The parking space is recognized via markings on the pavement and an icon. There are no bike racks in the space and cyclists must use their bike stand to park there. The municipality expects to reduce the amount of bike parking nuisance with this measure. The trial will last 3 months.
The bike parking spaces seem to do their job well according to an evaluation done in 2009. The spaces are mostly used by cyclists for short term parking. Their advantage is that they require little explanation and can accommodate many bikes in a small area. However, when there is excessive parking this measure has limited benefit. The Zaandam municipality removed some bike racks from the city center earlier this year and replaced them with parking spaces marked in blue. This meant that bikes could no longer be supported by a rack, nor be chained to it – a measure that the municipality hopes will discourage long-term parking.