Nine cities and municipalities in Flanders nominated for Cycling City 2022

The awards are supposed to boost the appeal of cycling infrastructure as a point of prestige for cities

Today, the Flemish Traffic Science Foundation (Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde) announced the nine cities and municipalities competing for the Cycling City 2022 (Fietsstad 2022) awards. The Traffic Science Foundation has assessed 133 municipalities to determine the best candidates.  

The awards will be handed out on 31 May in Deinze, during the Fietscongres (BicycleCongress), by Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters.

The nominees in the category for cities with over 50,000 inhabitants are Leuven, Genk, and Mechelen. For smaller cities, between 20,000 and 50,000, the nominees are Dilsen-Stokkem, Lommel and Mortsel and the smallest municipalities, under 20,000 are Lendelede, Peer and Zutendaal.

A scientific approach

The Flemish Traffic Science Foundation created the Cycling City awards to promote cycling infrastructure development as a point of prestige in Flanders. This is why cities that have won in the previous year cannot compete in the current edition.

At the same time, the assessment of municipalities is done through citizen surveys. This year, in the first phase of the selection process, the organisation has surveyed 133 places. The surveys focus on comfort, usability, as well as improvement, helping local authorities track their progress from year to year.

In the second stage, an independent commission will visit the nine cities and municipalities and perform an in-depth analysis of the cycling infrastructure.

Previous editions

Last year, in the category for larger cities, over 50,000 inhabitants, the nominees were Kortrijk, Genk and Mechelen. Kortrijk was the winner, making Genk and Mechelen contenders for the second year in a row.

They will have some tough competition, though, as citizen satisfaction with cycling infrastructure in Leuven is higher than ever. On the one hand, according to the survey, cycling infrastructure satisfaction was higher than ever in 2021, with 8 out of 10, compared to 2020’s 6 out of 10. On the other hand, Leuven was also named best European City for Sports in 2021.