Cycling reporter Lara on the road in Hamburg First bike, then bus and train!
Bike reporter Lara is on the road in Hamburg on her bike and tells you about the most exciting stories, projects and people who are committed to cycling in our city. Go on a discovery tour with Lara and find out why Hamburg is twice as much fun from a bike.
Park+Ride has been established in and around Hamburg for a long time and is certainly familiar to you: You park your car at the underground or S-Bahn station, whiz to work by train or bus and then spend ages looking for a parking space in your neighbourhood on the way home. The whole thing is easier and more climate-friendly if you exchange your car for a bicycle. Cycle reporter Lara tried out for you how Bike+Ride (B+R) works with a borrowed bike on the one hand and with your own bike on the other.
There are now 109 B+R stations in Hamburg - everywhere between Rissen and Bergedorf and between Ohlstedt and Harburg. Here, bicycles can be parked in a theft-proof and easily accessible manner. A total of 25,200 parking spaces are available in Hamburg today, and 1,200 new spaces are to be created every year. By 2013, their number is to be increased to 40,000.
Lara rides the first part of her journey on her own bike. She looks out for one of the unmistakable B+R signs: a black B+R on a white background with a blue frame around it. After a few minutes, she arrives at the B+R station Hoheluftbrücke, right next to the underground station of the same name. Here she locks her bike to one of the ironing systems that are part of the free parking facilities.
Depending on the B+R station, there are free parking facilities, with or without a roof. A little more security and, on top of that, the guarantee that there will always be a parking space available are offered by the premium parking spaces. These are either secure rental spaces in bicycle boxes or collective locking systems. Many B+R stations also have lockers and charging facilities for pedelecs and e-bikes. The use of a collective bicycle locking system or a bicycle box currently costs 90 euros per year or 24 euros per quarter.
In her rented locker, Lara stows her helmet and the rain pants she brought along as a precaution. Thanks to the charging function in her locker, she could also charge an e-bike battery here. But now it's time for Lara to board the train for a comfortable ride into the city. She covers the rest of her way on one of the 3,100 StadtRÄDER, which can be rented and returned at 250 stations throughout Hamburg. Now Lara just has to make sure she picks up her bike again at the B+R station Hoheluftbrücke on her way back.
With B+R, Lara not only saved herself the hassle of looking for a parking space and standing in traffic jams, she also made a climate-friendly journey and feels fresh and energetic thanks to the short exercise session. Outside rush hours and at weekends, she could also take her bike on the underground and S-Bahn, but with B+R she is much more flexible - both in terms of the return journey and the choice of seats.
