Brussels – June 28, 2017
The official introduction of the EU Cycling Strategy in Brussels took place on June 28 at the Big Bike Event, in presence of a high-level, distinguished audience.
The list of guest speakers included:
- the Belgian Federal Minister for Mobility, François Bellot,
- the Luxembourg Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, François Bausch,
- the Dutch Ambassador to Belgium, Maryem van den Heuvel,
- the Professor at the History Division of Technological Innovation of the Eindhoven University Ruth Oldenziel,
- the Director for Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport of the European Commission DG Move, Mr Herald Ruijters
- The Director-General for Transport and mobility of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Mark Frequin
- The Advocacy Director of ECF, Adam Bodor
- PON’s Director of Public Affairs and Future Technologies, Raymond Gense
Among the interventions, Mr Gense gave a very interesting presentation about the future of Bicycles, which will soon become “Smart Bicycles”: they will include tablets as HMI, vibrating handlebars and saddles, radars, haptic pedal assistance, computers, speed sensors and cameras – just to name a few features. The progress towards the Smart Bicycle will undoubtedly increase the safety of Cyclists, especially in situations where the road conditions, the mix of road vehicles and the traffic will make it difficult for cyclists to be enough safe.
The seminar was followed by a bike ride through Brussels with the European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc and in a closing session, Pascal Smet, the Brussels Minister of Mobility and Public Works, bridged the gap to local politics by reflecting on his challenges in turning Brussels into a cycling city and how Europe can help municipalities and regions in doing so.
