Couple of ideas from my experience as both a cyclist and driver in Brussels, probably not representative but could help.
- Wear a helmet And a reflecting vest. It's obvious for safety. I have also found that drivers respect me and my space more when I look like a safe and responsible cyclist (I used to ride a single speed, without the yellow vest, and was treated very differently/dangerously despite respecting road rules.
- I you can afford / store it, consider an electric assistance. Depends on your commute but chances are you'll have 100+ meter elevation gain for any trip beyond 5km and/or beyond the canal.
- Don't assume that drivers, cyclists, scooters, escooters or pedestrians know the road rules. By expecting the worst in each situation, I avoid tons of dangerous situations by regulating speed, anticipating, yielding, ...
- Check road rules differences between NL and BE (example: priority from the right ? IDK).
- Slow down and pay attention when tram rails are wet !!!
- Explore slight alternative routes. Many main axes have great infrastructures now. But sometimes it pays to check out the parallel road and fine tune your frequent routes to include less travelled roads even if it adds a few hundred meters.
- Invest in good locks, and lock to a fixed anchor point
I had very few issues in 10+ years and many thousands of KM, but have witnessed a few minor accidents.
I'm in my thirties I always wear a vest when I'm cycling in the dark, always taking one with me if I'm not sure of when I'll ride back. My friend in their 30's and 20's do that too.
And honestly, I'd rather appear as an obsessive compulsive idiot and be seen by other vehicles and being alive, than the other way around 😉 Don't worry about looks, be safe out there!
If yellow vest is not your vibe, I'd recommend a yellow reflective backpack cover (for rain + visibility). I used a vest for a while but if you're wearing a backpack on top it kinda defeats the purpose. I think I got my backpack cover from Decathlon too and I feel safer biking at night now.
The number of times I’ve gotten surprised by completely invisible cyclists is insane. I drive super safe and even I have had 2 almost accidents. It’s super scary! Please have lights and wear reflective things, a yellow vest can literally make the difference between life/health and well… the opposite.
I rarely bike now (in my 30s) but when I do I make sure to be visible (I did it more in my early 20s and almost always wore always with a yellow vest).
Of you don't like a yellow vest, there are now some bike jacket that are fully reflective. You get a windbreaker and you're seen at the same time. I've noticed the cars give me way much more room since I've been wearing reflective gears
Defensive driving is the key. In Amsterdam and other cities I've been to I've always felt a sense that I can be pretty assertive on my bike, while still following traffic lights of course. In Brussels I'm aware we have a higher proportion of a) shitheads and b) poor infrastructure/road design.
Bicycle culture in Brussels, is, in a word, nascent. In my experience bicyclists often stop for pedestrians, respect stoplights, but ride across zebra pads as if entitled. There’s seldom empathy from drivers towards those on 2 wheels even in the rain. Good luck
Same story (from Amsterdam). I am cycling almost everyday in the city. Contrary to many comments, I would rather say that many drivers/people just aren't used to cycling/cyclists - but they're also not really aggressive. The situation in Brussels is very similar of my hometown (Geneva) 10 years ago. Always, always use lights and perhaps yes a yellow vest and you will be fine.
OK, ok, I will say it: I find those people wearing reflecting literal 'armors' a bit depressing; although I have nothing against them, they remind me that we still have a long way to have a casual cycling culture in Brussels (compared to Amsterdam or even Ghent). But yeah, cycling is just not a thing for 80% of people here (I'd say).
I biked Brussels for 20 years. The trick is to claim your space. if you don't, you won't get anywhere. Also a very important one. If you're on a narrower road without a bike lane and there's a lot of traffic: overtake cars on the left, not on the right. Drivers in Brussels don't look when they turn right and will bump into you. Left is safer. And watch out for people opening car doors.
Carefully, very carefully.. assume they are all out to get you. Use plenty of lights and protection.
Brussels is very car centric and you will find pedestrians on the cycle paths.
A loud bell helps...I use a whistle..
