2018
“In Flanders people think you’re abnormal if you don’t own a bike.” A participant in the focus group
Like our famous painters, cycling is part and parcel of the Flemish DNA. Our cycling classics are national events. Every weekend, cycling tourists take to Flemish roads in droves. And more and more weekend cyclists are becoming weekday cyclists. For quite some time, the Flemish cyclist was more of a recreational cyclist but these days a growing number of these cyclists are using their bikes on a daily basis. People commute to work and school by bike and what’s more, your bike will often get you there faster than a car. With BikeDNA, the Flemish Cycling Embassy wants to take stock of the situation: What does the Flemish population think about cycling in Flanders? What are the main points for attention? What should policy-makers focus on in the years to come? How does Flanders score in relation to other regions and cities, like Copenhagen, which is considered the best bicycle city in the world, or the cycling-mad Netherlands? The figures in this report are based on a research panel of more than 1,000 Flemings, which is representative for Flanders. Figures from various existing sources complete the overall picture. This report does not just introduce arguments to policy advisors and policy-makers. After reading this report, citizens will also come to understand that cycling is a natural behaviour in our society. Merckx and Boonen, Janssens and Peeters, we all have a bit of the Flandriens’ DNA in our veins. Ben Weyts Flemish Minister for Mobility
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The FIVE main conclusions of the market survey Cycling is ingrained in our DNA Owning a bike is just as normal as owning a vacuum cleaner. Nine out of ten Flemings own a bike and use it weekly.
Life could be more bicycle-friendly The Flemings still find their region insufficiently bicycle-friendly. Additional and permanent investments in cycling infrastructure are vital to make Flanders an even more attractive cycling region.
The dilemma Not much space and having to choose between a wider cycling path or retaining a parking space? Even those who only use their bike now and then will always choose a wider cycling path. Flemish policy-makers are often forced to choose between parking spaces for cars and qualitative cycling infrastructure because of the limited space. As soon as Flemings become regular cyclists, they understand the importance of good cycling infrastructure.
Bicycle highways help promote cycling in Flanders Bicycle-friendly investments are also necessary on the community level. After all, that is where people leave from and where their destinations are located.
Cycling behaviour Cyclists know they can do better (but are also frequently inconvenienced), Safety in road traffic starts with you. While the real impact is limited, cyclists also realise they must contribute to improve road safety.
Aantal Fietsen en Personenwagens in Vlaanderen NumberInwoners, of inhabitants, bicycles and passenger cars in Flanders
6,546,785 6,462,491 3,447,947
SOURCES Government of Flanders (2017) / OVG 5.2 (2017) / Federal Government (2017)
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1 out of 3 Flemings uses their bike at least a few times a week to go shopping.
Many Flemings hop on their bike for their weekly shop Shopping and work are one of the main reasons why people travel every day. 1 out of 6 Flemings uses a bike to get to the shops. The bicycle is the preferred option for journeys of less than 5 km when shopping. Bikes account for 20% of these journeys. Flemings who use the bike for shopping do this often: 1 out of 3 goes shopping several times a week by bike. Traders often underestimate how many customers get to their shop by bike and how often they do this. Research also indicates that people who go shopping on their bike spend less per journey but return more often. At the end of the month, the totals are almost identical. On average, the Flemish population travels 241 million kilometres every day. If the number of car journeys under 5 km can could be halved, 1,5 million euros would become available every day. This could be spent at local traders, among other things.
Shopping Met de fiets naarbydebike winkel 16% 14% 15,5%
2011 4
13%
13%
2012
2013
SOURCES: OVG 5.2 (2017) (travel behaviour research) / Dendermonde (2014) / Flemish Cycling Embassy (2018) / bike allowance â‚Ź 0.3640/km
2015
2016
Bike and public transport: an underestimated combination! The combination of public transport and bicycle can help you save a lot of time. But people have yet to discover this option: 68% have never combined the two. Young people (18 to 29 years) especially understand how easy this is. Currently 22% use the bike in Flanders to get to the train, while 6% use it to get to their destination. In the Netherlands, the share is 47% and 12% respectively.
BikeFiets before and after a train journey in voor- en natraject in combi met trein 22% 47% 6% 12%
Secure bicycle parkings
People in Flanders are generally satisfied with the number of bicycle parkings at bus stops and stations: almost half of the respondents gave a score of 7/10 for this. This good score contrasts shrilly with the satisfaction about the security of the bicycle parkings at stations or bus stops. Four out of 10 users are definitely not satisfied and request more secure parkings. Good bicycle parking facilities, also in the proximity
of shops, sport centres, hospitals , etc. may convince more people to hop on their bikes. Taking your bike on the train is anything but a user-friendly experience: 4 out of 10 Flemings agreed that there is considerable margin for improvement and even ranked this problem in first place when asked which improvements can be made to the combination of bicycle-public transport.
