An Example in Kita City of Tokyo

There are severel "Kita-ku" in Japan. Almost all of them are wards of the ordinance-designated cities such as Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and so on. But "Kita-ku" of Tokyo Metropolis is one of the 23 local goverment nearly equal to the city. So "Kita-ku" of Tokyo should be called Kita City.

City Authority's Thought about Bicycle
from the Documents and the Official Home Page

Examinning Kita City authority's thought about bicycle from administrative documents and the official home page, we will find contemptous, sorting and deterrent attitude to the bicycle and the user. Such a literal feature is extreme more than any other local governments in Tokyo metropolis and most of them in Japan.
(Please reference with "Situation of Bicycle in Japanese Cities").

With the Re-development and the Change of the Landscape

More than one decade, through the "buble" economy era, because of re-development, the landscape of Akabane and Oji is so changed that the situation and usefulness to the bicycle and user are to be worse.


Northeast side of Akabane Station (2002.2.7)
A space under the overpass is utilized as bicycle parking. Strange to say, it is not for the commuter but for the shop passenger, maneged by the affiliated organization of the railway company. There is a space which can and should be utilezed as a bicycle parking along the station.




South side of Akabane Station (2002.2.7)
There are many bicycles at the nearest area to the shopping mall on the concourse of the station, and the farthest area from the bicycle paeking (left). There are large super markets at the southwest of the station. So these bicycles indecate their prosperity (right). This is the most south bicycle parking of Akabane station, farthest from the entrances of the station. It has one of the best color arrangement in the pulic institutions in Kita City. It seems to be bright in it. But it is dark around here and passenger is few, so dangerous especially at night for woman (under).


Jujo station (2002.2.7)
The shopping malls extend nearby the station. So an bicycle parking is far from the station, requesting more than 10 minutes' walk through the mall from the station and, needless to say, difficult to find and use.


Higashi-Jujo station (2002.2.7)
The entrance of the station is on the overpass, much higher than the bicycle parking, so far from the station and difficult to acsess practically.


Oji-kamiya and Nishigahara (2002.2.7)
Both of them are on the ground of subway Namboku line. A few of the side of the pavement is desinated as bicycle parking, Needless to say, it is insufficient to need to park bicycle. So bicycles are parked in front of super market nearby (left), and some of them are treated as illegal (right). But more space is able to utilize as bicycle parking nearby both area.


"Hokutopia" and the north side of Oji station (2002.2.7)
"Hokutopia" is public cultural institute building which has halls, conference rooms and planetarium, constructed in the "buble" era, changed landscape nearby Oji station (left). Bicycle parkings at northen side of Oji station are far from the station and the shops, some of them are difficult to find, any of them need fee (right).

Comlexed Relations with others

Public bicycle parkings in Kita City are constructed or designated comparatively effectively and economically without extravagance. And the attitude of manegement employee to the bicycle and the user is not so bad. Kita City authority aims at promoting to make relations other orgakizations. It will make better the quality of the bicycle parkings and the manement employee to some degree, on the other hand, worse the usefulness and heavier the cost which the user have to pay. So it means making difficulty for bicycle user as a way of transpotation in city. We should remember that bicycle user can use such a bicycle parking without fee or reserve in Europe and America.


Bicycle parking at the east side of Oji station (2002.2.7)
The bicycle parking under the overpass of Tohoku & Joetsu Shinkansen line is managed by Kita City. But the latter next to the former is managed by the affiliated organization of tokyo Metropolitan government, so that it raises complexed relations in management and unusefullness to the user. Nearby here is being re-developed, I'm afraid whether these bicyle parkings will be kept or not.


South entrance of Oji station (left) & Bicycle parking at the north side of Oji station (right) (2002.2.7)
There are no bicycle parkings at the south side of JR Oji station. Comming from south of the station (eg. Asukayama and Nishigahara), train passengers parks their own bicycles nearby entrance. A shopping centre is on the north side of Oji station. The bicycle parking maneged by city is next to the shopping centre. who bought more than 1000 yen in the centre need not pay parking fee (100 yen).




Around Komagone Station (2002.2.7)
As for Komagome station, Namboku line of Eidan subway and the west entrance of JR Yamanote line at Toshima City (left pic.), the east entrance at Kita City (right pic.). Toshima City constructed the underground bicycle parking that costs most expensive costs of maintenance bisides construction (without saying, this is shifted to the user!) and able to park fewer bicycles, and has left not utilized the above-ground part on that. So some bicycle users park their bicycles on the street nearby Rikugien garden at Bunkyo City(under). At Kita City, on the othre hand, utilizing the space along the railroad track, bicycle parking is made without waste cost and become easy to utilize.
Please reference with "An Example in Toshima City".

(Feb.11.2002)