As of October 1st, the city of Bruges will designate almost the entire city center as a cycling zone. The current 90 ‘bicycle streets’ will be expanded by an additional 300.
Only the access roads to the city and the De Lijn route will be excluded from the expansion of the bicycle zone. This is necessary to ensure continued accessibility to the city center and the smooth operation of public transport.
“We want to make the city center even more attractive for cyclists, without losing sight of accessibility for other road users,” says Bruges Mayor Dirk De fauw.
Highest number of bicycle streets in Belgium
Less than ten years ago, Bruges introduced its first bicycle streets. Until recently, the city center had 90 bicycle streets or about 13 km of cycling area. With this expansion, the city will soon have approximately 87 kilometers of bicycle streets, which is the highest number in Belgium.
Until recently, according to some sources, the city of Ghent (in Belgium) had Europe’s largest designated cycling area. The city boasts nearly 400km of cycle paths, more than 700 one-way streets where cyclists are allowed to ride against the flow of traffic.
A “bicycle boulevard” is where cars are considered “guests” and must remain behind cyclists. In other countries, for example, Groningen (Netherlands), Copenhagen (Denmark), and Barcelona (Spain) are bicycle-friendly cities.
What is a ‘bicycle street’?
In a so-called ‘bicycle street’, cyclists are allowed to use the entire lane, while cars and motorcycles are prohibited from overtaking. The speed limit is 30 km/hour.
A blue traffic sign featuring a white bicycle and a red car marks the beginning of a bicycle street
Resistance
The announced expansion of the bicycle zone in the center of Bruges has already met with political resistance. Jasper Pillen (Voor Brugge), for example, doesn’t think it’s a good idea.
“It’s impossible to enforce this,” he says. “For many streets, it’s unnecessary, and it will only lead to discussions. Besides, many cyclists feel uncomfortable with a car behind them all the time. Moreover, the fact that some streets are not part of the bicycle zone will only lead to more confusion.”
The political party N-VA in Bruges also accuses the city council of “a lack of long-term vision”.
