One of the French truck parking lots offers bicycles to drivers for free. It is a nice gesture and at the same time, a marketing gimmick to help local shops and services get more customers.
In the Dunkerque Security Truckstop car park, located in the small town of Craywick near Dunkirk, drivers can rent a bike for free to get to the stores in the nearest city of Loon-Plage. In May 2018, the authorities of Loon-Plage established a cooperation with the parking lot, under which truckers received leaflets with maps and pictograms informing them about the locations of shops, bakeries, supermarkets, etc. However, it soon turned out that large trucks in the centre of a small town are quite troublesome, which is why Loon-Plage authorities have also decided to create a free bike rental service at Dunkerque Security Truckstop, reports the local daily La Voix Du Nord.
Initially, there were only four bikes available to drivers. Now there are 8. And there might be even more soon because the unusual promotion of local stores was a great success – comments local media. These bikes allow you to leave the truck in a safe place, and at the same time give you access to the city’s commercial and service facilities located just 3 kilometres from the parking lot. Both drivers and local entrepreneurs benefit from this.
800 thousand drivers use the Dunkerque Security Truckstop car park annually. The facility is monitored, fenced and guarded by a security company with dogs.
Depending on the length of stay (from one hour to one day), the price is from 7.50 euros to 31.50 euros. The weekend plan (from Saturday at 12 Monday at 8) costs 49.50 euros.
You can find the parking lot here:
Photo: Youtube.com