Brussels proposes new developments for Rue Belliard to help cyclists

Brussels is aiming to improve conditions for cycling on the quasi-motorway that is Rue Belliard in the heart of the city's EU district.

For now, the bike paths are still separated from the road by temporary concrete blocks, but the region wants to replace these with more permanent infrastructure and coloured strips as seen on parallel major route Rue de la Loi.

Work would start at the end of the year, at the earliest. In addition, the regional government also wants to put reflectors on the Rue de la Loi cycle lanes to make them more visible.

In 2019 the concrete blocks were erected as a temporary solution to separate the two cycle paths from the road. Three years later, an application for a permit was submitted for a total separation from cars to bikes, along with an elevated cycle path and three lanes.

But on the advice of the capital’s renovation and planning organisation Urban.brussels, these plans have been modified. Only one elevated cycle path will remain in place, keeping the four lanes of traffic.

“The cycle paths will be painted ochre and, as in Rue de la Loi, reflectors will be installed,” said Urban.brussels spokesperson Pieterjan Desmet. Their aim is to stop motorists going into the wrong lane, as had happened in Rue de la Loi.

Other modifications on the section of Rue Belliard between the Cinquantenaire and Leopold parks are for an elevated cycle path and for the removal of 15 parking spaces to make room for 12 trees.

“A permit application will be submitted in June,” said Desmet. “If approved, work could begin in December,” he added, with the project taking around six months.

Reducing the Rue Belliard to three lanes remains the long-term goal, according to mobility minister Elke van den Brandt.