Cycling in Brussels is growing in popularity, however, the lack of coherence when it comes to infrastructure in the region is among the main reasons why some are not yet reaching for the handlebars.
The Bikes in Brussels Fund is hoping to tackle this by allocating €1.15 million to ten new cycle projects in and around the region. In doing so, it aims to increase the number of people who opt for their bicycles as a preferred means of getting around.
The fund was created in 2018 by the King Baudouin Foundation to support practical initiatives that improve cycling infrastructure and equipment in Brussels. So far, it has already injected more than €5.3 million into 73 projects.
The latest projects that have been selected for funding include the development of the cycle bridge over the Vierarmen in Tervuren, where a notoriously dangerous intersection links the Flanders region to Brussels, which will receive €500,000.
This is also on the route of the bicycle highway which links Flemish towns to the recently renovated cycle path that runs along the Avenue de Tervueren to the centre of Brussels.
Projects inside the region
Within the region's borders, the fund is investing in creating better connections between existing cycle paths, especially in the commune of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, which will receive almost €380,000 to construct a separate cycle path on Rue de l’Indépendance, separated from car traffic.
This will ensure a safe cycle link between the commune and the D10 cycle path along the canal, an important axis of entry and exit from Brussels. Similar cycle paths will be created along the Avenue du Sacré-Cœur in Jette, near the Sacré-Cœur de Jette school, which is hoped to encourage pupils to take their bicycles to school.
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Finally, the seven other projects that will expand bicycle parking options in five Brussels communes, as the theft of these vehicles is another main barrier preventing people from making the switch from four wheels to two.
The parking and shelters will be installed at the Joseph Bracops Hospital (Anderlecht), the Royal Charles-Quint Tennis Club (Ganshoren), the Bois de la Cambre Tennis Club, the Archipel 19 Culturel Centre (Berchem-Sainte-Agathe), the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts (Etterbeek), the Collège Saint-Pierre and the Sint-Pieterscollege (Jette).
