated into a conventional multi-storey car park for the first time is partly thanks to Heike Sulic from the sales team at WÖHR Autoparksysteme. Through research with cycling associations, they discovered that secure storage of their bikes is a top priority for owners – and thus recognised the potential of combined parking solutions. After numerous research trips to car parks, it quickly became clear to both that the upward-opening ramp spindles were ideal for the retrofitting of a Bikesafe. This is how the smart “car meets bike” solution came about. “Thanks to this integration, less ground is sealed, and at the same time the whole thing is significantly more cost-effective,” explains Heike Sulic, the contact person for all enquiries regarding the Bikesafe at WÖHR Autoparksysteme.

What does the Bikesafe look like? In the tower-shaped structure, bicycles are parked securely and space-efficiently behind locked gates. There are a total of 122 parking spaces across 8 levels (usually 16 spaces per level). The Bikesafe is 11.80 metres high and has a diameter of 8.60 metres. All standard bicycle models, including pedelecs and e-bikes weighing up to 30 kg, as well as child seats and panniers, can be stored in the Bikesafe. It is also possible to charge e-bike batteries at a charging station.

Quick and easy: Bikesafe in practice

For future users, the process is incredibly simple, as bike parking in the new Calw hybrid car park is fully automated. Thanks to its modern operating system, both long-term and short-term parkers can drop off and collect their bikes in about 20 seconds. Storing a bike is quick and straightforward: users simply push their bike into a bike rail at the drop-off terminal. There, sensors check whether the bike can be stored based on its weight and dimensions. If it can, a sliding gate opens and the bike can be pushed in as far as the inner stop.

Authorisation for storage is provided as standard for permanent users or long-term tenants via an RFID chip held by the cyclist. For public bike safes, there are alternative authorisation and payment solutions, such as payment by direct debit or debit/credit card. Parking spaces can be conveniently pre-booked via an online booking platform or app. Once authorised, the bicycle is automatically drawn into the shelving system inside the tower and stored in a free space – well protected from the elements and access by third parties.

Hybrid car parks as the future model for urban parking solutions

By integrating Bikesafe into the access spindles of both new and existing car parks, WÖHR Autoparksysteme provides the solution for using parking infrastructure more efficiently, sustainably and cost-effectively. Rather than sealing off new areas, the concept utilises existing structures, transforming a purely car-based infrastructure into a multimodal mobility space.

This creates added value for cities, operators and users alike – without consuming additional land. Particularly in inner-city locations, where space is a scarce commodity, the spindle offers a space-saving solution. The ‘Bikesafe in the Car Park’ project is creating a new understanding of parking space: no longer monofunctional, but flexible and future-oriented. This is how car parks are being made fit for the mobility transition.

Key technical specifications in detail

• WÖHR Bikesafe
• 122 bicycle parking spaces across 8 levels
• Integrated into the central core of the car park
• Requires a floor area of just 50 m²
• E-bike batteries can be charged at a separate charging station
• Operated via RFID chip, online booking platform or mobility card

WÖHR Autoparksysteme GmbH
Daniela Wöhr
Ölgrabenstr. 14
71292 Friolzheim

E-Mail: Daniela.Woehr@woehr.de
Tel: +49 7044 46 140