Manneken Pis has been dressed with a cycling suit to mark World Bike Day today.
“For a long time, the image that Brussels and cycling were not a good match prevailed, when in fact they are a very good match,” Brussels Mobility Minister, Elke Van Den Brandt, said to mark the occassion. “A lot of work has been done in recent years to make Brussels more cyclable and we are highlighting that today.”
“Brussels is a city that for a very long time seemed designed for cars and through traffic,” the minister pointed out.
“Over the past 15 years, we have worked to create more cycling infrastructure, to ensure that it is possible to cycle safely in Brussels. There is still a lot of work to be done, but we can see that there have already been many improvements. We have built around 50 kilometres of additional cycle paths in recent years and we notice that every time we build a cycle path, people start using it.”
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Figures from Bruxelles Mobilité show that Brussels currently has 513 kilometres of bicycle infrastructure and that the proportion of people using bikes to get around Brussels is increasing.
This available infrastructure will be extended in the coming months, according to Brussels Mobility, including a two-way cycle path on the inner ring road.
“We must continue to invest,” particularly in safety, Van Den Brandt added. “Insecurity is in fact the main reason why people still don’t take up cycling.”
