International Railroad Discussion > Japanese Park and Ride

JR Narita Town Station.  

Ed

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Let me see...what row did I park in?

Tom Y

Be nice if they have a roof or if it was a large auditorium. Bikes need weather protection, you also improve safety and give thiefs a real hard time.

Geep Wrote:
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> Be nice if they have a roof or if it was a large
> auditorium. Bikes need weather protection, you
> also improve safety and give thiefs a real hard
> time.

I suspect there is not a single bike lock in that lot.

Ray

Probably no locks......but that is changing, unfortunately for Japan.  They sure have changed since I first visited in 1964.  Almost all autos were black (cabs), even men still wore traditional clothing, there were NO tv antennas visible, anywhere, and a massage was only 1000 yen (less than 3 bucks).  Almost no litter and you never saw any homeless (doesn't mean they weren't there).  

Ed

 

Ray_Murphy Wrote:
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> Geep Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Be nice if they have a roof or if it was a
> large
> > auditorium. Bikes need weather protection, you
> > also improve safety and give thiefs a real hard
> > time.
>
> I suspect there is not a single bike lock in that
> lot.
>
> Ray

Observant people might notice that there are no mountain bikes, no 10 speeds, nothing fancy in the bike lot. In other words, there is no sign of bicycle vanity in the lot, hence little financial incentive to steal.

These are your typical commute/errand bicycles, with front baskets and 1-3 speeds (gears). Nickname for these are "Mama-chari" or mom's bicycle. :-)  Many can be bought new around 10,000 yen (less than $100), and they are worth much less used. 

Bicycle thefts do happen occasionally, but not for money. Someone (or a drunk) in a hurry sometimes snags one to get somewhere faster than walking, and leaves/dumps the bicycle at the destination. People who put nametags on their bikes (most do) often get them back after such a theft. Why steal for money when many people already have them and won't pay a thief for one?

I've rented these types of bicycles at train stations to speed up my tourism. 300-600 yen per half day to a day ($3 to $6), depending on the vendor. They don't ride too well, gearing too tall for climbing hills, but they get you there quicker than walking, and way more economical than paying 730 yen for the first 2 km onboard a taxi.

Geep Wrote:
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> Be nice if they have a roof or if it was a large
> auditorium. Bikes need weather protection, you
> also improve safety and give thiefs a real hard
> time.

The bicycle lot at Narita is one of many thousands in the Kanto Region (Tokyo Metropolitan area), and there are many with roofs, or with functional covers, for example, elevated structures with railroad tracks running above.

You won't see too many bicycle lots in downtown areas, because many destinations are accessible by walking, but the more populous suburban cities outside Tokyo usually have dedicated (covered) structures for bicycles, and you'll find them 1-2 city blocks away from almost any central station in Japan.

FYI, except for an international airport nearby, Narita is considered a rural area, relatively speaking, where the main industry is agriculture. Even if the City of Narita has a population of ~130,000, the rapid transition from city to farm is very noticeable while driving or riding a train through the area. The simple, uncovered bike lot sort of symbolizes the area's rural feel.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/06/16 09:02 by cchan006.

Auburn_Ed Wrote:
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> JR Narita Town Station.  
>
> Ed

Nice timing with the Narita (Airport) Express and a Plasser-Theurer equipment in the background.

I seem to remember Kurashiki had a multi storey bike park adjacent to the station.

Hartington Wrote:
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> I seem to remember Kurashiki had a multi storey
> bike park adjacent to the station.

Yup. It's on the west side of the south entrance to the JR station, but right smack on top of the Mizushima Seaside Railway station - I was there last May, and remember seeing it - there will be a report on that charming little railroad later.

There's also an underground bike park on the north side of the JR station, which I walked by (or on top of) on my way to another railfan mission.

When I was in Japan 30 years ago most bikes had locks. The lock was a metal finger attached to the fork that, when locked, ran between the spokes so the wheel wouldn't turn.