April 05, 2024
The French-speaking Brussels socialist party PS wants the ban on diesel vehicles with emission class Euro 5, which will apply from January 2025, to be postponed for two years. The socio-liberal DéFI also wants a review of the low-emission zone (LEZ) rules. Energia, the former Belgian Petroleum Federation, in turn, wants the rules around the […]
March 26, 2024
Mobility organization Touring is calling for a moratorium on the Euro 5 ban in Brussels from January 2025. Tightening the allowable emissions standard in the Brussels Region would exclude 850,000 vehicles, including 700,000 passenger cars and 150,000 vans. Touring says a moratorium would encourage a smoother transition to EVs, pending a more diverse and affordable […]
January 15, 2024
Last year, the Brussels region fined a record number of motorists who entered the Brussels low-emission zone (LEZ) with a car that was too polluting. Almost 30 000 drivers – 29 643 to be precise – were fined, an increase of almost 60% compared to 2022. In 2020, 12 321 fines were issued; in 2021, […]
January 08, 2024
According to market research ordered by Mobia, the Belgian car buyer will be more impacted by a premium to buy an electric car than by the eventual expansion of LEZ zones. Mobia, the overarching association of car sector federations Febiac (new car market), Traxio (second-hand car market), and Renta (car leasing and renting), has done […]
December 20, 2023
The city of Antwerp will adjust its low-emission zone (LEZ) regulations and postpone the next tightening of the standards from 2025 to 2026. The city will also take additional social measures and increase the number of day passes per year (from 8 to 12). By relaxing the rules, diesel cars with Euro 5 standard (or […]
December 08, 2023
Since the Brussels Capital Region introduced a low-emission zone (LEZ) in 2018, there has been a 30% reduction in nitrogen dioxide along Brussels’ main roads. Brussels Environment has also observed similar and more significant reductions for other pollutants. Air quality in Antwerp has also improved significantly over the past decade. However, traffic remains the primary […]
October 23, 2023
Low-emission zones (LEZ), which prohibit access to certain major cities for heavily polluting vehicles, have been successfully introduced in six European countries, including Belgium. This is according to a French report. In Belgium, the cities Brussels, Ghent, and Antwerp, among others, introduced such an LEZ. The report aims to draw lessons for France from the […]
August 21, 2023
Since local authorities in London decided to expand the ultra-low-emission zone (ULEZ) to improve the air quality, 387 ULEZ cameras have been destroyed, obscured, or stolen between April and mid-August. The majority was vandalized in outer London, where the zone was expanded. A shadowy group called the ‘Blade Runners’ is believed to be responsible for […]
July 31, 2023
London intends to expand its ultra-low-emission zone again and, according to the Court, is allowed to do so. In this zone, polluting cars – even with a foreign license plate – must pay a daily surcharge of about 14,50 euros (£12,50). A fine of up to £180 ( more than 200 euros) is imposed if […]
July 19, 2023
The Flemish government decided to slack off the future ban on Euro 2 gasoline cars and Euro 5 diesel cars in the Low-Emission Zones of Antwerp and Gent, the sole cities in Flanders that actually have a LEZ besides Brussels. Initially due to be effective from January 1st, 2025, the ban will be postponed by […]
June 26, 2023
The Antwerp city council doubts the further tightening of the low-emission zone (LEZ) from 2028 onward. So write the Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Laatste Nieuws. A study on the impact of existing and future air quality measures should provide the answer. In Antwerp, diesel cars will normally no longer be allowed from 2031. From […]
June 07, 2023
Flemish public transport company De Lijn paid 5 900 euros in fines last year for violations in the Low-Emission Zones (LEZ) of Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels. This is according to the figures Green MP Stijn Bex requested. Fines for unauthorized diesel buses are on a downward trend. In 2019, for example, the company still paid […]
April 21, 2023
From 2026, Flemish public transport company De Lijn risks paying an estimated 30 million euros in fines because Euro 6 buses will then no longer be allowed in the low-emission zones (LEZ) in Antwerp and Ghent. To avoid that scenario, Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) is in a crisis meeting with her […]
December 23, 2022
Wallonia lets go of the tight deadline for its regional low-emission zone (LEZ) that was to become active on January 1st, 2023, and postpones the ban on Euro 0 and Euro I cars for two years until 2025, together with the Euro 3 cars. This means a stay of execution for 6 200 of the […]
December 21, 2022
In the Brussels region, 18 640 fines have already been issued this year for motorists who drove into the Brussels Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) in a car that was too polluting. So reports Brussels Environment. The number of fines rose again compared to last year, despite a longer warning period. Most of the fines are for […]
November 28, 2022
