Anyone who regularly visits Alkmaar station has probably already noticed: the number of bicycles outside the parking facilities is growing by the day. “Be crazy! Put your bike in a rack!”, says a sign at the station since today. From next Monday, all illegally parked bicycles will be removed.
If you look past the bicycle chaos, you will see that the top two rows of the bicycle parking outside still have enough space. The municipality also confirms this. There are two free large bicycle sheds outside, at the front and back, and there is also a covered, paid bicycle shed.
Nevertheless, the station square is now almost full. “I was waiting for a friend. And yes, all the bicycles are here, so you can quickly grab it again, otherwise you have to walk all the way up or go inside,” a 17-year-old Alkmaarder tells NH News.
Roos Kuipers (16) from Alkmaar: “To be honest, I put him here out of laziness.” In addition, she admits that it is not necessarily a conscious action. “I hadn’t seen the sign and will now put it somewhere else.” She does indicate that there is little enforcement. “They kind of let it get to that point themselves.”
Two Alkmaar friends aged 19 and 17 blame the cycling problem on herd behaviour. “If there is one bicycle, the other thinks ‘oh then I will put it here too’. Real herd behavior. I don’t see boas walking or anything here either, so that doesn’t really help.”
But they also mention another reason: just really not enough space for bicycles. “I think it’s also getting busier with students, you just can’t park your bike anywhere, only at the back.”
The video below shows the bicycle chaos on the square of Alkmaar station. Text continues below video.
Both the municipality and the NS are done with the bicycle nuisance on the square. According to NS spokesperson Carola Belderbos, the entrance to the station should not only be accessible and clean, but also look pleasant. Enforcers from the municipality will soon be walking around together with NS personnel. “We will therefore actively address people.”
The cleanup campaign starts Monday, November 21. The municipality does make a distinction wrecked and illegally parked bicycles in good condition.