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
The Brussels municipality of Jette is putting the further development of its circulation plan on pause. Mayor Claire Vandevivere (Les Engagés) announces that the circulation plan, due to numerous criticisms, will be evaluated ahead of time, and residents will be extensively questioned. Among the green majority parties, there is dissatisfaction with the decision. On the […]
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
In a citizen’s interpellation at the Brussels City Council on Monday, citizens demanded the immediate halt of the ‘Good Move’ traffic plan in the center. The citizens said they had not been sufficiently consulted. They also blamed the Alderman for Mobility, Bart Dhondt (Groen), for not being visible enough on the ground. In turn, some […]
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
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 rate per kilometer for trucks will be indexed by almost 10% (9,97%, to be precise) in Wallonia. The Walloon Region wants to increase it further for vehicles over 32 tons to the level of Flanders, i.e., a total increase of 22,85%. So reports the newspaper L’Echo. Rates in Wallonia will be indexed on 1 […]
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 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 […]
October 05, 2022
With Uber Taxi, the Californian mobility provider Uber introduces a new feature for rides in Brussels, allowing conventional or ‘traditional’ taxi drivers to offer rides through the Uber app. The company reported this in a press release on Wednesday. After the Brussels parliament approved the new Taxi Plan in July, which aims to unify the […]
September 30, 2022
New York State has officially banned the sale of new, emission-intensive passenger vehicles by 2035. Governor Kathy Hochul announced this on Thursday. It thus follows the example of California, which in August made the historic decision to ban sales of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. In addition, several local transit agencies will also commit to […]
September 28, 2022
After twelve days of protests by disgruntled residents, shopkeepers, and even the security services against the new circulation plan in the Cureghem district, the municipal council of Anderlecht had no other choice Tuesday evening than to scrap the project and remove all concrete blocks in the streets. The committee “No to the Good Move Plan” […]
September 26, 2022
In a joint letter to EU policymakers, Mazda, a coalition of fuel makers, and CLEPA, the European association of automotive parts suppliers, ask to safeguard an additional route to defossilize transport next to electrification. According to the alliance, the high cost of raw materials, geopolitical uncertainty, and a complex roll-out of sufficient charging infrastructure across […]
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 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 20, 2022
Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) has given the go-ahead to establish so-called ‘middle lanes’. This new type of public road should ensure greater safety for vulnerable road users, especially cyclists. The adaptation of the traffic regulations will take effect from 1 October. The pressure group Cyclists Association (Fietsersbond) does not react highly enthusiastically. Initial studies […]
September 20, 2022
From 19 September, the lights go out at night on many Walloon highways. The measure comes at the initiative of the Walloon government and the administrator Sofico in response to the energy crisis, reports Walloon Energy, Mobility, and Infrastructure Minister Philippe Henry (Ecolo). Specifically, the measure involves lights on the central reservation of highways going […]
September 19, 2022
If it were up to the Open Vld, car inspection as we know it today would be dropped, and periodic vehicle inspections would be put in the hands of garage owners instead of the current (regional) government-regulated monopoly of technical centers. This was one of the propositions adopted at the annual party congress of the […]
September 15, 2022
Flemish Mobility Minister, Lydia Peeters, and her Brussels Finance colleague, Sven Gatz, (both Open Vld) are calling for an agreement between the Brussels Region and Flanders linking smart road pricing to a partial widening of the Ring Road. They say this in an interview with the Brussels weekly BRUZZ. There have already been initial talks […]
September 12, 2022
Philippe Henry (Ecolo), the Walloon Minister for Climate, Energy, and Mobility, wants a speed reduction on the roads, including 100 km/hour instead of 120 on the highways. But it immediately gets a ‘njet’ by his coalition partners. The proposal is part of the Climate-Energy Plan, which should enable Wallonia to achieve its objectives in the […]
September 12, 2022
Now that life has become so expensive with the peaking energy prices, Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld), wants to introduce a more viable way to pay fines, several Belgian newspapers write. Soon, penalties will be payable in installments, the Minister promises. The Ministry of Justice understands that people have payment issues now […]
September 09, 2022
The municipality of Uccle wants to ban the parking of shared e-scooters on its territory temporarily. So says the newspaper Le Soir. Mayor Boris Dilliès (MR) and his municipality seek the appropriate legal remedy. The mayor is tired of the delay in Brussels legislation. Mr. Dilliès has already demarcated several zones where the steps may […]
September 06, 2022
The Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, Dilan Yeşilgöz (VVD), is planning to increase the frequently occurring traffic offenses by almost 8,6%. The prices rise with inflation, as is the case for other products. However, some fines will not exceed the upper limit of 450 euros. What does this price rise in real terms mean? […]
September 05, 2022
