Cycling infrastructure in Brussels gets boost from the Belgian Crown

The King Baudouin Foundation will support various sustainable mobility infrastructures to the tune of 1.15 million euros

The City of Brussels is changing as more and more cyclists take to the streets and cars are slowly being pushed out by urban policies. However, the cycling network in the Belgian capital is still comprised of a patchwork of lanes and dedicated spaces, while cyclists and motor vehicles compete for the road.

This is why the King Baudouin Foundation pledged to invest 1.15 million euros in boosting cycling infrastructure in the city through the Bikes in Brussels Fund. The foundation announced it will support several larger infrastructure projects while keeping its application form open for smaller projects as well.

With this announcement, the foundation, currently managed by Queen Mathilde, has opted to through its support behind sustainable mobility in Brussels.

Future of cycling in Brussels

The Bikes in Brussels Fund was set up by the foundation in 2018 and it aims to support urban initiatives that bring more sustainable mobility into the city. According to an official statement, that would bring more free-flowing traffic, cleaner air and less noise pollution to the Belgian capital.

One of the big projects the fund has decided to back is the cycling bridge at Quatre-Bras. The bridge will cross the Belgian ring and offer cyclists from neighbouring regions in Flanders free and safe access to the city. The fund has decided to commit around 500,000 euros to the cycling bridge, nearly half of its capital.

Additionally, fund representatives have decided to back a project to create a segregated cycling path between Molenbeek-Saint-Jean with a further 370,000 euros - as an important transit axis in Brussels. Moreover, they will support cycle paths along the Avenue du Sacré-Cœur in Jette, with more than 150,000 euros. These paths would fill existing gaps in the network and will also benefit kids who want to go to school on their bikes.

History of King Baudouin Foundation

The King Baudouin Foundation was formed in 1976 for the 25th anniversary of the enthronement of Baudouin I of Belgium. The Foundation has been under the honourary presidency of Queen Mathilde, the wife of the current Belgian monarch, King Phillippe.

While the foundation operates with its own capital, it is also a tool to funnel donations to its various causes that span the globe. Through a strong international network, it is able to boost many humanitarian and charity projects in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia in the fields of education equality, health, climate and more.