The City of Deinze is a picturesque city in the Belgian province of East Flanders, comprising approximately 45,000 residents. Long committed to building a strong cycling policy, Deinze has implemented a range of progressive measures over the last ten years, aimed at making cycling safer and more accessible to its residents and visitors.

The Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) of Deinze which was adopted in 2018, explicitly prioritises the safety of cyclists over the convenience of motorists. The overarching objective of the plan is for cycling to be the mode of transport of choice for short and medium trips. Furthermore, Deinze’s ambition and commitment to cycling extends beyond the transport agenda. Cycling is perceived as a means to a more liveable, pleasant, and healthy living environment. This approach is reflected in all planning decisions by the city, which notably employs the '8-80 principle' when designing public spaces. The city is therefore designed such that it works well and is pleasant for everyone and for all wheels - the children's bike of an 8-year-old and the walker of an 80-year-old.

The city leadership had acknowledged early on that the first step in making cycling a viable means of transport for all, is to ensure safe, comfortable, and direct cycling infrastructure to the city's main attraction poles. To this end, Deinze put a lot of effort into its cycling infrastructure development, transforming its entire city centre and whole streets with cycle bridges, tunnels over cycle paths, cycle streets and cycle zones. A plethora of smart innovations were introduced as complementary measures. These include the reversal of the direction of travel on Tolpoortstraat, introducing one-way traffic on Poelstraat, and providing a Car Free Hour on Tolpoortstraat - the city's main shopping street, but also the main access route for cyclists to the city centre.

Tolpoortstraat Street, photo by City of Deinze

Deinze was also one of the pioneers in Belgium in terms of shared bicycles, which have been available in the city since 2011. Thanks to an intervention of the city council, the use of the shared bicycles “Blue Bikes” in the city is completely free. In addition, residents who use the blue bike in other cities can have the cost reimbursed in the form of a mobility budget via the Smart City Deinze app, which can be in turn used to buy train, tram, or bus tickets.

Adding to this impressive list of achievements, Jan Vermeulen, Mayor of Deinze and ECF Board member and Treasurer, says: “We are eager to welcome Cities & Regions for Cyclists members in Deinze and to showcase our latest cycling developments. These include, but are not limited to, the fitting of new lighting onto our scenic route, new bike facilities at our central train station as well as new partnerships for cycling promotion!”

All the measures taken over the last ten years confirm that Deinze is steeped in a cycling culture. For instance, the Belgian Walking Bicycle Championships have been organised with great success for several years now, there is a real bicycle library 'Op Wielekes', cycling lessons for adults are organised and plenty of effort is put into developing and utilizing cycle logistics. Deinze’s efforts do not go unnoticed, as the city was awarded 'Cycling City' by an independent jury and the Flemish Foundation for Traffic Studies in 2015, 2018 and in 2020.

For more information on the City of Deinze: https://www.deinze.be/

For more information on the Cities & Regions for Cyclists: https://ecf.com/community/cities-regions-cyclists