One in three Flemings thinks cycling is unsafe. This is apparent at the kick-off of VeloVeilig Vlaanderen, HLN’s action on bicycle safety. Half of the cyclists send their children into the street with a scared heart. “Cycling safety is a vicious circle: the more cyclists, the fewer cars, the safer.”
–
The Belgian and his bicycle, that’s great love. More than ever we take the electric bicycle to work, we guide our offspring on their two-wheeler towards the school gate, on Sundays we click en masse in the racing bicycle and nowadays we fall head over heels for bak, cargo and longtail bicycles. Very strong, that marriage. Until the duo has to go on public roads. Cars, buses, trucks, cycle paths that are too narrow, the lack of space to cycle, dangerous intersections: the list of spoilsports is long. One in three Flemish people even consider cycling downright unsafe. This is apparent at the kick-off of VeloVeilig Vlaanderen, the largest bicycle survey that HLN is launching today in collaboration with P&V Verzekeringen.
–
No less than 58 percent gives Flanders a bad report in terms of bicycle safety. And we want to do something about that. For a week, from 9 to 15 May, everyone will be able to report dangerous bicycle points via the HLN app. This way you warn other cyclists, you let the government know where there is still work to be done and you make cycling safer for everyone.
–
This content includes cookies from social media or other external platforms. Because you have disabled these cookies, this content will remain hidden. Please accept social media cookies to still display the content.
–
–
–
–
This content includes cookies from social media or other external platforms. Because you have disabled these cookies, this content will remain hidden. Please accept social media cookies to still display the content.
–
–
–
–
Vicious circle
Much needed, as it turns out, because no matter how much we love our steel steed, half of the cyclists send their offspring onto the track with a small heart. “Cycling is, however, not significantly less safe than any other means of transport per kilometer driven,” says Stijn Daniels, director of the knowledge center at the Vias traffic institute and mobility professor. “But while the number of accidents involving cars has fallen over the past ten years, this has not been the case for cyclists. That worries us. Almost half (44%) of all traffic deaths in built-up areas in Flanders are currently cyclists. And yet we will never advise against cycling, on the contrary. It is healthy, pleasant and environmentally friendly.”
–
“We are in a vicious circle,” Wies Callens of the Fietsersbond remarks. “If you don’t think it’s safe to let your son or daughter cycle to school, you quickly bring them by car… which in turn makes it less safe for children who still venture through traffic. The more cyclists, the fewer cars, the safer.”
–
This content includes cookies from social media or other external platforms. Because you have disabled these cookies, this content will remain hidden. Please accept social media cookies to still display the content.
–
–
–
–
This content includes cookies from social media or other external platforms. Because you have disabled these cookies, this content will remain hidden. Please accept social media cookies to still display the content.
–
–
–
–
Claim place
A solution as clear as a cube, then. Not for many Flemish people: half give the condition of the bicycle paths in their neighborhood an insufficient, half think that there are even just too few. “A good infrastructure remains the cornerstone,” says Daniels. “Cyclists should be given their place as much as possible near schools, in residential areas and village centers.”
–
The Fietsersbond adds: “And they must also claim it. You don’t have to hit the curb. In the first place, cities and municipalities must make clear choices, not want to do good for everyone. You cannot provide both a parking lane and a smooth flow for cars and build safe cycle paths. Opting for bicycle streets and bicycle zones and thus redistribute the space are relatively minor interventions that can be done with a limited budget, but which make cyclists feel welcome.”
–
This content includes cookies from social media or other external platforms. Because you have disabled these cookies, this content will remain hidden. Please accept social media cookies to still display the content.
–
–
–
–
This content includes cookies from social media or other external platforms. Because you have disabled these cookies, this content will remain hidden. Please accept social media cookies to still display the content.
–
–
–
–
328 million euros
There is a lot of work to be done to make Flanders bicycle-safe, that much is clear. Because although the Minister of Mobility, Lydia Peeters, is allocating a historically high budget of 328 million euros this year for the construction of safe and comfortable cycling infrastructure, 48 percent of Flemish people believe that there is still insufficient investment in bicycle paths and safety. “However, we foresee a lot of work to get the road tailored to the child,” responds the minister. “Because what is good and safe for a child is good and safe for everyone. 17.5 million euros will go to school route bottlenecks on regional roads, for example. We are investing 5 million in illuminated pedestrian and bicycle crossings and 225 million in, among other things, tackling dangerous points.”
–
“The big problem is that we are lagging behind enormously,” concludes the Fietsersbond. “What is signed now will be realized within five to ten years. Who would have thought then that we would now be riding e-bikes, cargo bikes and speed pedelecs? A report from the Court of Audit from 2019 states that with the investment program at the time, when 100 million euros a year was earmarked for cyclists, we would need another 50 years to get all cycle paths along regional roads to a qualitative level. That’s huge. Today the budget is higher, but we are not there yet.”
–