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed the decision to expand the Ultra-Low-Emission Zone (ULEZ) to all of Greater London. After the conclusion of a consultation round, Khan has now put a date on the expansion. As of the 29th of August 2023, older polluting cars will have to pay a fee to enter […]
November 09, 2022
Wallonia might consider for its regional low-emission zone (LEZ) postponing the ban on Euro 0 and Euro I cars for two years until 2025, Minister for Environment Céline Tellier (Écolo) has said on the news channel LN24. “In crisis times, it would be unthinkable to force people to buy a new car,” she added. The […]
November 08, 2022
Drivers of scooters and motorcycles have not had to worry much about whether they are still allowed to enter Brussels since the introduction of the LEZ (Low-Emission Zone). However, this will change in 2025. From 1 January that year, the criteria will be tightened, and the LEZ will also apply to thermal mopeds, except for […]
October 24, 2022
The Flemish government will not immediately tighten the low-emission zones in Flanders. That decision will be postponed due to the citizens’ purchasing power crisis. Minister for the Environment Zuhal Demir (N-VA) announced the decision on Friday. Normally, the Flemish government would tighten the low-emission zone regulation on January 1st, 2025. According to the new regulation, […]
October 07, 2022
Since the introduction of the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels, the number of diesel cars in the capital has fallen, and air quality has improved. This is evident by the latest monitoring by Brussels Environment. In particular, the proportion of Euro 4 diesel vehicles, banned in 2022, has fallen sharply. It went from 14% in […]
July 22, 2022
The number of low-emission zones (LEZs) in Europe has increased by 40% over the past three years. The statement comes from the European Clean Cities Campaign, a coalition of NGOs whose goal is to achieve emission-free mobility in major European cities by 2030. In Belgium, only Brussels has announced a complete phase-out of fossil fuels […]
March 24, 2022
According to the newspaper L’Echo, Euro 4 diesel cars driving inside the Brussels Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) won’t be fined until July. The newspaper reports that the official reason is new car delivery delays, but it also cites a computer bug at Brussels Taxation. Since January, Euro 4 diesel cars have been supposedly banned from the […]
March 16, 2022
The noisiest and heaviest aircraft must be banned from Brussels Airport. That is what the Federal Ombudsman for the national airport, Philippe Touwaide, has stated at a press conference on Tuesday. “There are infringements every night, and we don’t pursue them,” Touwaide said, citing the case of noisy aircraft such as Boeing 777s at night […]
February 03, 2022
In a response to the ruling of the Belgian Council of State, Ghent decided to scrap the ‘discrimination’ in allowing an unlimited access pass for vintage cars older than 40 years into the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and not for younger classics between 30 and 40. Now all classic cars have to buy a €35 […]
November 26, 2021
On Thursday, the Brussels government approved a decree that should help Brussels companies make their company car fleets greener. This will simplify the rules for obtaining the premium and make it accessible to a more significant number of entrepreneurs. Specifically, the Brussels government is releasing 6 million euros for three years. Also, the rules for […]
October 27, 2021
The low-emission zone (LEZ) is not missing its effect in Brussels. Since June 2018, the disappearance of the oldest diesel vehicles has reduced emissions of black carbon, a measure of soot concentration, by more than a third. The 2020 monitoring of Brussels Environment shows this. The LEZ was introduced in Brussels to improve air quality, […]
October 18, 2021
The council of the Eurometropolis of Strasbourg (EMS) has voted to set up a low-emission zone (LEZ) with an expected timetable for the gradual banning of the most polluting vehicles for the Alsatian capital and the 32 surrounding communes. The LEZ is scheduled to come into force on 1 January 2022, with a so-called ‘training […]
August 19, 2021
There will be no geographical expansion of the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Ghent after all. The bench of Alderman will take that decision on Thursday. Groen, the largest party in Ghent, has long been asking for the current LEZ in the inner city to be extended to the wider area. But a study has shown […]
February 02, 2021
Brussels Cdh MP, Gladys Kazadi, calls out the regional government to do something about the lack of a defined timeline for the Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) after 2025. When the driving ban was introduced in 2018, the calendar for new restrictions after 2025 was supposed to be set in 2020, but nothing has been written yet. […]
March 14, 2024
Walloon Environment Minister, Céline Tellier (Ecolo), has declared that the plan for Wallonia to become a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) was “disproportionate, difficult to apply and not very effective.” The Walloon LEZ is now axed, but major cities will be able to introduce restrictions to enhance air quality, not only on vehicles. Introduced in 2019, […]
February 21, 2024
