A record €450 million was invested in the construction and improvement of bicycle highways in Flanders during this legislature. By improving infrastructure, the region hopes to further fuel the cycling reflex.
After the rapid rise in cyclists on Belgian roads during the pandemic, various government levels moved to further bolster cyclists' safety and improve both physical infrastructure and the policies around cycling. This resulted in the bicycle investment rate receiving a serious boost in Flanders.
Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters reported that more than €1.4 billion was invested in safe and comfortable cycling connections. This is more than double the amount put aside during the previous legislature (2014 - 2019) when almost €680 million was freed up for this purpose.
"The quality of the cycling infrastructure is increasing and with the ongoing and future cycling projects, it will only increase further," Peeters said.
Cycling investments are also starting to translate into an increase in the number of cycling trips: Flemish people already do 18% of their travelling by (electric) bicycle.
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Of the total budget, €450 million was invested in bicycle highways, both for the construction and further development, including the construction of safe crossings via bicycle bridges and tunnels.
However, figures requested by the Green party (Groen) showed that only 33% of the €1.4 billion was effectively spent, and that at this rate, it will still take more than 12 years to spend the funds provided.
