Search form

menu menu
  • Daily & Weekly newsletters
  • Buy & download The Bulletin
  • Comment on our articles

Cycling in Brussels up 44% on first day of school year

15:58 03/09/2020

The start of the new academic year saw a 44% surge in the number of people cycling to school or work, new stats from Brussels Environment reveal.

On 1 September, some 9,576 cyclists were recorded at seven counting points along some of the busiest cycling routes in the capital - that's up by almost 3,000 compared to the same day last year.

Two of the most popular routes were streets that have recently benefited from new cycle paths.

Boulevard Général Jacques in Etterbeek saw a 51% increase in cycle traffic, with 2,203 bikes recorded in a single day. Rue de la Loi had 2,297 cyclists, an increase of 455 compared with this time last year.

The number of bikes using Boulevard du Souverain in Auderghem almost trebled, from 421 to 1,123.

Written by The Bulletin

Comments

USExpat56

I've been biking to work almost every day since I moved here over a year ago. I biked to work every day back in the States as well. I've done this for awhile. However, I am still adjusting to the lack of courtesy among so many bicyclists here.

I am used to a basic courtesy of passing on the left and letting the biker or pedestrian you are passing know you are coming up to pass - either by saying "On the Left" or ringing a bell. A courtesy observed by well over 90% of bicyclists back home.

I am very cautious with cars on roads - making sure to make eye contact at turns and roundabouts. I also wear bright colors and lights on front and back of bike.

With that said, my closest incidents of a crash have been with bikers who lack courtesy. Is there a Biking Etiquette in Belgium?

Sep 4, 2020 08:33
Frank Lee

USEXPAT56,
Yes, there is among people who have traveled that way for years.
The problem is with the new adopters. As a pedestrian, I am now terrified of bikers and scooters flying by on the sidewalks in the town center.

Sep 4, 2020 10:24