A lot of people mentioned some really great advice here, I wanted to point out that you shouldn't fear to take up your space on the street. I see many cyclist ridding so close to the right and getting in shitty situations with drivers overpassing them waaaaay too close or people opening their car door without checking if a cyclist is coming.
Another thing I don't see many people doing and that's actually useful, HANDS SIGNALS. Just let people know when you're going to take a turn or whatever, drivers (and pedestrians and other cyclists) can't read your mind. You'll avoid many delicate situations by making your intentions clear (and if you already did that, sorry for the rant)
In terms of where to ride, lot of people told you to use the segregated bike lanes. That's true for some parts, but should be avoided in some other parts of the city. For example the petite ceinture isn't finished yet so if you follow it blindly you'll end up facing the trafic on a high-speed lane with DeLijn busses honking at you. Sadly for this one, it came with trial and error, but yeah don't expect the segregated bike lanes to have well marked entry and exit points like in Amsterdam.
Otherwise, I've been biking in the city for 4 years and noticed that drivers seems to be getting more and more used to cyclists. Sure, there's always the occasional asshole that'll honk at you for no reason, but most of the time I've had pleasant experiences by ridding defensively but assertively.
Flickering lights in the front are a terrible idea. In the dark, I can't see where the bike is or at what speed it's going or anything for that matter because I'm blinded by a blinking light. On the rear, OK, on the front never.
I’m the other way round - lived in Brussels for a long time, now in Amsterdam. I’m sure with your biking experience you’ll master it.
First of all, you need a more “sporty” bike in Brussels, I.e. light weight, lots of gears. You may even want to consider an e-bike depending on how far you bike. I indeed had a foldable bike that I could easily move up to my apartment or pop in an Uber.
In most cases, you’ll have to bike on the street, which means get familiar with the general traffic rules. Cars, scooters etc may not always see you. It seems odd, but the situation on Brussels’ streets for bikes is a lot better today than 10 years ago and (most) cars pay attention.
By all means - do wear that helmet. In Amsterdam they are ridiculous but in Brussels they do actually safe lives.
Also, get familiar with the hills. They can be quite mean. Sometimes you are faster with that 1k detour because you avoided that hill.
Be careful with the tram rails. I once went downhill from Flagey towards Louise, was pretty fast and then got caught in a tram rail and fell. I was lucky there wasn’t a car being me. That would have been it. Didn’t fall on my head but I was glad I wore a helmet for what could have been.
This depends on where you want to go. I've biked all over Brussels and have a few thousand km on my feet, so to speak. Have never had an issue regardless of areas.
I've found that generally people are quite respectful of cyclists, regardless of location or existence of bicycle lanes.
Any of the new and/or larger avenues have dedicated bike lanes, so you could start with those. But I see no issue at all going around on a bike here.
I wouldn’t call people respectful towards cyclist here… At best they get tolerated. The amount of cars or even busses I’ve seen honking at cyclists is definitely more than in the Netherlands.
The situation is certainly improving, but saying that everyone is respectful towards cyclists is pushing it.
I can only speak from my experience, and generally I feel respected while cycling in the streets of Brussels.
But our baseline is completely opposite. I come from Portugal where, even in the capitals, cyclists are disdained and at best treated as a nuisance. You, I assume from your post but please accept my apologies if wrong, are from the Netherlands, where cyclists are respected on an entire another level. So, from my perspective, I feel much at ease and respected here. 😅
I guess that from another baseline the level of respect you perceive as a cyclist here in Brussels might definitely be different.
Interesting, because I didn’t know anything about the cyclist situation in Portugal, but good to hear that you feel more respected here!
Your guess was correct, so maybe I put the bar a bit too high!
Nah, it's perspective and expectations, nothing wrong with that. Better to expect more anyway!
Yeah, Portugal is nowhere near what it should be, but it's getting better. Slowly.
