More than seven out of ten bicycle accidents involve a car or other motor vehicle, according to figures produced by Brussels region’s mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen).
The number of traffic accidents involving bicycles grew in the period 2011-2019 by 123%. And in the first nine months of 2020, 72% of all bicycle accidents also involved a motor vehicle.
“The picture may be somewhat distorted because not everyone reports an accident in which no other parties were involved or which is not too serious,” commented Bianca Debaets (CD&V), who requested the figures. “But the difference in figures is still significant.”
“More and more people are opting for the bicycle instead of the car and that is of course positive, but unfortunately the infrastructure has not yet been adapted to this explosion,” she told Bruzz.
“New cyclists are sometimes overwhelmed by the busy urban environment, so in addition to the necessary infrastructure adjustments, training and awareness-raising are also very important for cyclists and other road users.”
According to the figures produced by Van den Brandt’s office, some of the accidents that took place during the coronavirus period were at locations involving newly-created cycling infrastructure, including a hotly-contested new cycle lane on Boulevard Lambermont in the north of the city.
“According to the efforts made, those figures should be expected to have fallen,” Debaets said.
“The ambition to become a Region with zero road deaths is commendable, but we still have a long way to go.”
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
