The CD&V party is calling for a change in traffic regulations to allow three and four-wheeled bikes, wheelchair bikes, and rickshaws to use cycle paths.
Currently, these wider bicycles are required to use the road, which “puts people with disabilities at risk among motorised traffic,” according to Flemish Parliament member Katrien Schryvers. She and her party are advocating for a trial project.
Schryvers explains that the rules currently classify three and four-wheelers as bicycles only if they are no wider than one metre. However, many adapted bicycles, such as rickshaws and wheelchair bikes, exceed this width, forcing them to ride on the road. This situation is not only impractical but also dangerous.
She references a trial project conducted by the Flemish government between late 2022 and 2024 for bicycle trailers. “This allows trailers up to 1.20 metres wide to legally use bike paths,” Schryvers elaborates. Unfortunately, rickshaws and wheelchair bikes are excluded from this initiative, despite a clear demand for a regulatory change, particularly for safety reasons.
Schryvers believes this inequality needs to be addressed. She specifically calls for Flanders to launch a trial project that allows adapted bicycles up to 1.2 metres wide on cycle paths. Following evaluation, traffic regulations could then be updated.