In the last twelve months, the police conducted alcohol tests among more than 322 000 drivers. Almost 2,5% of 7 972 motorists tested positive. The lowest number in five years, according to traffic safety institute Vias. Still, the federal police put these results into perspective. “We’ll only be happy when the number of drunk drivers […]
September 02, 2022
Since Thursday morning, motorbike and scooter users must pay to park in Paris. Two companies have been dispatched to track down offenders. Paris has been working for some time to reduce motorized traffic in favor of cyclists and pedestrians. The measure is difficult to digest for the motorcycle community. “We have to get out of […]
September 01, 2022
Toyota, the world’s number one car manufacturer, has announced that it will invest 5,3 billion euros in launching its own battery production. The plants will be built in Japan and the US, and production will start between 2024 and 2026. The investment is partially included in the big investment envelope that Toyota decided on last […]
September 01, 2022
The roll-out of 10 000 extra charging points in the public domain in Flanders – on demand for those who don’t have the means to charge an EV at home – will be realized in the next two years by French energy giants Engie and TotalEnergies. They won the public tender, which divides Flanders into […]
August 31, 2022
The French government seems to be persevering in its plans to subsidize electric vehicle leasing. Thanks to government support, all-electric vehicles could become available for as little as €100 per month. The news came up after a television appearance by Budget Minister Gabriel Attal. Such an EV leasing scheme would also follow an election promise […]
August 26, 2022
The Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) has just analyzed the first results of the breathalyzer stations installed in different establishments in Walloon Brabant since the beginning of the summer. And what turns out to be the case? 24% of people with at least 1,14 g of alcohol in their blood believe they are under the […]
August 26, 2022
The State of California is officially banning sales of cars and light trucks with an internal combustion engine (ICE) from 2035 on, following the path of the EU in its Green Deal. But it leaves a loophole for carmakers to have 20% of their sales being plug-in hybrids, as long as they have a pure […]
August 25, 2022
As it has always indicated, the Brussels region is not burying the introduction of the smart mileage charge. For several days, the Brussels-Capital Region has been looking for a few hundred persons to test the SmartMove mobile application. Brussels Fiscal Affairs developed this app to calculate and record the smart kilometer charge. This is what […]
August 25, 2022
The Mexican government has founded a state-owned company to extract and market lithium. According to a decree by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the raw material is to be produced and distributed exclusively by Litio para México (lithium for Mexico). The company aims to start operations in six months at the latest. According to the […]
August 23, 2022
In North America, Tesla is again raising the price of its Full Self Driving service (FSD), a feature making it possible for its cars to perform semi-autonomous driving. It is the second price hike this year and the add-on, which customers can buy retrograde, now costs five times more than at launch. Until September 5th, […]
August 23, 2022
The four traffic lanes in Brussels Belliard Street – which used to have five lanes – will remain permanently. This is what several French-speaking media outlets are reporting, based on a report by the Bruzz news site. However, the two ‘temporary’ cycle paths, which are enclosed by concrete blocks, will become permanent. Permission to do […]
August 22, 2022
The Belgian traffic safety institute VIAS (formerly BIVV/IBSR) will see its financial activities screened by an external audit. That has been communicated by the Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “The audit aims to be able to make an accounting and content-related distinction between the investigative and research activities […]
August 17, 2022
Auderghem, one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, is stepping up its fight against the illegal parking of shared mobility units. Drop zones will soon be created. The city is doing this on its own initiative because of the lack of directives related to the ordinance approved by the Brussels Region in March, […]
August 17, 2022
The new ‘Good Move’ circulation plan in the Brussels Pentagon was launched on Tuesday. Stewards were posted in many places to guide motorists and other road users in the right direction. A welcome solution, because on the first day of the new plan, some places had an extra 30 minutes of traffic jams. Brussels Alderman […]
August 17, 2022
Veilig Verkeer Nederland (VVN), a Dutch organization dedicated to traffic safety since 1932, wants to ban devices to tune up electric bicycles. With those tuning kits, e-bikes with a normal maximum speed of 25 km/hour can be tuned up to reach speeds of 45 to 50 km/hour. “Far too dangerous”, says VVN, “especially for youngsters.” […]
August 16, 2022
In January, three liberal members of Parliament submitted a bill for the introduction of a green courtesy light for voluntary firefighters. Now, the Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) has commissioned the traffic safety institute Vias to start a pilot project. The idea is that voluntary firefighters could use a courtesy light to let other […]
August 16, 2022
In Brussels, near Place Saincteclette, a road user was recently arrested for driving 112 km/hour on his e-scooter. He reached this speed in the Anny Cordy tunnel, during the Roller Bike Parade, which is organised every Friday evening from 10 June to 23 September. So reports La Dernière Heure. The man filmed his own ‘heroic […]
August 16, 2022
The new traffic plan in the center of Brussels comes into force on Tuesday, 16 August, as announced several months ago. The project, adopted by the city council on 21 February, aims to turn the Pentagon into a ‘traffic-calmed zone’. As a result, less transit traffic should make the center more livable, accounting for no […]
