‘Belgium’s road network quality at a new low, behind Uzbekistan’

Belgium has a bad reputation regarding the quality of its road network, but now the country seems to have reached a new low. According to a recent study by the World Economic Forum, Belgium ranks 61st for road quality out of 119 countries surveyed. That is even lower than countries such as Uzbekistan and Rwanda. Three years ago, we were still in 21st place.

But what do the Belgians themselves think of this? According to the annual Urban Road Safety Index by Cyclomedia, market leader in mobile mapping systems, 37% of Brussels’ residents are afraid to hit the road due to the risk of accidents. In Antwerp, this is 31%, and in Namur, 20% are afraid of traffic accidents. The poor quality of the roads plays a major role in this.

Specific desires

In Brussels and Namur, 63% and 64% respectively think that the roads cause dangerous situations. In Antwerp, 51% of residents share this concern. However, despite the concerns, most Belgians – 59% in Brussels, 55% in Antwerp, and 52% in Namur – are satisfied with the actions their local administrators are taking to improve road safety.

However, some Belgians have specific desires. In Antwerp, residents mainly plead for better separations between different types of roads (60%), better cycle paths (47%), and clearer intersections (35%). Brussels residents in turn argue for better separations (55%), more road lighting (30%) and better road markings (29%). In Namur, better separations (49%) and cycle paths (39%) are also at the top, but better road markings (37%) come third.

Tunnels and bridges

Safer bridges, viaducts and tunnels are also high on the agenda when it comes to road safety in Belgium. These concerns are not unfounded: as many as three in ten bridges in Flanders are in moderate to very poor condition. More than half of these bridges date from before the 1970s. That is why the Flemish government is carrying out major renovation works at 41 locations this year, with sixteen new bridges and seven tunnels.

Bas Brinkman, Global Director of Marketing at Cyclomedia: “Belgian cities face major road safety challenges, especially now that infrastructure is increasingly burdened.”

Cyclomedia provides cities and municipalities with information about the condition of roads, bridges, viaducts, and tunnels. Thanks to the data, urban authorities can implement targeted improvements to the existing infrastructure.