Brussels Mobility has launched a campaign to get the Brussels expat community on bikes. Ambassadors from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Botswana, New Zealand, Bosnia, and Slovenia in Belgium are “not influencers, but real ambassadors” and are pulling the campaign.

The Brussels Capital Region has the largest expat community in Europe, with 220 000 people making up 20% of the Brussels population. “Through this campaign, we want to encourage all Brussels residents, including expats, to cycle more often,” says Brussels Mobility, the Brussels Capital Region’s regional mobility service.

13% more cyclists per year

Brussels today has 512 kilometers of marked and separated cycle paths, twice as many as a decade ago. “Brussels has long been labeled a car city, but the capital is changing,” says Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), Minister for Mobility in the Brussels Capital Region. “So many new and safe cycling facilities have been created in the capital of Europe.”

For example, there are currently 36 606 public bike parking spaces, a tripling compared to 2014. Meanwhile, there are also 7 681 shared bicycles circulating in the region.

The number of bicycle journeys in Brussels has tripled in ten years, and the number of cyclists in Brussels increased by around 13% yearly. In June, the record for the highest number of cyclists in a single day, at 50 000, was also broken for the first time.

Brussels wants to double the number of cyclists by 2024 and triple it by 2030. To achieve that goal, it has launched a bicycle action plan.

Ambassador routes

Besides launching a campaign to get expats to cycle more, Brussels Mobility has also launched new cycling routes for the summer months. These routes are open to cyclists of all kinds, both sporty and recreational. The aim is to explore parks and discover historic neighborhoods and monuments in the city. There is also an ambassador route, linking the favorite spots of the campaign’s eight ambassadors.

To quote some of them, for example, Diana Reaich, ambassador for New Zealand in Belgium. “I love cycling in Brussels,” says Reaich, “especially because I am always faster everywhere than my husband who takes the car.”

She thinks New Zealand can learn a lot from Brussels about biking around. “I think Brussels has done a very good job, it’s a great place to ride your bike. New Zealand has great bike lanes outside the city, but when it comes to urban transport, Brussels could still be looked at.

Odd Sinding, Danish Ambassador to Belgium, also loves cycling around Brussels. Yet he indicates that Brussels could still learn a thing or two from Denmark. “In Denmark, there are more bike lanes than here. I still must get used to maneuvering between cars, but I do notice that it is going in the right direction. In Denmark, bicycle transport is part of our DNA. Belgium still must learn to see cycling not just as a leisure activity.”

Safer city for cyclists

Van den Brandt agrees that there is still work to be done. “The first cyclists in Brussels were often expats. Not everyone from the expat community is already on a bike, hence targeted campaigns to them. Still, we owe a lot to them. They have pioneered the development of the cycling culture that is steadily emerging in Brussels,” Van den Brandt believes.

“The cycling culture in the Netherlands is also a result of political choices. If you build bike paths, more cyclists will come. The city you design is the city you get. What can be done there can also be done in Brussels and Belgium,” she says.

“Brussels has long been a city tailored to the car. We are catching up, cycling infrastructure is the first step toward a safer city for cyclists. We still have a way to go, but the noses are in the right direction.”