Jette Reverses Course on Protected Cycle Path in Favor of Oker Strip
The municipality of Jette has abandoned plans for a fully protected, traffic-separated cycle path along the Heilig-Hartlaan, opting instead for an ocher-colored suggested bike lane that preserves existing street parking, BRUZZ reported.
The decision marks a sharp pivot from a project first announced in July 2023, when local authorities promised a separated cycling track between Secretinlaan and Lorge Roundabout. That stretch forms part of regional bicycle route 12b connecting Brussels-Centrum to Wemmel and serves as a vital link to the future C212 cyclostrade, used daily by hundreds of students heading to the Heilig-Hart and Sacré-Coeur schools.
Parking Retention and Viral Backlash
After the municipality secured a green light for the protected path in May 2024, officials negotiated an agreement with the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS) to secure spaces behind Jette station to offset public parking losses. Construction would start once the works in Léon Theodorstraat and around the Jette cemetery were finished. Frustration over the delays boiled over in late 2024 when Molembike coordinator Benjamin Tollet published a viral video highlighting how the existing bike path near the cemetery abruptly ended at a single bollard, pushing cyclists directly into a row of parked cars. Following the backlash, local official Jennifer Ghesquière (MR) promised that bike path renovations would proceed after construction wrapped up at Saint Peter’s Church and the adjacent cemetery to manage the impact on parking availability. Ten months later, the municipal administration settled on the ocher-colored suggestion strips instead. The southern portion of Heilig-Hartlaan will be repaved, curb heights near the cemetery and Youth Park entrances will be lowered, and the pedestrian crossing will be reconfigured. All existing vehicle parking spaces along the Heilig-Hartlaan will remain intact.
It can always be better, but this is a good compromise between all road users,
Ghesquière said, adding that cyclists can still use the Youth Park for safe transit to nearby schools.
Local Criticism and Subsidy Repayment
In the neighborhood, there is a lot of disbelief and concern,
said local resident Wouter Gelade. This decision fits into a broader trend where the Jette municipal administration places parking spaces above cycling infrastructure.
Under the original, approved design, then-Mobility Alderman Nathalie De Swaef (Groen) signed an agreement with the King Baudouin Foundation. The project secured a 151,800-euro subsidy from the Bikes in Brussels Fund, which covered nearly the entire construction cost. That subsidy is now being fully refunded by the municipality,
Ghesquière confirmed. Construction on the revised suggestion strip layout is scheduled to take place during the upcoming spring or Easter holiday.
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