More cyclists were killed in Walloon roads in the first quarter of 2019 than in Flanders, even though the number of bike-riders in the northern region is higher than in its southern neighbour.
Out of the 12 cyclists who died this year in a road accident in Belgium, seven were killed in Wallonia and five in Flanders.
"A remarkable trend is emerging," VIAS institute for road safety said of the figures. "More cyclists were killed in Wallonia than in Flanders, even though the number of cyclists is significantly higher in the northern part of the country."
The figures, published Wednesday in VIAS' 2019 report, also show that the number of overall road accidents involving a bike in Wallonia more than doubled, in what the national road safety institute called an "impressive" leap.
"In Wallonia, the number of accidents involving a cyclist is particularly impressive," VIAS said in the report, as the number had grown from 88 to 134, marking a 52% increase.
By comparison, no cyclists have been killed in the Brussels Capital Region in the last two years.
In total, over 2,000 cyclists were involved in a road accident in Belgium in 2019, marking a 20% increase in comparison to last year.
The report also showed that the number of people killed in road accidents in Belgian roads has gone up by 13% in the first quarter of 2019, marking a new high after the figures had been steadily declining over the last four years.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
