It all started with the love of sports and bicycles. 'The bicycle has always been with me, and the emerging new cycling paths only increase the desire to ride. The idea for bicycle parking was born precisely from observation and, unfortunately, the lack of modern parking space for cyclists in our country, says Jacek Firliciński. And it is not about the usual bike racks, because there are plenty of those in Wroclaw and other cities. It's about a multi-storey parking system, which, due to its functionality, allows parking twice the amount of bicycles in one place. 'We looked for modern bike parking examples all over Europe. We wanted to learn from the best, and ultimately we chose the Netherlands, a country in which the bicycle is an indispensable partner in the life of every citizen, stresses the Polish representative of FALCO B.V.
But what is it?
As always in any business, the beginning is hard and requires patience. It was no different in this case. 'When we first showed our multi-storey bicycle parking to potential customers, I heard "But what is it? How does it work?", says Jacek Firliciński.
After three years in business, things became a little easier. The company from Wroclaw succeeded in building bike parking spots in several underground garages of modern office buildings in Poland. It was difficult, because every square meter there is very valuable.
The company has won projects in Warsaw or Krakow. Three investments were also completed in Wroclaw. Office buildings such as Dominican Center and Green Day in ul. Szczytnicka can be proud of new multi-storey bicycle parking for employees. A Falco Span bike shed was also created in Plac Teatralny 7-8. The company also provided bike racks free of charge for the Primary School No. 34 in Wroclaw in ul. Gałczyńskiego.
More takers every year
More and more companies in Wroclaw cater to the needs of employees commuting to work on bicycles. In 2014, Credit Agricole and the European Leasing Fund opened a special secure parking with a mini bike service station in their office building. Bikers can also count on a spot for their two-wheelers in the IBM office building at ul. Muchoborska, or by the Aquarius Business House. Also public offices and universities have the cyclists in mind, as well as managers of train stations. And this is where FALCO also sees potential.
'We want to continue to actively participate in the construction of modern cycling infrastructure in Poland. We would like to interest city authorities, schools, the National Railway PKP SA, the coach operator PKS in our products, and we could launch pilot projects for them, e.g. a bicycle parking and a bike shed, emphasizes the owner.
See more pictures - FALCO on Facebook
There are more cyclists on the streets of Wroclaw every year, and the number of places where one can safely leave their bike needs to grow, too.
