November 25, 2022
Truck transport is massively polluting, and the emissions from transporting retail goods spike 94% during Black Friday week. However, there is a ready-made solution in the form of zero-emission trucks, the European environmental lobbying group Transport and Environment (T&E) says. Black Friday is notorious for peak consumerism and waste. Trucking retail goods is a dirty […]
November 24, 2022
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published its recent ‘Air Quality in Europe 2022’ assessment, and the conclusion is not really reassuring. Although Europe’s air quality keeps on improving, air pollution still remains the largest environmental health risk in Europe, causing chronic diseases and premature deaths. According to the EEA, at least 238 000 people […]
November 23, 2022
Despite the popularity of teleworking and the reduced number of cars on Flemish roads compared to pre-corona times, traffic congestion is worse than ever. That flared up the debate on the introduction of a kilometer tax for passenger cars and vans in the Flemish Parliament. October 2022 was the second worst month regarding traffic jams […]
November 22, 2022
On Monday, November 21st, Elia Group welcomed Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) and the Belgian Federal Minister of Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten (Groen) to visit the Baltic Eagle offshore transmission platform. The project is a joint responsibility of Spanish energy group Iberdrola and 50Hertz, German subsidiary of Belgian Elia. The offshore […]
November 21, 2022
Paris is considering banning its 15 000 free-floating shared electric scooters riding around in the French capital. Local authorities are concerned about public safety on the city’s sidewalks. Shared e-scooter providers Lime, Dott, and Tier, active in Paris’ city center, are promising a series of improvements, but whether their licenses will be renewed is a […]
November 18, 2022
Next year, the Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB will introduce a new ‘silent’ reporting system for train travelers who feel unsafe. According to research, the feeling of insecurity among train travelers continues to increase. The new system is simple and discrete: travelers can simply ask for help by sending a text message to the permanence center […]
November 18, 2022
The Flemish government plans a new bicycle highway along the Brussels beltway between Vilvoorde and Strombeek-Bever. The new bikeway will be five kilometers long and connect several bicycle highways (F28 and F23, along the channel in Vilvoorde). The project fits in a larger-scale initiative to implement a total of 115 km of new bikeways connecting […]
November 17, 2022
The Agoria Solar Team, the student team of the KU Leuven, has succeeded in covering the longest distance in 12 hours with the solar car they developed. In 12 hours, the BluePoint Atlas, as their newest solar car is called, covered 1 051 kilometers, breaking the previous record of the Dutch Solar Team from Delft […]
November 17, 2022
This year, the Inter City Express (ICE) high-speed train connection between Belgium and Germany will celebrate its 20th birthday. In 2022, it will also transport a record number of more than one million passengers. On December 15th, 2002, the first ICE train rode between Brussels and Frankfurt. The ICE network is exploited by the German […]
November 17, 2022
The Danish shipping company DFDS has ordered 125 e-trucks from Volvo Trucks. The first new Volvo FH Electric Truck was delivered in Ghent (Belgium) on Wednesday during a launch event in the presence of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. DFDS, one of the largest shipping companies in northern Europe, intends to run one-quarter of its […]
November 16, 2022
Gas network operator Fluxys, dredging company DEME, and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges port authorities are planning to produce green hydrogen in Egypt. The green hydrogen could be transported via the port of Antwerp or Zeebrugge, where Fluxys has already announced a first project. The project in Egypt should help meet the expected strong growth in […]
November 16, 2022
According to a recent study by Brussels University’s research center Mobi, the typical Belgian EV driver is a 47-year-old, technology-loving male. He’s highly educated and lives in a free-standing house. The Belgian charging station manufacturer Powerdale commissioned the study. VUB’s research center Mobi analyzed the data of 489 drivers with a hybrid or fully electric […]
November 15, 2022
Belgian traffic safety institute Vias would like to see nitrous oxide, the so-called ‘laughing gas’, forbidden in Belgium too. The Dutch Ministry of Public Health, Welfare, and Sport recently announced that from January 1st, 2023, the aforementioned product will be on the list of banned substances. In other words, possession, sale, and use of laughing […]
November 14, 2022
All lighting systems along the Flemish highways should be equipped with LED lights by 2027, three years earlier than previously announced. Switching to LED lights would be an important money-saver. Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) is willing to invest 25 million euros in it. Today, the Flemish highways are equipped with about 30 […]
November 10, 2022