Flanders’ Christian Democratic party CD&V wants to phase out the low-emission zones. That is what party chairman Sammy Mahdi said during a debate at the Automotive eMotion Summit in the Skyhall, the former departure hall of Brussels Airport. According to Mahdi, these zones have proven successful in reducing the amount of air pollution. However, diesel […]
December 21, 2023
Since Thursday, public transport in the southern French city of Montpellier has been free of charge. In France, there are already around 40 cities where buses and trams are free for residents. Still, with more than 500 000 inhabitants, Montpellier is the largest European metropolis offering such a free service. “This is a measure that […]
December 14, 2023
Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) has presented the new code of public roads. The current Belgian road code was about half a century old and outdated in some areas, hence the need for an update in the now rapidly changing road traffic in which there is, for example, 80% more cycling, said the minister. […]
November 30, 2023
Brussels public transport operator MIVB/STIB has ordered 36 electric buses from German manufacturer Daimler Buses. The order is part of a framework agreement for up to 80 standard low-floor buses. The first eCitaro-bus from that order should enter the fleet in early 2026. A new order for 14 additional articulated e-buses is also planned soon. […]
October 24, 2023
Japan has had something with hybrid cars for over twenty years, with Toyota being the world’s most prominent technology advocate. So it’s pretty surprising it took the Japanese motorcycle industry so long to produce the world’s first hybrid motorcycle, the Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid, which is to arrive in 2024. Kawasaki calls it a ‘strong […]
October 20, 2023
Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters has completed her draft investment program for 2024. Almost 700 projects will be supported, accounting for an investment of 2,2 billion euros. Most investments fall within cycling, road safety, and sustainability. According to Peeters (Open VLD), never has so much been invested in cycling infrastructure in […]
October 12, 2023
It all started with one street three years ago. But by 2025, the low-emission zone in Stockholm that will ban all vehicles on gasoline and diesel will expand to twenty living zones and cover 180 000 square meters in the heart of the Swedish capital. The ruling parties call it one of the most ambitious […]
September 20, 2023
The Car-Free Sunday in Brussels again positively impacted air quality and reduced noise pollution. So says the Brussels public service Brussels Environment. On the 23rd Car-Free Sunday, concentrations of nitrogen monoxide and dioxide dropped by 95 and 77%, respectively, compared to a normal Sunday. Readings were taken on Regent Avenue, a spot near Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet where […]
August 29, 2023
As earlier announced, London is expanding its environmental zone. Almost all of London will become an ultra-low-emission zone (ULEZ) as of today. The measure is intended to tackle pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve the air quality for residents and visitors. But not everybody is happy with the new ultra-low-emission zone because it will […]
July 06, 2023
Car sector federation Traxio has been studying the latest registrations (first six months of 2023) of new and second-hand cars in Belgium and concludes there’s a real (double) schism in the market between B2B and B2C and between regions. 65% of all new cars have been registered as B2B company cars (companies, leasing, VAT liable), […]
June 16, 2023
The Brussels government is taking three new social measures to help Brussels residents adopt different travel habits. This was announced by Environment and Health Minster Alain Maron (Ecolo). These include an increase in the Brussels-Air premium for low-income families, new exemptions from the LEZ (low-emission zone) for people with disabilities, and a new range of […]
June 15, 2023
Anyone traveling to France by car this summer will face new, permanent low-emission zones (LEZ) in nine major French cities. This is what the Belgian mobility organization VAB is warning for. Paris has had a LEZ in place for some time, but it, too, is being tightened up. The so-called ‘zones à faibles emissions,’ or […]
May 03, 2023
With 70% of total consumption, diesel remains Belgium’s main fuel for road transport. This is shown by figures from Energia, the voice tube of the country’s petroleum sector. Nevertheless, it remains striking that fuel continues to make up most of what is refueled while fewer and fewer new diesel cars are being bought. In general, […]
April 13, 2023
Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB is behind schedule for the electrification of its bus fleet. So reports the newspaper La Capital. However, that time is short may be clear because, in 2025, a series of buses of MIVB/STIB will no longer meet the standards of the low-emission zone (LEZ). Delays in construction or transformation of […]
April 04, 2023
Planes at Brussels Airport cause strong annoyance to 220 000 residents. As a result, the cost of health damage would amount to more than 1 billion euros annually. This emerged from a new study by Bond Beter Leefmilieu (BBL), the Flemish federation for a better environment. The study, carried out by study agency ENV-ISA at […]
February 21, 2023
