Belgium's Mobility Minister, Georges Gilkinet, has announced plans to establish a central register of bicycles in January, with the aim of addressing the growing issue of bike

theft in the country. This initiative is a key component of the "Be Cyclist" program, which seeks to promote bicycle usage throughout Belgium.

The new registry builds upon the existing Mybike system in Brussels, which helps combat bicycle theft by cataloging bikes in a registry. Owners can voluntarily register their bicycles in the system and receive a unique identification sticker.

Currently, over 43,000 bicycles are registered in the Mybike database. Gilkinet hopes to expand this initiative nationwide, creating a single, national database for Mybike. However, each region within Belgium will maintain its own website and communication strategies related to the program.

The effectiveness of Mybike in reducing bike theft remains to be seen, as this issue is on the rise in Belgium. Some insurers have responded by introducing stricter conditions for bicycle insurance. Many insurers already require that bicycles be secured to a fixed point, but some are taking additional measures. For instance, Aedes now only insures bicycles if they are stored in fully enclosed, privately owned spaces that are both covered and locked with a key. AXA Belgium has ceased to insure bicycles left on the streets of Antwerp or Brussels between 10 pm and 6 am.

Insurers note that bicycle theft is primarily concentrated in larger cities. In Brussels, the risk of bike theft is four times higher than the national average, while Antwerp and Leuven experience double the theft rate of the country as a whole. In Ghent and Bruges, theft rates are slightly below the national average.

The Insurance Ombudsman, Laurent de Barsy, reports an increasing number of complaints related to bicycle insurance, particularly concerning the locking requirements. Over the past two years, the number of bicycle insurance policies has more than doubled, with customers seeking protection against theft as a top priority. Photo by Timmbits, Wikimedia commons.