Europe just experienced its warmest October since the beginning of the registrations, with temperatures of almost 2°C above the 1991-2020 reference period. The day temperatures reached record levels in western Europe and, more specifically, in France, Austria, Switzerland, and large parts of Italy and Spain. Lower-than-average temperatures were measured in Australia, eastern Russia, and parts […]
November 09, 2022
Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) has launched a study into the possible extension (and greening) of truck kilometer tax. The study has to analyze whether the existing truck kilometer tax should be extended to vans. Road transport on Belgian roads keeps on growing. According to Viapass, the interregional government that manages and coordinates […]
November 08, 2022
Speed pedelecs, the fast-riding e-bikes, are increasingly popular on Belgian roads. In October, mobility federation Traxio noted 1 557 new registrations, 556 more (+55%) than in the same month last year. Total new registrations in the last ten months were 15 041, or an increase of 40,2% (4 316 units) compared to 2021. Even second-hand […]
November 07, 2022
Transport economists of Antwerp University have succeeded for the first time in calculating the direct and social costs of traffic congestion. They developed a new tool and applied it on a 15-km-long traffic jam on the E19 highway in Antwerp. The result of their analysis was stunning: the cost amounted to more than 200 000 […]
November 04, 2022
Hardly three weeks after its launch, the self-riding shuttle in Hasselt has been removed from public grounds. The autonomous shuttle did not always react as it should and was considered too dangerous for public use. Three weeks ago, the city of Hasselt (Limburg, Belgium) proudly announced the introduction of a self-driving shuttle, seating seven passengers […]
November 04, 2022
The second-hand car market is suffering, Belgian automotive services sector federation Traxio warns. For nine consecutive months, sales figures declined: -8,8% compared to 2021 and even -21,9% compared to September 2020, when sales were booming immediately after the first corona lockdown. In October, 53 192 second-hand cars were registered, 5 165 fewer than in October […]
November 03, 2022
Europe is warming up twice as fast as the rest of the world. Between 1991 and 2021, temperatures in Europe increased by 0,5°C per decade. These figures are reported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The ‘State of the Climate in Europe’ report was drawn up together with Copernicus, the EU’s climate research service, and […]
November 03, 2022
“TotalEnergies’ greenhouse gas emissions are four times higher than what the French multinational oil and energy giant admits.” That is what the environmental organization Greenpeace’s French branch is accusing TotalEnergies of. The painful detail is that Greenpeace’s report was released just a few days before the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in […]
November 02, 2022
On November 1st, the German car-sharing company Miles Mobility officially acquired Volkswagen Group’s all-electric car-sharing service WeShare. Until recently, WeShare operated as a service of Urban Mobility International GmbH, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG. At the same time, Miles has ordered more than 10 000 electric vehicles from Audi, Seat, Cupra, and VW. The ordered […]
October 31, 2022
The government in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will invest more than 4,5 million euros in additional charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The idea is to construct 672 additional charging points, of which 44 fast chargers. A total of 29 projects from 19 companies have been selected as part of the first call for funding. […]
October 28, 2022
The worldwide energy crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine can accelerate the transition to more sustainable energy sources. Many countries take short-term measures to protect consumers against peaking energy prices, but the crisis also forces countries to accelerate the implementation of structural changes. That is the conclusion of the International Energy Agency’s annual […]
October 27, 2022
Despite actions and sensitizing campaigns, drivers cannot resist using their smartphones at the wheel. Traffic safety institute Vias discovered that car drivers spend 2% of their time on their cell phones while driving, and van drivers even more: 4%. Truck drivers are distracted for 6% of their time by using their phones at the wheel. […]
October 26, 2022
Spie Belgium will install 252 new chargers for the Flemish public transport company De Lijn. Spie Belgium is the Belgian subsidiary of the Spie Group, an independent market leader in multi-technical energy and communication services, as it claims. Last year, De Lijn signed an agreement with Spie Ekoenergetyka, a new entity, and the result of […]
October 25, 2022
Corda Campus, the Belgian tech campus in Hasselt (Limburg), comes with a ‘European scoop’: a Chinese self-driving e-scooter will pick up passengers on the campus, let them drive to their destination, and then returns fully autonomous to one of the five charging stations within the site. The vehicle is the Chinese Segway Ninebot Kickscooter T60, […]
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 21, 2022
Staff members of the Flemish government will be allowed to lease a ‘company bicycle’ as of November. The initiative is intended to focus on sustainability and the well-being of the employees. Employees can ask for a company bike in exchange for some vacation days and/or part of their end-of-year bonus. They’re free to jump at […]
