Slowly but surely, the Brussels-Capital Region is transforming its Small Ring Road from a city motorway into a city boulevard as a new stretch of the city's infamous ochre-coloured cycle path has been created in the north of the city centre.
By installing the new cycle path on the part of the Boulevard Baudouin between the Boulevard Albert II and the Chaussée d'Anvers – a very traffic-heavy stretch of road – cyclists and pedestrians will have more room to move around safely, announced Brussels State Secretary for Urbanism Pascal Smet on Thursday.
"Finally, another piece of the Small Ring has been transformed from a city highway to a city boulevard," Smet said on Twitter, adding that the road now has trees, as well as comfortable and safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
The redesign is part of the project to build cycle lanes along the entire Small Ring Road, with plans to give the public space along the road a facelift. "The small ring was a real motorway in the city centre, with little or no space for pedestrians and cyclists. This project gives a whole new look to a heritage from an era when cars dominated the streets."
Once the last permit for the project was obtained in July 2018, the works could officially start. Currently, they are in full progress and have already been completed in several places. "The Brussels Small Ring Road is transforming from an open car drain into an inviting city boulevard with plenty of space for pedestrians and cyclists and with many more trees and bushes."
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By giving more attention to pedestrians and cyclists, the quality of life in and around the Brussels city centre will get better, Smet said. "And thanks to a much clearer traffic situation, the circulation of transit traffic on the main road and in the tunnels will also improve."
