More room for bikes, less for cars on Rue Belliard

One of Brussels' most congested streets, Rue Belliard in the EU district, will lose one of its five lanes from next week - to make way for two cycle paths.

The busy artery out of the city centre will shrink to four lanes from 6 May. On either side of the traffic will be a one-way bike line, which will be separated by concrete blocks.

Work redesigning the street began at the weekend. In the short term, no changes are being made to the narrow pavements, but they could be widened in the future once renovation works have been carried out on the Belliard tunnel.

The addition of two new cycle paths aims to provide an alternative to the Rue de la Loi, where large numbers of bikes must share space with pedestrians on a narrow pavement.