October 20, 2022
According to Flanders’ Statistics (Statistiek Vlaanderen), by the end of 2021, 54% of passenger cars registered in Flanders complied with the highest Euro 6 standard. More than a quarter (26%) complied with the Euro 5 norm and 17% with Euro 4. The lowest Euro standards together account for 3% of all passenger cars. This year, […]
October 20, 2022
Almost half of all car drivers in Belgium flatly refuse to use their blinkers when they change lanes on the highway. That is what mobility organization Touring noticed during a random sample survey on a few highways. Some Touring teams installed themselves on the bridges covering the E17, E19, E40, and the Brussels beltway. In […]
October 19, 2022
Belgium has the ambition to become a strategic hub for hydrogen in Europe. The new federal hydrogen strategy was launched on Tuesday. “We have to opt for hydrogen to avoid deindustrialization in our country,” said Prime Minister De Croo (Open Vld) at the presentation in the Antwerp Port House. Also present at the ceremony were […]
October 18, 2022
The air quality in Antwerp, and more particularly in the many so-called ‘street-canyons’ – densely populated streets with high buildings where pollution is ‘trapped’ – has still not improved. That is what the action group Recht op Lucht (ROL) (‘the right to clean air’) concludes after some measurements in the city. “Our findings should be […]
October 18, 2022
Apart from the already agreed coverings of the Antwerp beltway, the newly added covering projects from the reserve list will also be realized. They will be finalized together with the Oosterweel connection and provide more bicycle connections and greenery. That is what the Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), announced. So, the reserve […]
October 17, 2022
Helchteren has a new bicycle bridge. On Saturday night, the 140-ton steel bridge element was lifted from the yard to the pillars on both sides of the Grote Baan (N715) in Helchteren (Limburg). Moving the 45-meter-long bridge bit by bit was no picnic. On Saturday evening at 10 p.m., the Grote Baan was closed to […]
October 17, 2022
End of 2020, Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) asked local authorities in Flanders to list dangerous traffic situations in school surroundings. Today, plans are being made for 523 (74%) of the 708 listed locations. Meanwhile, 182 situations have been improved, and 92 projects are still in the pipeline. The planned works include […]
October 14, 2022
Last year, air pollution in Flanders increased again. According to the latest report of the Flemish Environmental Agency (Vlaamse MilieuMaatschappij, VMM), this is due to the revival of the economy, intensified traffic after corona, and probably the increased wood burning. The good news is that the concentration levels of polluting substances are lower than in […]
October 14, 2022
Belgian citizens can apply for their provisional driver’s license via the BelDrive app as of Monday, October 17th. Those who apply online only have to pass by the town hall once to collect their provisional driver’s license, and – at a later stage – the permanent one. With the app, the Federal Public Service for […]
October 13, 2022
The city of Hasselt (Limburg) is planning an experiment with a self-driving shuttle. The project is intended to try out an autonomous connection between the parking of the Trixxo Arena and the PXL academy campus. It’s the second similar project (after Mechelen) on public territory in Flanders. The shuttle will be available for one month […]
October 12, 2022
The cheapest way to make Belgium climate neutral by 2050 is a combination of some new, small modular nuclear reactor plants (SMRs) and more wind energy at sea. That seems to be the conclusion of a recent EnergyVille study under the authority of Febeliec, the Belgian federation of large industrial energy consumers. In the summer […]
October 11, 2022
Flemish mobility organization VAB, the largest driving school in Belgium, pleads for introducing a standard driver’s license for cars with an automatic transmission because, with the rapid rise of electric cars, it is no longer necessary to teach candidate drivers to shift gears manually. On Monday, VAB also announced that it intends to electrify half […]
October 07, 2022
Two speed pedelecs crashed on Thursday in Genk (Limburg). One of them, 46-year-old David Camps, died on the spot; the second (52) was seriously injured. The accident happened on a two-directional bikeway, and both cyclists came from opposite directions. So, both ended up in a frontal collision. Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) […]
October 06, 2022
The German multinational chemical company BASF has ambitious plans: it wants to transform its Antwerp production unit, the second-largest in the world, entirely climate neutral as soon as possible. On Wednesday, the company threw light on its plans during Belgian King Filip’s and Queen Mathilde’s visit to Ludwigshafen. The BASF Group aims at climate neutrality […]
October 06, 2022
The consequences of air pollution are already traceable in fetuses’ organs. A shocking conclusion. Researchers of the University Hasselt (Belgium) and Aberdeen (North East Scotland) have discovered traces of air pollution in the vital organs of unborn babies. Earlier research, published in Nature Communication, revealed the presence of soot particles in the placenta; now, scientists […]