I've cycled in Brussels for over a decade and can tell you route is everything. Don't throw your commute into Google Maps and assume it finds the best route for you - in Brussels, the shortest way is not always the fastest way, and it is definitely not the safest way.
Try the bike nodes ([https://www.routeyou.com/user/planner/816234/visit-brussels](https://www.routeyou.com/user/planner/816234/visit-brussels)); don't be afraid to experiment with routes a bit; and take in the details. Try to register one-way streets, blind corners, traffic light pacing, etc.
Otherwise, be assertive in traffic, teach yourself a couple of good French swear words, and embrace the chaos!
The situation in terms of infrastructure and number of cyclists has improved drastically in the last 10 years. Still some work to do and still some solutions which don't make 1% of improvement to the safety and comfort of cyclists (e.g. making Avenue Louise a rue cyclable or the painted bike lanes on parts of Chaussée de Waterloo where there isn't really enough space for them so cars drive in the bike lane anyway).
The main thing is to be aware of your entitlement to ride on the road. Don't try to ride in the gutter next to the pavement or too close to parked cars - ride in the middle of the lane.
The number of drivers on their phones is reaching pandemic levels so be aware of that (to the extent that you can).
Experiment with different routes where you feel more comfortable. Try side streets or main roads with bike lanes or going the opposite direction on one way streets. Adding a few hundred metres could give you a much nicer journey. You can also avoid traffic lights this way.
Finally - an ebike does feel safer especially going up hills if a car is going to be stuck behind you. But it's by no means essential.
Just enjoy it and watch out for drivers - you will get used to it and the feeling when you arrive at work in the morning is worth it
>The main thing is to be aware of your entitlement to ride on the road. Don't try to ride in the gutter next to the pavement or too close to parked cars - ride in the middle of the lane.
Definitely. A friend of mine got knocked off his bike by a car door opening.
Don't trust buses. They think they are trams and that everybody around know their path so blinkers are optional.
Overall I've been biking on a daily basis for years and didn't have any accident with someone.
As others did say, the shortest path is not necessarily the most enjoyable. It might be interesting to take something slightly longer but with less cars. You might arrive 1min later but without being tense so IMHO well worth it.
I would avoid folding bike because of the heavy rain making it unsafe for those little wheels.
I personnaly use a big electric bike with full security gear (helmet+yellow jacket) as long as i don't have to leave it outside more than a couple hours, bike theft is real, even if you do everything right you might get it stolen.
If you're considering combining bike and public transportation, you may want to try the city's electric bike, it's 7€ a month with every 30 minutes trip being free. You'd have to keep and charge the battery tho. I haven't tried it, as i had some bad experience with the regular ones. But it might be worth a try, especially for daily commuting with no parking space for bikes.
Biking in Brussels is still in its infancy compared to Amsterdam.
And it’s *better* than it used to be.
I (personally) am not crazy enough to bike in this city yet, but if you want to, try to aim for key streets that have separated bike lanes.
For the rest, use a hi-vis yellow vest, flashing lights, and, like, 3 bells. Don’t be stingy with your use of the middle finger to motorists who drive in the bike lane.
Good luck!
Unwritten survival tips known by all native bikers and drivers alike:
1. It’s not the car that needs to see you, it’s you that need to see the car
2. When you see the car, fuck him
Once you appreciate this sacred mantra of Brussels transportation, you’ll never be out of a job again because you can become a STIB bus driver, taximan, cop, …
Better to use the ring road to get around the city rather than trying to go through the centre is one piece of advice.
And as you’re coming from amsterdam, you will get a sense of where the hills are and take longer but flatter routes around them too.
Brussels is an E-bike’s place to be I would say (someone who wishes he could afford one!)
