The Brussels-Capital Region transformed a section of the Avenue Louise into a bicycle street, covering the road between Place Stéphanie and Rue du Bailli in ochre-coloured asphalt on Sunday.
The first bicycle street in Brussels was introduced on Avenue Louise, between Rue de la Vallée and Place Stéphanie, in 2013. Now, more than eight years later, the Region is creating a bicycle street in the other direction as well.
"Watch the birth of a bicycle street on a rainy Sunday in August," said Brussels Minister for Mobility and Public Works Elke Van den Brandt on Twitter, accompanied by a video of the asphalt being laid.
Assister à la naissance ??♀️ d’une rue cyclable au dimanche pluvieux d’août ?. Bekijk de geboorte ?♀️?? van een fietsstraat op een regenachtige zondag in augustus?. #Louise #Louiza #Maintain @BXLmobilite @dimitristrobbe pic.twitter.com/EZ9T1R0vp7
— Elke Van den Brandt (@elkevdbrandt) August 22, 2021
The transformation of the parallel road along Avenue Louise is the first phase in constructing new bicycle infrastructure between Place Stéphanie and one of the entrances of the Bois de la Cambre.
In total, three more projects will follow, with the next one taking place on 4 and 5 September, and the final works happening at the end of September and October, according to Dimitri Strobbe of Brussels Mobility.
"I paid a lot of attention to the quality and to making the [sewer] covers as flat as possible," he tweeted, adding that they are made "as flat as possible without an edge: much better for the comfort of the many cyclists."
Trots dat we deksels nu zo goed en vlak mogelijk zonder rand aanleggen: veel beter voor het comfort van de vele fietsers. ?? pic.twitter.com/lVcMygBWC6
— Dimitri Strobbe ? (@dimitristrobbe) August 22, 2021
Motorised vehicles are still allowed to use bicycle streets, but they cannot exceed the maximum of 30 km/h, and they are not allowed to overtake cyclists.
