Hugo Bollen is a Belgian mining engineer who developed the user-friendly junction system to mark cycling and hiking trails.

Bollen was able to convince decision-makers and was allowed to design a cycling network for the Regional Landscape Kempen and Maasland, founded in 1990. The targeted 350 kilometers consisted largely of existing bike paths, dike paths along the Zuidwillemsvaart, and bike paths on former railway lines, supplemented by about fifty kilometers of new connecting routes. Together with former miners, he set up the first signs at the train station in As towards Maaseik. They were blue because the Flemish government did not grant approval for green signs.[2] The cycling junction numbered 1 was created in the village of Ellikom, not far from the Center Parcs branch at Erperheide. The network was opened in July 1995. It was a great success from the outset. Bollen served as director of the RLKM from 1996 until his retirement.[3]