After the success of the first European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) call for cycle highways worth 21.7 million euro last year, Flanders announces that, together with European funding, they will invest another 12.5 million euro in a second ERDF call for cycle highway projects in 2017.

The Flemish Government will launch a second call for proposals to invest 5 million euro in cycle highways in Flanders (Belgium) with the budget of the European Fund for Regional Development. The call for proposals closes at the end of January 2017.

Selected cycle highway projects will receive 40% European funding (ERDF) and Flanders, together with the the municipality or the Province will match the remaining investment. Combined these investments will amount to a total of 12.5 million euro invested in cycle highways in Flanders in 2017. Because of this additional European funding Flanders is now able to increase its budget for cycling infrastructure.

 “I hope that there will be more ERDF spending on cycling in the future, says Mikaël Van Eeckhoudt from Fietsersbond, because it will be necessary if we actually want to see progress on cycling in Flanders.”

One of the cycle highway projects that might be funded could be the creation of a cycle highway along the Flemish coast. The mayors of the Flemish coast will submit a feasibility study to create a cycle highway along the coast, almost completely separated from car traffic.

The Flemish minister of Transport and the Flemish Minister of Economy have high expectations for cycle highways to solve mobility problems. During the first Cycle Highway project call last year they invested in 21.7 million euro for missing links on 13 cycle highway projects in 2016. Flanders has the ambition to create a network of 80 cycle highways that will avoid car traffic as much as possible.

The Flemish European Fund for Regional Development is not the only one investing in cycle highways. Earlier this year the Interreg VB North West Programme approved the CHIPS project on Cycle Highway Innovation for 4.5 million euro. The CHIPS project will demonstrate that, especially in combination with the growing number of e-bikes, cycle highway innovation can effectively get commuters out of their cars.