New bike manager at Brussels Airport to stimulate bike usage

13.03.2023

Brussels Airport has been focusing on sustainable travel to the airport for quite some time now. In recent years, the bicycle has gained popularity for commuting, and that offers opportunities for the employees of Brussels Airport and the many companies located around it. In order to stimulate an even greater use of bicycles, the province of Flemish Brabant and Brussels Airport have, as part of the Stargate project, appointed a bike manager. Steven Fagard will be mapping out the bike potential at the airport and developing concrete measures and actions to give a boost to the number of cyclists.

Within the Stargate project, initiatives are being developed for a greener airport and to further develop airports into modern mobility hubs that allow travellers, employees and local residents to combine means of transport in a smart and efficient way. As a result of the fruitful collaboration between Brussels Airport and the province of Flemish Brabant, a bike manager will take on a new challenge at the airport as from March 2023. Steven Fagard has been staff member mobility management at the province of Flemish Brabant, and will be seconded to Brussels Airport for two years.

“Our collaboration within Stargate allows us to deploy the expertise available within the province of Flemish Brabant in a focused way at the airport. With 24,000 people employed by the various companies at Brussels Airport, the bicycle is a possible alternative for many of them, which they do might not yet know very well. By mapping the missing links and needs and by raising the necessary awareness, we want to make the bicycle a viable alternative for commuting,”

Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport

“Since 2021, the airport is connected to the F3, the busy cycle highway between Leuven and Brussels, by the so-called S-bend. The challenge is to convince a growing number of employees and travellers to use that infrastructure when travelling to and from the airport. If more people make use of the bike, that is not only good for the environment and the mobility in our region but also for the health of our population.”

Tom Dehaene, Commissioner for mobility

“You may not immediately associate an airport with cycling, but with the two previous visits with The Bike Test we demonstrated that there is enthusiasm and potential. There are many cycle ambassadors working here who can encourage their colleagues to take the bike more frequently. As bike manager, I want to ensure that all conditions are provided to make that as pleasant and safe as possible.”

Steven Fagard, New Bike Manager

Via the Stargate project, Brussels Airport already invested in bike parking facilities with charging points for electric bicycles for both passengers and employees. A lot of attention is paid to cycle infrastructure and accessibility. Today, around 4% of the employees of the companies at Brussels Airport come to work by bike; the bike manager will now further map the cycling potential at the airport and propose concrete measures to improve the infrastructure and sign-posting even further, and also develop actions to stimulate the use of the bike.

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