I think the sentiment of the article is good but the tone is typical young EU bubble worker (“I used to work in an environmental NGO”… That doesnt make you an authority on urban planning! ) with doses of sarcasm and armchair Brussels bashing (bonus points for “we do things so much better back home”… Stay there then! ). How is this article supposed to achieve anything other than clicks and shares based on “i know that feeling haha”? Will this person vote in local elections? Does this person care about Brussels outside of when they are living in it, or their cookie blue skied version of it?
I also think Belgium has a far bigger issue with “open letters” “cartes blanches” than it does with cyclists ignoring traffic rules.
Study from Copenhagen regarding the amount of cyclists that broke the law:
– on streets without bike infrastructure: 15%.
– on streets with bike infrastructure: 5%.
Instead of writing another “come on darn cyclists, follow the law” article, it would be far more effective to write a “hey Brussels, how the fuck does this city not have a proper bike network” article. Assuming the goal is to make streets safer for pedestrians of course. If the goal is to just blame cyclists, this article does its job just fine.
One of the worst open letters I have ever read.
>”I’d like to start by stressing that this is not a tirade against bicycles.”
>
>[Tirade against bicycles]
Sure, there are dangerous cyclists, but do you _really_ think that is why *”Belgian pedestrians are at the bottom of the rank among EU countries concerning how safe they feel while walking on the street”*?
Seriously?
Ok, So is a summary this?
We don’t care about the pedestrians. Their complaints are unjust and unhelpful.
If she is constantly getting in conflict with cyclists, the she’d better think about her own behaviour first.
Brussels isn’t designed for bikes. In my recent forays into Brussels biking I was surprised to see that quite often the bike path purposely diverts onto the pavement, squeezing between a bus stop and the front of a house. And there are times at intersections where there is such chaos, as well intentioned as one may be, you are going to choose between slightly bending the rules or risking life and limb between the cars.
I try to consider the source on this kind of stuff.
So, Brussels Times is generally hot garbage and I try to avoid it. It’s an advertising company masquerading as a newspaper.
Problem is, it’s the most well-known English-language “media” amongst the Expat™ crowd, so it’s somewhat unavoidable.
The author is basically every bubble worker: overeducated, likely well-off, “things are better back home”, and will probably leave in a year or two to follow the trail of sweet, sweet EU money wherever it takes her.
Brussels Times basically just posted a rant so whatever. She might as well just keep a blog.
Where is this focus on conflict between pedestrians and cyclists coming from? This is like the 5th article in a week. Almost feels like a weird pushed campaign.
Brussels, the gift that keeps on taking.
I come from Flanders to Brussels to work by bike every day and I’m fortunate to have a cycling lane most of the way. There is one crossroads that is dangerous because cars are supposed to give priority to bikes but don’t see them coming and obviously never stop before the bike lane but on it because 2 meters matter. Besides that I find cars very courteous generally speaking (I know it’s not everyone’s experience)
From my experience the biggest problem is actually pedestrians walking on the cycling lane or crossing it without looking (NOT on a zebra). Then they freak out because it’s a close call. But it’s marked as a bike lane. It’s a different colour. It even often is not on the same level as the pavement. You are the one making me feel insecure, not the other way around.
Don’t get me wrong I understand a parent pushing a stroller on the cycling lane because it’s more flat, or the fact that sometimes they are surrounded by trees so it’s nicer. But if it is marked as a cycling lane, don’t be surprised if I’m slightly closer to you than I want to because another bike is coming in the opposite direction. And there is no need to freeze if you here a bell, someone is just letting you know they are coming so you should probably just not abruptly change direction. No stress 🙂
11 comments
I think the sentiment of the article is good but the tone is typical young EU bubble worker (“I used to work in an environmental NGO”… That doesnt make you an authority on urban planning! ) with doses of sarcasm and armchair Brussels bashing (bonus points for “we do things so much better back home”… Stay there then! ). How is this article supposed to achieve anything other than clicks and shares based on “i know that feeling haha”? Will this person vote in local elections? Does this person care about Brussels outside of when they are living in it, or their cookie blue skied version of it?
I also think Belgium has a far bigger issue with “open letters” “cartes blanches” than it does with cyclists ignoring traffic rules.
Study from Copenhagen regarding the amount of cyclists that broke the law:
– on streets without bike infrastructure: 15%.
– on streets with bike infrastructure: 5%.
Instead of writing another “come on darn cyclists, follow the law” article, it would be far more effective to write a “hey Brussels, how the fuck does this city not have a proper bike network” article. Assuming the goal is to make streets safer for pedestrians of course. If the goal is to just blame cyclists, this article does its job just fine.
One of the worst open letters I have ever read.
>”I’d like to start by stressing that this is not a tirade against bicycles.”
>
>[Tirade against bicycles]
Sure, there are dangerous cyclists, but do you _really_ think that is why *”Belgian pedestrians are at the bottom of the rank among EU countries concerning how safe they feel while walking on the street”*?
Seriously?
Ok, So is a summary this?
We don’t care about the pedestrians. Their complaints are unjust and unhelpful.
If she is constantly getting in conflict with cyclists, the she’d better think about her own behaviour first.
Brussels isn’t designed for bikes. In my recent forays into Brussels biking I was surprised to see that quite often the bike path purposely diverts onto the pavement, squeezing between a bus stop and the front of a house. And there are times at intersections where there is such chaos, as well intentioned as one may be, you are going to choose between slightly bending the rules or risking life and limb between the cars.
I try to consider the source on this kind of stuff.
So, Brussels Times is generally hot garbage and I try to avoid it. It’s an advertising company masquerading as a newspaper.
Problem is, it’s the most well-known English-language “media” amongst the Expat™ crowd, so it’s somewhat unavoidable.
The author is basically every bubble worker: overeducated, likely well-off, “things are better back home”, and will probably leave in a year or two to follow the trail of sweet, sweet EU money wherever it takes her.
Brussels Times basically just posted a rant so whatever. She might as well just keep a blog.
Where is this focus on conflict between pedestrians and cyclists coming from? This is like the 5th article in a week. Almost feels like a weird pushed campaign.
Brussels, the gift that keeps on taking.
I come from Flanders to Brussels to work by bike every day and I’m fortunate to have a cycling lane most of the way. There is one crossroads that is dangerous because cars are supposed to give priority to bikes but don’t see them coming and obviously never stop before the bike lane but on it because 2 meters matter. Besides that I find cars very courteous generally speaking (I know it’s not everyone’s experience)
From my experience the biggest problem is actually pedestrians walking on the cycling lane or crossing it without looking (NOT on a zebra). Then they freak out because it’s a close call. But it’s marked as a bike lane. It’s a different colour. It even often is not on the same level as the pavement. You are the one making me feel insecure, not the other way around.
Don’t get me wrong I understand a parent pushing a stroller on the cycling lane because it’s more flat, or the fact that sometimes they are surrounded by trees so it’s nicer. But if it is marked as a cycling lane, don’t be surprised if I’m slightly closer to you than I want to because another bike is coming in the opposite direction. And there is no need to freeze if you here a bell, someone is just letting you know they are coming so you should probably just not abruptly change direction. No stress 🙂