Just over a quarter of the bike paths on Flemish regional roads, or 2,623 km (26%) of a total network estimated at over 10,000 km, do not meet safety standards and are not sufficiently elevated or separated from the roadway.

The province of Limburg has the highest proportion of dangerous road stretches (30%), Antwerp the lowest (21%), and among the central cities, Genk has only 6%, compared to a surprising 34% in the cycling-friendly city of Ghent.

“Many cities and local governments are investing in bicycle safety, but the Flemish government is failing to do so on its roads”, says Flemish Parliament member Bogdan Vanden Berghe (Groen). The Cyclists Union/Fietsersbond also criticizes the policy.

No more unsafe bike paths

Because many dangerous bike lanes remain, Groen is calling for a “project of the century for bicycle safety,” like Oosterweel, the major infrastructure project on the Antwerp Ring Road for both highway and bicycle traffic. The party wants Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) to present a detailed plan with a clear timeline for eliminating all unsafe bike paths.

Groen also wants the minister to allocate the funds in the next Integrated Investment Program (GIP), which consolidates all investments in its area of responsibility.

“For De Ridder, bicycle safety doesn’t seem to be a real political priority,” says Vanden Berghe. “There are no clear deadlines, no measurable interim goals, and no guarantees.” He does acknowledge, however, that building bike paths is a long-term endeavor, which is why he also advocates for temporary measures.

“For example, you could temporarily place concrete blocks in many locations. Another solution is to lower the speed limit on the most dangerous roads.”

Second cycling region in Europe

In a statement, Flemish Minister De Ridder emphasizes that around 300 million euros are currently invested in bicycle infrastructure each year, compared to 80 million euros in the past. “And these efforts are yielding results. Flanders is now ranked second among cycling regions in Europe, behind the Netherlands.

“We should certainly be a little prouder of that. Of course, the work isn’t finished: we want to make every bike path safer. So, we are definitely making progress,” De Ridder says.

At the same time, the minister says it is impractical to build separate bike lanes everywhere. “There isn’t always enough space, especially in built-up areas, and it isn’t necessary everywhere either. Much depends on the road layout and the applicable speed limits,” says De Ridder, who concludes that the Flemish bike network is, in fact, exceptional.

“Go for a bike ride in Wallonia, France, Spain, or Portugal and look for separate bike paths outside the major cities. You won’t find many,” though you could just as easily cite Germany or the Netherlands as a counterexample of how it should be done.

Separating bike and motor vehicle traffic

The Cyclist Union/Fietsersbond has also responded critically, primarily because the 2026 budget shows that the amount is 229 million euros, not 300 million euros. “And Europe’s second-best cycling region? That’s great. But for anyone cycling on a dangerous stretch of road today, a comparison with Spain isn’t much help. We measure ourselves against the frontrunners,” says spokesperson Wies Callens.

The mobility organization Touring, for its part, says that not every bike path needs to be designed the same way. For example, a physical barrier is desirable on certain roads – separating bike and motor vehicle traffic is inherently the safest option, according to the Roads and Traffic Agency – but it is not necessary or technically feasible everywhere.

Furthermore, not every regional road needs to have a bike lane. “When there are viable alternatives, it can sometimes be better to reserve a road for motorized traffic rather than trying to accommodate everyone everywhere. Touring advocates addressing the most dangerous locations first.

A recent report by the European Transport Safety Council explicitly advocates physically separating cyclists and motorized traffic (protected lanes, separate bike paths, safe intersections) as soon as speeds exceed 30 kph, identifying this as the key lever for reversing the rise in cycling fatalities.

More than 40% of all bicycle fatalities in Europe occur on rural or country roads. These are precisely the types of roads where mixed traffic is still common (without a separate bike lane) and where speeds are high.

Still too many bicycle fatalities

In 2025, 464 people in Belgium died within 30 days of a traffic accident. That represents a 1.1% decrease compared to 2024. However, the number of accidents and victims is rising, particularly among two-wheeled vehicles – 18% of those who died within 30 days were cyclists.

In total, there were 82 fatalities within 30 days, of which 48 were on bicycles, 33 on electric bicycles, and 1 on a speed pedelec. The number of seriously injured cyclists also rose sharply by 11.1%.