October 05, 2022
From now on, cyclists, pedestrians, and the buses of public transport company MIVB can use the Suzan Daniel bridge to cross the Brussels-Scheldt channel. The newly inaugurated bridge is an attractive shortcut between Tour & Taxis and the north district. It will be an essential element for the further development of the quarter. The new […]
October 04, 2022
Belgium plans to construct an artificial offshore energy island 45 kilometers from the Belgian coastline to provide the country with electricity produced by the many offshore wind turbines in the North Sea. Elia has just sent out an invitation for tenders. The plans were illustrated during an information session energy manager Elia organized on Monday, […]
October 03, 2022
British multinational chemicals company Ineos plans to store CO2 captured from its plant in Zwijndrecht (Antwerp) in the Danish North Sea. It’s the first Belgian company to store its CO2 permanently in the North Sea. The company’s plans fit in the ‘Greensand Project’, a pilot project starting in December that intends to store 1,5 million […]
September 30, 2022
On Thursday, Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB inaugurated a new underground bicycle parking lot at Louvain station. Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) and Sophie Dutordoir, CEO of NMBS/SNCB, were present at the opening. The new and partly guarded parking lot is an important step in the further transformation of the station and its surroundings. After […]
September 29, 2022
If everything goes according to plan, cyclists will get a fast, safe, and comfortable bicycle connection between Brussels, Tervuren, and Louvain. The new F29 bicycle highway will be 16,5 km long and is expected to be ready by 2025. The project is part of the planned beltway constructions (‘Werken aan de Ring’) to offer cyclists […]
September 28, 2022
In 2023, a new European climate center will be inaugurated in Uccle (Brussels). It has to become a federal ‘center of excellence’. The idea is to centralize and coordinate all climate knowledge in one accessible location. Scientists and organizations will be able to gather there and exchange expertise. The leading lady of the new institute […]
September 27, 2022
Every day in the European Union, more than eighteen children are seriously injured and one is killed in road traffic collisions. More than 6 000 children up to the age of 14 have died in traffic in the European Union over the last ten years. The impact of these deaths and life-changing injuries on families […]
September 26, 2022
Ghent Alderman for Mobility Filip Watteeuw (Groen) has ‘re-invented’ a new traffic sign for Belgium, getting the inspiration from Copenhagen. The new blue-white road sign indicates that cars and bikes can park alternately depending on the day’s moment. The new road sign will be valid and may be introduced in all Belgian cities and municipalities […]
September 23, 2022
Fuel prices are skyrocketing, and this impacts people’s mobility behavior. As a consequence, two-thirds of Flemish citizens (67%) use their cars less often. Some opt for the bicycle (56%), others use public transport (20%), and some (24%) just reduce their outdoor trips. The figures come from the large-scale biennial citizen’s survey Fietsberaad Vlaanderen (FV) organized […]
September 22, 2022
During the last seven months of 2022, the number of employees who opted for a mobility budget in Belgium increased to 0,022% compared to 0,015% last year. These figures still are disappointingly low, but there is a change. Teleworking and the possibility to finance rent or mortgage loans make the difference. The mobility budget was […]
September 22, 2022
On Friday, 23rd of September, at 9 p.m. to be precise, the nuclear power plant Doel 3 in Antwerp will be closed after a 40-year career. It’s the first of the seven nuclear plants in Belgium to close down in the context of the nuclear phase-out. Despite Flemish Minister of Energy Zuhal Demir’s call to […]
September 21, 2022
The Flemish Institute for Logistics (Vlaams Instituut voor Logistiek, VIL) and the Hasselt University joined forces to analyze what they could do about the acute shortage of truck drivers. Together, they launched the ‘Truck Driver 4.0’ project in search of solutions for the sector. The project’s starting point was the problematic shortage of truckers, despite […]
September 21, 2022
Wednesday, 21st of September, Belgian circular materials technology company Umicore inaugurated its carbon-neutral production facility for cathode-active materials for electric vehicles in Nysa, in the south of Poland. It will be Europe’s first ‘gigafactory’ with a complete circular and sustainable battery materials value chain. The gigafactory will supply battery materials to Umicore’s car and battery […]
September 20, 2022
Working from home is increasingly popular in Belgium. The number of teleworkers doubled in four years. The good news is that this trend has saved us millions of kilometers a day and, on top of that, traffic safety has improved. That is what a Federal Public Service (FPS) for Mobility survey, based on figures from […]
September 19, 2022
The ‘Smart to Antwerp’ app (Slim naar Antwerpen) for smartphones, which was developed to direct visitors intelligently to the city, will get an update and now includes a practical GPS navigation system. The update maps out a smart route combining train, bus, bike, boat, shared cars, e-bikes, or e-scooters and informs the user where to […]
