Cargo bikeFlanders
Traffic rules
Flanders
83. Cargo bike
A cargo bike is a bicycle designed to transport goods, children or other larger loads than can normally be carried on a conventional bicycle. Cargo bikes may use a box or platform in front of or behind the rider, an extended rear carrier or a multi-wheel design.
Cargo bikes can be powered entirely by the rider or equipped with electric pedal assistance. Their permitted dimensions, passenger capacity, use of cycle paths and electrical-assistance limits depend on the local traffic and vehicle regulations.
Wikimedia.org • Clément Bucco-Lechat • CC BY-SA
What is a cargo bike in Belgium?
A cargo bike is a bicycle intended to carry goods, children or larger loads. Common Belgian cargo-bike designs include two-wheel box bikes, three-wheel cargo bikes and longtails.
Is a cargo bike a separate legal vehicle category in Belgium?
No. The term describes the bicycle's purpose and design. Its legal classification depends on characteristics such as the number of wheels, width and type of electrical assistance.
Can a Belgian cargo bike have electric assistance?
Yes. A cargo bike with pedal assistance of no more than 250 W that stops assisting by 25 km/h remains classified as an ordinary cycle.
Can a more powerful electric cargo bike still follow bicycle rules?
Yes, within the motorised-cycle category. A motorised cycle may have an electric motor with a nominal continuous maximum power of up to 1 kW and assistance ending by 25 km/h. Under the current rules, its rider follows the traffic rules for cyclists.
Do ordinary Belgian cargo bikes need a driving licence?
No. An ordinary bicycle or electric bicycle within the 250 W and 25 km/h limits does not require a driving licence. A motorised cycle up to 1 kW and 25 km/h also currently requires no driving licence.
Must an ordinary Belgian cargo bike be registered?
No. Ordinary bicycles, electric bicycles within the 250 W and 25 km/h limits and motorised cycles up to 1 kW and 25 km/h do not require registration or a registration plate.
Can a cargo bike use Belgian cycle paths?
Yes, when its legal classification and width permit it. Cargo bicycles treated as bicycles follow the normal rules concerning compulsory cycle paths.
What happens if a three- or four-wheel cargo cycle is wider than 1 metre?
A three- or four-wheel cycle is treated as a bicycle for the applicable traffic rules only when it is no more than 1 metre wide. Wider cycles may not use the ordinary bicycle facilities that are reserved for cyclists.
How wide may a two-wheel Belgian bicycle be?
Under the current technical rules, the maximum width of a two-wheel bicycle is 0.75 metres. Different dimensional rules apply to three- and four-wheel cycles.
Can children travel in a Belgian cargo bike?
Yes, when the bicycle is designed and equipped for them. A bicycle may not carry more people than the number for which its seating positions are designed.
What safety provisions are required when carrying children?
Children must be carried using the appropriate seating arrangement. Belgian federal guidance also requires children's feet to be supported when they are transported on a bicycle or motorised cycle.
Can you carry children in a bicycle trailer?
Yes. A trailer attached to a bicycle or motorised cycle may carry no more than two passengers and must have secure seats providing adequate protection for their hands, feet and backs.
How heavy may a trailer behind a Belgian bicycle be?
A bicycle trailer may normally have a total mass of no more than 80 kg, including its load and passengers. A heavier trailer may be used when it has a braking system that operates automatically when the cyclist brakes.
Can a Belgian cargo bike carry goods wider than the bicycle?
The load on a two-wheel bicycle may project by up to 30 cm on each side, but the total loaded width may not exceed 1 metre. The load must also be positioned and secured safely.
Is a helmet compulsory on an ordinary cargo bike in Belgium?
No. There is currently no general helmet requirement for ordinary bicycle or ordinary electric-bicycle riders, although wearing a suitable bicycle helmet is recommended.
Do motorists have to leave extra passing distance around a cargo bike?
Motorists passing a cyclist must leave at least 1 metre inside a built-up area and at least 1.5 metres outside a built-up area. A driver should leave even more space where necessary because of the cargo bike's width, load or road conditions.
