Critical Mass – cycling for a better city

Every last Friday of the month, the Critical Mass – a gathering of cyclists takes place at Porte de Namur as the starting point. Last Friday (May 26th) it was the 19th birthday of the organization which fights for the better cycling conditions in our city. Their mission is to raise awareness on urban mobility issues among both – car drivers and other cyclists, but also to the potential new cyclists. With more than 300 members joining their events, Critical Mass asks more space for cyclists and hopes that it will eventually lead to more cyclists in Brussels.

Although the number of cyclists is constantly increasing in Brussels Region, the cycling infrasructure is still not adequate and very often the existing bike lanes are not well marked nor respected by the car drivers. Also, the air quality is a big problem and Critical Mass tries to address all these issues.

We share with you a Facebook video talk made by blogger @Marcorecorder. He spoke live from Critical Mass Brussels with mobility & sustainability blogger Kwinten Lambrecht aka Lambyk. The video and explanation is below:

Even though there has been considerable improvement, the city of Brussels remains not the best example of a cycling-friendly city and it’s high in the rankings of the most congested cities in Europe. Lack of infrastructure and proper cycling lanes is a problem and a number of initiatives like Critical Mass are raising awareness about the issue. As a matter of fact, “My experience as a cyclist in Brussels” is my most ever read article –

Other issues are bike theft (something I experienced personally) and it’s good to see how the local police are putting up a monitoring system to help citizens beware of this type of crime.

What Kwinten and I want to do is to share the #BXLLove for Brussels and encourage the improvement of the town that is now my home. It’s not our intention to bash but to endorse positive citizen engagement.

Regarding related issues, I recommend following BIKES vs CARS, PedalBXL, Cyclo Guerilla BxlFietsersbond Fietsersbond, Brussels Bike Lanes Inc., GRACQ/Fietsersbond Bruxelles Ville/Brussel Stad, follow Kwinten’s blog at http://www.lambyk.com/ and get yourself a Villo!

To learn more about Critical Mass and their future events, follow their Facebook page. You can also read our article about one of the former critical mass events in Brussels.

Main photo: Kwinten Lambrecht