Of the one-way bike lanes along Flemish regional roads, barely 5.4% meet the new standards set out in the Fietsvademecum (Cyling guide), according to figures requested by Flemish MP for the socialist Vooruit party Annick Lambrecht.
The Cycling guide was thoroughly updated in 2022 and sets stricter standards for bicycle paths. From now on, cycle paths along Flemish roads must be at least two metres wide in each direction of travel.
Figures requested by Lambrecht, however, show that only 5.4% of one-way cycle paths along regional roads meet this standard, Belga News Agency reports. For two-way cycle paths – which must be three metres wide, according to the Flemish standard – the figure is 11.4%.
"It is disappointing," she said. "If you want people to cycle, you have to make sure there are sufficiently wide cycle paths. If you then see that only 5% of the cycle lanes meet the self-imposed standard, as a Flemish Government you need to step up. Imagine being told that only 5% of car lanes are safe."
The cycling lanes in the province of Flemish Brabant score the worst: barely 2.8% of one-way cycle paths there meet the standard. East Flanders also scores poorly with 3.4%. Limburg (5%) and West Flanders (5.5%) make up the middle ground. On average, one-way cycle paths in the province of Antwerp are the widest. 9.6% of the 1,309 kilometres of bike paths there are 2 metres or wider.
