@marcoRecorder
I come from a solid cycling tradition. In my region, Emilia Romagna, everybody cycles and most people are also fond of competitive cycling and follow the Giro d’Italia with vigor and passion. Especially in the city where I went to University, Forlì, people always say “there you can find more bikes than people.” I have also lived in Antwerp and Maastricht, two pretty cycling-oriented cities and that’s why prior to coming to Brussels I thought I would find the same level of cycling-friendliness. Well, I was wrong… My friend Kwinten writes a very good blog about this topic. You should check it out.
Brussels is everything but bikes-friendly. Let me tell you a few reasons why.
- Infrastructures aren’t great
We can perhaps say that cycling infrastructures are decent compared to other areas in the outskirts of Europe but in comparison to most Central-Northern European cities, Brussels doesn’t shine through.
Cycling in #Brussels ain’t easy cc @kwinlambrecht #bikesvscars pic.twitter.com/BfP2TAa2gE
— MRico (@marcoRecorder) December 27, 2013
The Brussels Region invests in bicycle safety pic.twitter.com/MuMPYK9hPx
— Kwinten Lambrecht (@kwinlambrecht) February 20, 2014
- Drivers aggression (especially taxis)
Don’t get me started on the dangers of being a cyclist in the Belgian capital. Drivers literally love to get as close as they can to cyclists and when I take a cab I can’t understand why they are so aggressive and impolite to them. Continue reading “My experience as a cyclist in Brussels”