Wallonia has launched an online platform, featuring 159 pedestrian and cyclist counters across the region, on its www.cyclable.wallonie.be site.
The aim of the platform is to better quantify cycling activity and refine its cycling policy, Walloon Mobility Minister François Desquesnes announced on Tuesday, on the occasion of Bicycle Day.
“These counters, which track the passage of pedestrians and cyclists using loops installed on the ground or infrared rays, serve as a tool to measure cycling usage and guide our policy decisions,” Minister Desquesnes said.
“We have a lot of data on cars and trucks, but much less on cyclists and pedestrians. It is crucial to observe how these measurements change over time,” he added.
The Wallonia Cycling Plan 2030 is currently under evaluation, and its initial results are to be shared soon. These findings will form the basis of a new plan aimed at accelerating everyday cycling in Wallonia.
Currently, the modal share of cycling, or the percentage of trips made by bicycle, stands at 4.1% in Wallonia. “We must ensure that our implemented measures effectively encourage daily cycling,” Desquesnes stressed.
Preliminary data from the counters, nearly half of which were installed last autumn, show utilitarian use of bicycles in cities, with heavier traffic on weekdays than on weekends.
The most frequented spot is Quai Mativa in Liège, where nearly 120,000 rides have been recorded since the beginning of the year.
In other provinces, the busiest counters are located on the cycle highway in La Hulpe, Walloon Brabant, along the canal in Ath, Hainaut, on the Ravel in Bastogne (Luxembourg), and Avenue de la Plante in Namur.
Minister Desquesnes announced plans to expand the installation of these counters in both small and large cities to monitor the growth of daily cycling usage.
Ten more counters are set to be installed in urban and peri-urban areas.