Introducing a smart kilometer charge in the Brussels Region does not yet seem imminent for tomorrow. Because the PS continues to obstruct, and political discussions are going on, next to questions about technical operability. On the other hand, it’s getting clear the smart road pricing system on which €33,8 million already spent, will not be […]
December 28, 2022
Retrofit, the transformation of an existing, sometimes old car into an electrically driven one, is becoming increasingly popular. But many countries have legal obstacles to such a conversion. Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) wants to solve these problems by creating a legal canvas for the proceedings. In France, Retrofit is already popular. One of […]
December 22, 2022
Belgium’s biggest bank, BNP Paribas Fortis, wants to be far more active in the mobility sector. So it launched a survey among 2 000 Belgians about their mobility preferences. 35% of the respondents declared not to be ready for electrification (fully electric or hybrid), which is a 6% increase compared to 2021. The electric transition […]
December 19, 2022
The idea of introducing a general speed limit of 100 km/hour on Walloon hhighhways and main roads has not been included in the Walloon government’s revised climate and energy plan (PACE, Plan Air Climate Énergie). Instead of a general speed limit of 100 km/hour, there will be ‘dynamic management’ of speed limits, says Walloon Mobility […]
December 16, 2022
No diesel cars will be allowed in the low-emission zones (LEZ) of Antwerp and Ghent from 2031, the Flemish government decided this week. The newspaper De Morgen was the first to report that, and the deadline for gasoline cars in 2035, which will also be banned. Even plugin hybrid will no longer get free entry. […]
November 14, 2022
MyWay, the second-hand car sales chain of Belgian Volkswagen brand importer D’Ieteren Automotive, extends its offer beyond the ‘house brands’ Audi, Seat, Škoda, and Volkswagen and goes fully ‘multi-brand’. Some 3 000 ‘certified’ cars are available in 200 dealerships and on the MyWay website. This year the group also launched ‘My Way Buy’, a service […]
September 08, 2022
In Auderghem yesterday, on the International Day of Clean Air, Brussels Minister for the Environment Alain Maron (Ecolo) officially opened the doors of the new Air Quality laboratory of Brussels Environment. The laboratory has been completely renovated to have the most accurate and reliable data possible to combat air pollution effectively, following the values and […]
August 09, 2022
In France, sites and apps providing road guidance will have to inform their users about the negative impact of their trip on the environment and their health. In addition, they will have to propose less polluting routes and possible alternatives to the car for their voyage. When a user searches to plan a route, the […]
July 01, 2022
The Brussels Government has finalized the ‘Low-Emission Mobility Brussels’ roadmap with accompanying measures for gradually phasing out diesel and gasoline engines. In addition, the social support measures were also strengthened. The measures taken are also designed to respect the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement of the EU. 2030 is a turning point As previously […]
May 11, 2022
A new trial involving nearly 400 families living in the area affected by noise pollution from flights of Brussels National Airport is targeting the Belgian government. The civil lawsuit, led by the civic organizations Wake up Crainhem and AWACSS, has been launched at the Brussels Court of First Instance, writes the newspaper La Libre Belgique. […]
May 10, 2022
Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB has offered 30 decommissioned buses to Cuba. It concerns 20 Van Hool A330 D1 buses and 10 Mercedes Citaro articulated buses. They are Euro 4 buses, which, under the low-emission zone (LEZ), are no longer allowed in the Brussels region from 1 January 2022. According to the newspaper La Dernière […]
May 06, 2022
The new version of the Brussels’Air premium, which has been awarded to motorists who give up their car in the capital since the beginning of March, is a great success. So says the Brussels Minister responsible for Climate Transition Alain Maron (Ecolo). On Tuesday, Brussels Environment handed out the 700th premium, which in two months […]
May 02, 2022
On Friday, the RATP, the Autonomous Management of Parisian Transport, temporarily removed 149 electric buses from circulation as a precaution. The reason is two recent fires in such vehicles in the middle of the street in the French capital. The vehicles involved are from the Bolloré Bluebus 5SE series. On Friday, an e-bus running on […]
April 22, 2022
Flemish transport company De Lijn will order 99 electric buses worth 66,5 million euros next year. The delivery of the new buses should allow the old diesel buses, Euro 3 and 4, to be put aside by 2025. The Brussels transport company MIVB/STIB must also renew its fleet of buses that run on thermal engines: […]
March 21, 2022
In general, the air quality in the Brussels region is better than expected. However, standards are still exceeded in the capital center and the vicinity of significant traffic axes. The results were obtained from CurieuzenAir, the most extensive air quality study of Brussels. As part of the CurieuzenAir project, air quality measurements were taken at 3 […]