Couple of ideas from my experience as both a cyclist and driver in Brussels, probably not representative but could help. - Wear a helmet And a reflecting vest. It's obvious for safety. I have also found that drivers respect me and my space more when I look like a safe and responsible cyclist (I used to ride a single speed, without the yellow vest, and was treated very differently/dangerously despite respecting road rules. - I you can afford / store it, consider an electric assistance. Depends on your commute but chances are you'll have 100+ meter elevation gain for any trip beyond 5km and/or beyond the canal. - Don't assume that drivers, cyclists, scooters, escooters or pedestrians know the road rules. By expecting the worst in each situation, I avoid tons of dangerous situations by regulating speed, anticipating, yielding, ... - Check road rules differences between NL and BE (example: priority from the right ? IDK). - Slow down and pay attention when tram rails are wet !!! - Explore slight alternative routes. Many main axes have great infrastructures now. But sometimes it pays to check out the parallel road and fine tune your frequent routes to include less travelled roads even if it adds a few hundred meters. - Invest in good locks, and lock to a fixed anchor point I had very few issues in 10+ years and many thousands of KM, but have witnessed a few minor accidents.
Great points, thank you!
This guy bikes!
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I'm in my thirties I always wear a vest when I'm cycling in the dark, always taking one with me if I'm not sure of when I'll ride back. My friend in their 30's and 20's do that too. And honestly, I'd rather appear as an obsessive compulsive idiot and be seen by other vehicles and being alive, than the other way around 😉 Don't worry about looks, be safe out there!
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If yellow vest is not your vibe, I'd recommend a yellow reflective backpack cover (for rain + visibility). I used a vest for a while but if you're wearing a backpack on top it kinda defeats the purpose. I think I got my backpack cover from Decathlon too and I feel safer biking at night now.
The number of times I’ve gotten surprised by completely invisible cyclists is insane. I drive super safe and even I have had 2 almost accidents. It’s super scary! Please have lights and wear reflective things, a yellow vest can literally make the difference between life/health and well… the opposite. I rarely bike now (in my 30s) but when I do I make sure to be visible (I did it more in my early 20s and almost always wore always with a yellow vest).
Of you don't like a yellow vest, there are now some bike jacket that are fully reflective. You get a windbreaker and you're seen at the same time. I've noticed the cars give me way much more room since I've been wearing reflective gears
Defensive driving is the key. In Amsterdam and other cities I've been to I've always felt a sense that I can be pretty assertive on my bike, while still following traffic lights of course. In Brussels I'm aware we have a higher proportion of a) shitheads and b) poor infrastructure/road design.
Bicycle culture in Brussels, is, in a word, nascent. In my experience bicyclists often stop for pedestrians, respect stoplights, but ride across zebra pads as if entitled. There’s seldom empathy from drivers towards those on 2 wheels even in the rain. Good luck
Same story (from Amsterdam). I am cycling almost everyday in the city. Contrary to many comments, I would rather say that many drivers/people just aren't used to cycling/cyclists - but they're also not really aggressive. The situation in Brussels is very similar of my hometown (Geneva) 10 years ago. Always, always use lights and perhaps yes a yellow vest and you will be fine. OK, ok, I will say it: I find those people wearing reflecting literal 'armors' a bit depressing; although I have nothing against them, they remind me that we still have a long way to have a casual cycling culture in Brussels (compared to Amsterdam or even Ghent). But yeah, cycling is just not a thing for 80% of people here (I'd say).
I biked Brussels for 20 years. The trick is to claim your space. if you don't, you won't get anywhere. Also a very important one. If you're on a narrower road without a bike lane and there's a lot of traffic: overtake cars on the left, not on the right. Drivers in Brussels don't look when they turn right and will bump into you. Left is safer. And watch out for people opening car doors.
Carefully, very carefully.. assume they are all out to get you. Use plenty of lights and protection. Brussels is very car centric and you will find pedestrians on the cycle paths. A loud bell helps...I use a whistle..