Bike sharing
Blue-bike Cloudbike Velo
Flanders has various public and private bike sharing systems. They are increasingly becoming another public transport option. The main challenge is to combine them with the existing train, metro, tram and bus offer. This can be achieved with mobility Antwerpen hubs for example. Gent
Mobit Trapido Swap
Mechelen Genk Brussel
Kortrijk
Leuven
Hasselt
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SOURCES: Flemish Cycling Embassy (2018) / OVG 5.2 (2017) / CROW-Fietsberaad (2017) Blue-bike
Cloudbike
Velo
Mobit
Trapido
Swap
How satisfied are we with cycling infrastructure? All the government levels are investing heavily in cycling infrastructure. Today less than half (42%) of all the cycling path kilometres along regional roads in Flanders comply with the bicycle vademecum. People in Flanders expect more: they gave the cycling infrastructure an average score of 6 out of 10.
70%
Tevredenheid over
Satisfaction about cycling fietsinfrastructuur infrastructure in Copenhagen
in Kopenhagen
of the Flemish population demanded better cycling routes in the centres.
100% 80%
2016
2014
2010 2012
2006
2008
60%
42%
Percentage of cycling path kilometres on Flemish regional
Percentage fietspadkilometers op Vlaamse gewestwegen roads in accordance with the bicycle vademecum. conform het fietsvademecum.
Flemings on the whole are quite satisfied with the number of marked, adjoining or separate cycling paths. 1/3 of the respondents gave this a 7/10 score. Conclusion: The Flemish population mainly wants better cycling paths.
Retain parking spaces or widen cycling paths? An interesting fact: as soon as people in Flanders start to use their bike sporadically (not weekly or daily), they are open to the idea of giving up parking space to widen the cycling paths in their village or city. 6
The increased satisfaction with cycling infrastructure in Copenhagen reveals that permanent investment in cycling infrastructure does pay off. The increased satisfaction is linked to a rising number of residents who use their bikes.
Bicycle highways The benefits of bicycle highways are obvious: direct connections between centres, with good signage, and a good traffic flow (average speed during the 2016 “bicycle counting week�: 23,8 km/hr). Bicycle highways in Flanders are becoming more popular every year. 4 out of 10 Flemings think there should be more. The connections with the village and city centres are important. 70% of the Flemings indicate that there is still some margin for improvement in the bicycle routes in the village and city centres.
The popularity of the e-bike The electric bicycle is becoming more and more popular. Not just with the 65+ age group: more than half of the users are under the age of 50. The growing number of e-bikes also puts more pressure on our cycling infrastructure. This is a source of concern for the Flemish population: more than half of the respondents think that they cannot cope with this increase. This is another argument in favour of more comfortable and wider cycling paths. Cyclists without an e-bike also stand to benefit from this.
Leeftijdevolutie gebruikers elektrische fiets
Age evolution among users of e-bikes
50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
18-25
26-35
36-45 2015
46-55
56-65
>65
2018
SOURCES: Flemish Cycling Embassy (2018) / AWV (2015) / VAB Fietsbarometer (2018) / Bicycle account Copenhagen (2016)
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Mother, why do we bike?
Flemish cycling facts and figures 7% CITY BIKE
Most popular bike 86%
86%
it only rains 7% of the time
3%
ONE OUT OF THREE Flemings uses their bike daily
percentage of cyclists with a city bike 1 out of 6 e-bike
Cargo Bikes 1 out of 3 e-bike
2,3
NINE OUT OF TEN
average number of bikes per household.
Flemings have access to a bike
Investments in bicycle highways pay themselves off 2 to 14 times over. (health, lower emissions...)
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The average household size in Flanders is also 2.3.
“ More than a quarter of the Flemish population bikes to school or work every day.”
16%
commutes to work work
31%
commutes to school school
15%
general purposes general
That’s why we bike! Fast Healthy Environmentally -friendly
Evident
SOURCES: Flemish Cycling Embassy (2018) / VITO (2016) / gemeente- en stadsmonitor (2017) / OVG 5.2 (2017)
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Is cycling in Flanders safe? 32 cycling fatalities 7,669 accidents with injuries
unilateral cycling accidents (unknown)
In 2017, some 23,000 road accidents were recorded in Flanders. A cyclist was involved in 1 out of every 3 accidents. 32 cyclists did not survive the accident. The number of traffic fatalities dropped by 10% compared with 2016. But the number of accidents involving cyclists is dropping less rapidly (-4%). Moreover, not all the orad accidents are unilateral. This means only the cyclist is involved.
Is cycling in Flanders safe? We only see the tip of the iceberg
Bike helmet 15% of all Flemish people always wear a bike helmet. 1 out of 10 Flemings who bike to work always wears a helmet, compared with 1 out of 3 during their leisure time.
