⏱️ 2 min read
The carriageway and the parts of the public highway
Before knowing how to ride, you need to know where you ride. The public highway is not just the strip of asphalt: it runs from one property boundary to the other, and each part has its users. Here is the map of the terrain.
📑 In this lesson (3)
What exactly is the public highway?
The public highway is any road open to traffic for everyone. It doesn't matter who owns the land: as soon as everyone can travel on it, the Belgian highway code applies. It extends from building front to building front (or from ditch to ditch): the carriageway, verges, cycle paths, parking areas and pavements are all part of it.
| Part | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| Carriageway | Vehicle traffic — including your moped |
| Cycle path | Cyclists and mopeds, depending on the class and the location |
| Verge | Side strip along the carriageway |
| Parking area | Stationary vehicles |
| Pavement | Pedestrians — never your moped with the engine running |
The carriageway: your main territory
The carriageway is the part of the public highway reserved for vehicle traffic. On a moped, that's where you ride most of the time — except when a cycle path is compulsory for your class (we cover that in detail in the lesson on the cycle path). The golden rule on the carriageway: keep to the right, as close as possible to the right-hand edge, without brushing the verge.
And off the road?
- Shop car park, petrol station: private land but open to the public → the Belgian highway code applies in full.
- Enclosed courtyard, private garage, fenced-off land: not open to the public → the code does not apply there.
You cross a shopping centre car park on your moped. Does the Belgian highway code apply there?