Brussels Secretary of State for Road Safety, Bianca Debaets and Brussels Minister of Transport Pascal Smet installed new cyclist signs Thursday morning. The sign, located on boulevard de Smet de Naeyer in Jette, which was installed in the presence of Mayor Hervé Doyen, allows cyclists to continue on their way at red lights.

This provision marks a change instated by a Ministerial Law modifying Article 67.4.3 of the Traffic Regulations. Signs B22 and B23 will henceforth allow cyclists to turn right or continue straight even when the traffic light is orange or red. Brussels is thus the first Region of the country to make this position obligatory. It will be applied at all intersections where safety conditions allow it. A test phase was carried out in the previous legislative term; however, due to lack of clarity in legislation, some municipalities did not follow through with the measure.

Bianca Debaets and Pascal Smet clarified the legislation in order to allow installing these signs and make the measure obligatory. “It is a provision which exists since 1990 in the Netherlands and which exists also in France and Germany,” Bianca Debaets pointed out. Pascal Smet added that the Cyclist Observatory of 2015 recommended harmonizing the use of signs allowing cyclists to turn right. We responded by making them widespread.”

Brussels Transport manages in total 475 regional intersections with traffic lights. To date, 348 B22 and B23 have been installed. About 40 additional signs will be installed in the coming four months.

Following the 6th State Reform, the regions are in charge of determining the use of road signs.

Oscar Schneider (Source: Belga)