Bike theft The number of bike thefts has also dropped: in 2009, 34,000 bike thefts were reported. This dropped to approximately 28,000 in 2016. In spite of this drop, more than half of the Flemish population (57%) is worried that their bike might be stolen. This contrasts shrilly with the number of Flemings whose bike has been stolen in the past. In the past two years, 13% had their bike stolen. In 1 out of 6 cases, the bike was returned to them.
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Cyclists indicate that they are not satisfied with bike safety. In general the score for bike safety is 5,4/10. Interesting: Less than half of the Flemish population thinks their neighbourhood is safe for cyclists. 4 out of 10 Flemings do not find their neighbourhood safe enough to consider letting their children bike to school.
Bike safety for children Flemish cyclingfatalities fatalities vs. share Flemish cycling shareof ofcyclists cyclists
80
15%
60 10%
40 5%
20
2008 2009 2010 2011
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Cycling fatalities (on the spot)
Share of cyclists (percentage)
What does the Flemish population think policy-makers should do to make cycling safer?
Making intersections safer for cyclists
More investments in separate cycling paths. Better coordination of traffic lights.
SOURCES: Flemish Cycling Embassy (2018) / Federal Police (2016) / VIAS (2017) / OVG 5.2 (2017) / gemeente- en stadsmonitor (2017)
Investment in safe cycling routes has an important emancipatory effect. When women find it safe to bike, they are more inclined to take their children to school by bike.
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Sharing the road? Traffic behaviour. The Flemish Cycling Embassy also asked questions about traffic behaviour: what do cyclists and motorists think of their own and others’ behaviour in traffic? The Flemish population think a better mindset, among both motorists and cyclists, is the most important point for improvement. Motorists are expected to be more social: not to park on cycling paths, to exercise more caution when turning (and avoid blind spot accidents) and pay
attention when opening car doors. Cyclists can also do better. Not using your bicycle lights is considered the biggest annoyance, in addition to using a mobile phone while cycling or not respecting the direction of traffic. Opinions are divided though, depending on the age of the respondent: Young people find it most important that cyclists respect the direction of traffic flow, while elderly respondents insist on a correct use of the pavement and the cycling path.
How can motorists make traffic more pleasant? By not parking on the cycling path By exercising caution when turning By not unexpectedly opening car doors By being more cautious in general
How can cyclists make traffic more pleasant? By using the lights on their bicycle By not phoning when cycling By only cycling in the right direction By cycling on the cycling path
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SOURCES: OVG 5.2 (2017) / Dendermonde (2014) / Flemish Cycling Embassy (2018) / bike allowance â‚Ź 0.3640/km
1 meter
Especially young people want motorists to keep more distance
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Flanders is a bicycle-friendly region World title medals in cycling: Men / Women
Men
Women
0
1
7
10
26
6
Just over 40% of the Flemish population agree with this statement. Especially young people and the elderly are convinced. So how can we make Flanders more bicycle-friendly and convince the population to bike more and further? According to the Flemish population, this can be achieved by improving cycling infrastructure in the region. People want more, but above all better and wider cycling paths. In that case, three quarters of the respondents would consider using their bike or using it more often. Building good cycling infrastructure also requires a vision on the community level: the speed and the number of cars in cities and villages should be adapted to cycling traffic because of the limited space in village and city centres.
The Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Painting Gallery in Brussels Our painters are also part of the DNA of our Flemish culture. The painting in this brochure was painted by the Flemish Baroque painter David Teniers II (Antwerp °1610, Brussels †1690). He married Anna Brueghel, the seventeen-year old daughter of Jan Brueghel the Elder. Peter Paul Rubens was a witness at their wedding. The work is exhibited at the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. The bike is much younger however. It was invented in 1817 by the German Karl Drais.
Flanders -> Prado, Madrid, Spain = 14
2,104 km
SOURCES: Flemish Cycling Embassy (2018) / Wikipedia (2018) / OVG 5.1 & 5.2 (2016, 2017) / Technical University Denmark (2017) / CBS Nederland (2017)
The Flemings use their bikes more often than the Danes, according to the most recent travel behaviour research (OVG) figures. In fact, we outperform the Danes (14%) with bicycles accounting for 15.45% of all our transport. In 2016, the use of bicycles increased by about 3% (from 12.41% to 15.45%) compared with the previous year. As such, Flanders has become Europe’s second cycling region. The Dutch are still in the lead, with more than a quarter of all their journeys made by bicycle.
Denmark 21% 14% 56% 3%
The Netherlands 18% 27% 46% 5%
Flanders 12% 15% 65% 3%
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www.fietsberaad.be This brochure was established with the cooperation of Traject, Profacts, Lieven Jacobs and Stijn Wens. Cover: David Teniers, The Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Painting Gallery in Brussels (1647-1651) ŠPhotographic Archive Museo Nacional del Prado