The F70 cycle highway, which connects the center of Hasselt with the educational campus in Diepenbeek, saw a sharp increase in cyclists after the start of the academic year. Between Monday, September 21 and Friday, September 25, 2026, a total of 14,069 cyclists were counted near the Provinciehuis. This represents an increase of 153.2% compared to early September.
Compared to the week of September 7 to 11, 2026, the number of cyclists rose from 5,562 to 14,082, an increase of 8,520 cyclists. "The start of the academic year is immediately visible on our cycle highway," says Laura Olaerts, deputy for Mobility. "We see the number of cyclists here more than double in just two weeks. This shows that many students consciously choose to cycle between Hasselt and the campus in Diepenbeek."
The province aims to make this choice as attractive and safe as possible with good, comfortable cycling connections. Compared to the same week in September 2025, there was also a clear increase in cyclists, with 11,467 bicycle movements registered, meaning an increase of 22.7% or 2,602 extra cyclists. Cyclist counts were higher on all five weekdays.
In recent months, work has been carried out on the F70 cycle highway to make the connection between Hasselt, Diepenbeek, and the campus environment safer and more comfortable. These figures confirm that investing in quality cycling infrastructure pays off, making sustainable mobility not only possible but also more self-evident.
