Insults, provocations, lack of courtesy. Tensions between cyclists and motorists have increased since the start of the crisis.
The video caused a stir. Last week, a mechanic in Heusden-Zolder, Limburg, took revenge on a cyclist who had taken to spitting daily at cars encroaching on the cycle path. The cyclist, eagerly awaited, was caught red-handed. He received a bucket of water in the face in retaliation before fleeing, not without dropping a few bird names. Other incidents also took place in Flemish Brabant, on the Pajottenland side. A group of amateur cyclists was violently attacked by two farmers following a right-wing priority conflict.
This type of incident seems to be on the increase lately. The reasons that may explain the growing tensions between cyclists and motorists are diverse. “The number of cyclists exploded during the health crisis and the risk of tensions inevitably increases, especially with the good weather returning and pushing more and more people to get on two wheels., explains Benoît Godart, spokesperson for Vias, the Belgian road safety institute. “The multiplicity of the number of road users also contributes to this climate of tension. Ten years ago, there were only classic bikes. But today, we find electric bicycles, speed-pedelecs, monowheels, electric scooters. It is therefore normal that there is more tension because the public space is not extensible.”