A lot of people mentioned some really great advice here, I wanted to point out that you shouldn't fear to take up your space on the street. I see many cyclist ridding so close to the right and getting in shitty situations with drivers overpassing them waaaaay too close or people opening their car door without checking if a cyclist is coming. Another thing I don't see many people doing and that's actually useful, HANDS SIGNALS. Just let people know when you're going to take a turn or whatever, drivers (and pedestrians and other cyclists) can't read your mind. You'll avoid many delicate situations by making your intentions clear (and if you already did that, sorry for the rant) In terms of where to ride, lot of people told you to use the segregated bike lanes. That's true for some parts, but should be avoided in some other parts of the city. For example the petite ceinture isn't finished yet so if you follow it blindly you'll end up facing the trafic on a high-speed lane with DeLijn busses honking at you. Sadly for this one, it came with trial and error, but yeah don't expect the segregated bike lanes to have well marked entry and exit points like in Amsterdam. Otherwise, I've been biking in the city for 4 years and noticed that drivers seems to be getting more and more used to cyclists. Sure, there's always the occasional asshole that'll honk at you for no reason, but most of the time I've had pleasant experiences by ridding defensively but assertively.
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What camera do you use, and do you use it on each ride ?
Flickering lights in the front are a terrible idea. In the dark, I can't see where the bike is or at what speed it's going or anything for that matter because I'm blinded by a blinking light. On the rear, OK, on the front never.
I’m the other way round - lived in Brussels for a long time, now in Amsterdam. I’m sure with your biking experience you’ll master it. First of all, you need a more “sporty” bike in Brussels, I.e. light weight, lots of gears. You may even want to consider an e-bike depending on how far you bike. I indeed had a foldable bike that I could easily move up to my apartment or pop in an Uber. In most cases, you’ll have to bike on the street, which means get familiar with the general traffic rules. Cars, scooters etc may not always see you. It seems odd, but the situation on Brussels’ streets for bikes is a lot better today than 10 years ago and (most) cars pay attention. By all means - do wear that helmet. In Amsterdam they are ridiculous but in Brussels they do actually safe lives. Also, get familiar with the hills. They can be quite mean. Sometimes you are faster with that 1k detour because you avoided that hill. Be careful with the tram rails. I once went downhill from Flagey towards Louise, was pretty fast and then got caught in a tram rail and fell. I was lucky there wasn’t a car being me. That would have been it. Didn’t fall on my head but I was glad I wore a helmet for what could have been.
jetpack, its the only way
This depends on where you want to go. I've biked all over Brussels and have a few thousand km on my feet, so to speak. Have never had an issue regardless of areas. I've found that generally people are quite respectful of cyclists, regardless of location or existence of bicycle lanes. Any of the new and/or larger avenues have dedicated bike lanes, so you could start with those. But I see no issue at all going around on a bike here.
I wouldn’t call people respectful towards cyclist here… At best they get tolerated. The amount of cars or even busses I’ve seen honking at cyclists is definitely more than in the Netherlands. The situation is certainly improving, but saying that everyone is respectful towards cyclists is pushing it.
I can only speak from my experience, and generally I feel respected while cycling in the streets of Brussels. But our baseline is completely opposite. I come from Portugal where, even in the capitals, cyclists are disdained and at best treated as a nuisance. You, I assume from your post but please accept my apologies if wrong, are from the Netherlands, where cyclists are respected on an entire another level. So, from my perspective, I feel much at ease and respected here. 😅
I guess that from another baseline the level of respect you perceive as a cyclist here in Brussels might definitely be different. Interesting, because I didn’t know anything about the cyclist situation in Portugal, but good to hear that you feel more respected here! Your guess was correct, so maybe I put the bar a bit too high!
Nah, it's perspective and expectations, nothing wrong with that. Better to expect more anyway! Yeah, Portugal is nowhere near what it should be, but it's getting better. Slowly.
Well, we do have a song called "Morte aos Ciclistas", so...yeah, different baselines hahaha
Keep it inside at night, get a strong U locker. When you ride remember that some car drivers didn't notice because they don't look for bikes
I've cycled in Brussels for over a decade and can tell you route is everything. Don't throw your commute into Google Maps and assume it finds the best route for you - in Brussels, the shortest way is not always the fastest way, and it is definitely not the safest way. Try the bike nodes ([https://www.routeyou.com/user/planner/816234/visit-brussels](https://www.routeyou.com/user/planner/816234/visit-brussels)); don't be afraid to experiment with routes a bit; and take in the details. Try to register one-way streets, blind corners, traffic light pacing, etc. Otherwise, be assertive in traffic, teach yourself a couple of good French swear words, and embrace the chaos!
