What makes this sign particularly Belgium other than the graffiti? The bicycle. Many people here ride bicycles as a form of transportation. Bicycles seem to be everywhere in Brussels. You can even rent a bicycle from Villo! (http://www.villo.be/). According to Villo!'s website there 180 Villo! stations every 450m. You can't miss these stands with all the yellow bikes neatly locked up. These can be very convenient for tourists that would love to tour Brussels like the "locals."My question is how many people actually wear helmets? I am guessing not many. Today was unusual as I saw about 4 or 5 cyclists actually protect their head. Many bike riders are dressed for work. No spandex a la Lance Armstrong. I have even seen some men dressed in suits ride their bicycles. While I don't stay up all night worrying about all the helmet -less cyclists, I do wonder how many Belgians have actually damaged their brains by falling off their bikes without a protective covering. Belgian drivers are not the most patient or most careful.
Another question I have is how many Belgians ride their bikes after drinking a few beers? Since drinking a beer alfresco is quite common, I would guess a good many. On the Villo! website, there is a picture of a bike rider wearing a helmet http://en.villo.be/Safety. At least the company is aware that cyclists should wear a helmet. I am not sure if you can also rent a helmet but am not sure if that would make sense. Would you want to wear a helmet that a previous customer sweated in?
In any case, since the weather has been nice here in Brussels for two days in a row, riding a bike through its streets may be a nice way to see the city.
I think the question to ask is why Americans feel the need to wear helmets on bicycles! Motorcycles? Yes. Racing bicycles? Again yes. But on normal bicycles going at a leisurely pace to the shops?! Is it really worth the helmet hair?? .... :)
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