Cyclists boss in Bruges: 90 bicycle streets added at once

It’s all about together 13 kilometers of bicycle streets and more than 200 new road signs† Research has been done to set up the entire historic center as one cycling zone, but the legislation does not allow this for the time being, the city says.

What is a cycling zone?

“A bicycle zone is a bicycle-friendly area that consists of a network of connected bicycle streets. The maximum speed is 30 km/h for all road users. In a bicycle zone, the cyclist is central: motorized traffic is a guest and is not allowed to overtake cyclists.

“A cycling zone is set up in an area where there are many cyclists or important cycling routes and where the residential character of the neighborhood takes precedence. A part of Christ the King meets this definition and is therefore extremely suitable for the design of a bicycle zone,” says Mayor Dirk De fauw.

Christ the King cycling zone

Christ the King will have two bicycle zones from Friday 15 July.

On the one hand, this concerns the zone between the Philip de Goedelaan (included), the Maria van Bourgondiëlaan (included), the Leopold I-laan (not included) and the Scheepsdalelaan (not included). On the other hand, it concerns the zone between Houtkaai (included), Maria van Bourgondiëlaan (included), Leopold I-laan (not included) and Scheepsdalelaan (not included). The Leopold I-laan is not included in the cycling zone. This street will be equipped with cycle paths during the reconstruction. The Karel de Stoutelaan can be added to the cycling zone after the redevelopment.

90 bicycle streets in the city center

Mayor Dirk De fauw: “We have explored various options for setting up the historic center of our city as a cycling zone, but this is not yet possible due to legislation. That is why we are creating a network of contiguous bicycle streets in a defined area in the city center.

A total of 90 streets will become bicycle streets after the summer, which corresponds to a total distance of 13.06 kilometers. This makes Bruges more than ever a real cycling city.”

To realize this, 211 traffic signs ‘bicycle street’ will be placed in the city centre. These traffic signs are attached to existing posts as much as possible.

Streets that are currently not accessible to vehicles due to being too narrow or streets that are pedestrian zones will not become a bicycle street. Streets where access is prohibited, with the exception of cyclists, will not become a bicycle street.