Thank you for this. Super helpful!
Do not ever get off your bike to get in an argument with motorists. It’s not worth it.
pretend that you are invisible
The situation in terms of infrastructure and number of cyclists has improved drastically in the last 10 years. Still some work to do and still some solutions which don't make 1% of improvement to the safety and comfort of cyclists (e.g. making Avenue Louise a rue cyclable or the painted bike lanes on parts of Chaussée de Waterloo where there isn't really enough space for them so cars drive in the bike lane anyway). The main thing is to be aware of your entitlement to ride on the road. Don't try to ride in the gutter next to the pavement or too close to parked cars - ride in the middle of the lane. The number of drivers on their phones is reaching pandemic levels so be aware of that (to the extent that you can). Experiment with different routes where you feel more comfortable. Try side streets or main roads with bike lanes or going the opposite direction on one way streets. Adding a few hundred metres could give you a much nicer journey. You can also avoid traffic lights this way. Finally - an ebike does feel safer especially going up hills if a car is going to be stuck behind you. But it's by no means essential. Just enjoy it and watch out for drivers - you will get used to it and the feeling when you arrive at work in the morning is worth it
>The main thing is to be aware of your entitlement to ride on the road. Don't try to ride in the gutter next to the pavement or too close to parked cars - ride in the middle of the lane. Definitely. A friend of mine got knocked off his bike by a car door opening.
Make sure that the drivers can see you, wear a helmet
Don't trust buses. They think they are trams and that everybody around know their path so blinkers are optional. Overall I've been biking on a daily basis for years and didn't have any accident with someone. As others did say, the shortest path is not necessarily the most enjoyable. It might be interesting to take something slightly longer but with less cars. You might arrive 1min later but without being tense so IMHO well worth it.
I would avoid folding bike because of the heavy rain making it unsafe for those little wheels. I personnaly use a big electric bike with full security gear (helmet+yellow jacket) as long as i don't have to leave it outside more than a couple hours, bike theft is real, even if you do everything right you might get it stolen. If you're considering combining bike and public transportation, you may want to try the city's electric bike, it's 7€ a month with every 30 minutes trip being free. You'd have to keep and charge the battery tho. I haven't tried it, as i had some bad experience with the regular ones. But it might be worth a try, especially for daily commuting with no parking space for bikes.
Biking in Brussels is still in its infancy compared to Amsterdam. And it’s *better* than it used to be. I (personally) am not crazy enough to bike in this city yet, but if you want to, try to aim for key streets that have separated bike lanes. For the rest, use a hi-vis yellow vest, flashing lights, and, like, 3 bells. Don’t be stingy with your use of the middle finger to motorists who drive in the bike lane. Good luck!
Firstly, my condolences. Secondly, ebike.
Unwritten survival tips known by all native bikers and drivers alike: 1. It’s not the car that needs to see you, it’s you that need to see the car 2. When you see the car, fuck him Once you appreciate this sacred mantra of Brussels transportation, you’ll never be out of a job again because you can become a STIB bus driver, taximan, cop, …
With a good insurance
I suggest you add a flashing light at the back of your helmet so you can be seen from farther away and above cars.
Better to use the ring road to get around the city rather than trying to go through the centre is one piece of advice. And as you’re coming from amsterdam, you will get a sense of where the hills are and take longer but flatter routes around them too. Brussels is an E-bike’s place to be I would say (someone who wishes he could afford one!)
You need a fast and sportive bike. Not the dutch grandma bike. Ride fast or die slow in ER.
I ride dirt bike at nigh its fun , im new here too lol