August 10, 2022
According to figures from Minister for Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo), more than 12 000 Belgians are driving around with an expired driver’s license. And this could lead to fines of 1 600 to a whopping 16 000 euros. Since July 2010, those who pass their driving test get a European driver’s license. The card looks […]
August 10, 2022
Chevrolet has reduced the price of its Bolt EV by up to $6 000 in the US this summer. Owners of previously bought Bolt vehicles are apparently offered the same credit… if they waive all rights to sue GM over the vehicle. The website Jalopnik reported that owners who bought their Bolt before the price […]
August 10, 2022
In the second quarter of 2022, the Brussels local police checked the speed of 9 758 387 drivers using fixed cameras, mobile speed cameras, and the LIDAR speed camera. Of these drivers, 19 434 were found to be driving at an illegal speed. At the section controls in the Hallepoorttunnel and the Baljuw- and Louiza-tunnel, […]
August 09, 2022
From 16 August, vehicle inspection centers in Flanders must resume their normal activities and stop accepting customers by appointment only. This is what Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) has decided. The minister is also demanding an audit of the operation and customer satisfaction of the facilities after the complaints piled up in […]
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 […]
August 08, 2022
The Democrats in the US Senate have presented a new bill on the tax credit for electric cars. This bill still foresees the amount of a $ 7 500 reduction, but the upper limit of 200 000 electric cars per manufacturer is removed. This would make Tesla and GM eligible again. The law has now […]
August 05, 2022
Last year, the police fined 12 517 cyclists for not respecting traffic regulations. In our country, an average of 34 cyclists are tagged daily. The figures come from the Ministry of Domestic Affairs. The most common infringements are the absence of lights, ignoring traffic lights, and using a cell phone while cycling. However, the police […]
August 04, 2022
The Brussels region has issued the building permit for the renovation and extension of the former postal sorting office at Brussels-Midi station. This was announced by Pascal Smet (one.brussels-Vooruit), State Secretary for Town Planning in Brussels. The Belgian rail company NMBS/SNCB will accommodate its headquarters and many other activities in the future building. A consortium […]
August 04, 2022
Brussels Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) is not in favor of increasing the number of lanes on the Brussels Ring Road. She is reacting to the plans of the Flemish government presented last week. Van den Brandt does advocate more bicycle and tram connections to Brussels. According to her spokesperson, increasing the […]
August 01, 2022
Energy provider Eneco Belgium has been refused a permit to build a battery storage site in an industrial park in Ville-sur-Haine. The municipal council of the Roeulx commune has blocked the demand. This seems to be the newest example of the growing straddle between local and regional or national authorities. According to Eneco, the council’s […]
July 29, 2022
Five years after the installation of the cameras in the tunnel, Brussels Mobility will restart discussions in September about the introduction of average speed checks in the Annie Cordy Tunnel, the former Leopold II tunnel, which is the longest in the country. In 2017, the then State Secretary for Traffic Safety, Bianca Debaets (CD&V), wanted […]
July 28, 2022
Germany is going to phase out the eco-bonus for electric vehicles. From 2023 onward, incentives for PHEVs will disappear and support will focus mainly on cheaper electric cars bought by private customers. The support measure would continue until 2024, but the subsidy pot will also be reduced yearly. Germany is currently very generous with eco-bonuses […]
July 27, 2022
The Brussels government is to launch the procedure to protect the D’Ieteren Group’s building in the Rue du Mail/Maliestraat in Ixelles. D’Ieteren recently announced plans to renovate its headquarters and prepare them for the future. The Ixelles site covers 67 000 m² and has been owned by the D’Ieteren family since 1906. It has been […]
July 27, 2022
The French government has abolished the decree imposing technical control for motorbikes over 125 cc from 2023. President Emmanuel Macron is thus fulfilling his promise, even though the measure should be compulsory from this year according to a European directive. According to the French Minister for Transport, Clément Beaune, “other methods can effectively achieve the […]
July 25, 2022
A Brussels resident had just obtained the 1 000 signatures needed to set up a participatory commission dedicated to the nuisances generated by motorized two-wheelers. “This shows that this is an important issue for the people of Brussels and that I am not the only one who suffers from these nuisances,” says initiator Marc Escudeiro […]
July 15, 2022
Almost half (49,5%) of candidates in Brussels passed their practical license exam last year. More than half, therefore, failed. This is what La Dernière Heure reports. However, the figure is changing for the better: only 44% of Brussels motorists passed their test in 2019 and 45% in 2020. To put things in context: taking the […]
July 15, 2022
Volkswagen adapted its software to limit the consequences of the so-called dieselgate scandal. The problem is now that the new software is as illegal as the previous one. This has been confirmed by the European Court of Justice, which has been asked for advice by the Austrian Court of Justice. Dieselgate concerns a software fraud […]
July 14, 2022
A bill currently under study in the North Carolina legislature would allocate $50 000 to get rid of free public EV chargers unless free gas pumps are built alongside. That’s what a Car&Driver magazine contributor has noticed in its state and neighborhood, District 52 of that same US state. “Politicians have to run on some […]
