The city of Brussels will place about 1,000 bicycle 'staples', which are bicycle stands in the form of a staple, usually with an extra horizontal bar for safety, next to pedestrian crossings over the coming several years.
In total, the city wants to place 3,000 more of these 'staples' by the end of the current legislature. "This way, we hit two birds with one stone. We stop illegal parking next to crossings, and we create a bunch of new safe bicycle parking spots. That is very necessary, as bicycle theft is one of the most important reasons to stop cycling," said Bart Dhondt, Alderman for Mobility, reports Bruzz.
Even though it is one of the most commonly ignored traffic rules, according to the traffic code, vehicles have to be parked at least five metres away from a pedestrian crossing, reports BX1. By systemically placing the bicycle infrastructure next to the crossing, vehicles will have to keep their distance. The stands will be placed in clusters of three to five.
At least 70 bicycle boxes, which are covered bicycle parking spaces, will also be added. "Hopefully, we will be able to get them all installed, because the contractor is getting so many questions from different municipalities, he can't keep up at the moment," said Dhondt.
The city of Brussels has cleared a budget of €750,000 to spend on bicycle parking infrastructure in 2020.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
