November 25, 2022
Shared e-scooters in Paris will be equipped with number plates. The operators of the mobility services have announced this. The number plates should make it easier to report traffic offenses committed by users of the e-scooters, such as driving through the red light or riding two on the vehicle. Things had not been going well […]
November 24, 2022
Back in May, the MR and PS within the federal majority were not overflowing with enthusiasm for the introduction of the point-based driving license in Belgium. Now, both parties are jamming on the brakes again now that a more elaborate proposal of the three competent ministers is on the government table, writes the newspaper L’Echo. […]
November 24, 2022
An old icon of ‘Belgianism’, the 127-year-old Royal Touring Club of Belgium is being sold to insurance company AG (75%) and Belgian’s biggest bank company BNP Paribas Fortis (25%). How much money is involved in the transaction is not specified. However, it allows Touring to continue road assistance and other activities in a world where […]
November 23, 2022
The Brussels government will allocate an additional 125 million euros to Mobility next year, increasing the budget to 1,448 billion euros in the 2023 budget. This amounts to 20% of the Brussels Region’s budgetary funds. “The government is taking its responsibility on mobility challenges, the climate change, and health crisis, and more generally on the […]
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
Geely’s luxury brand Zeekr has launched a platform for autonomous driving vehicles. Dubbed SEA-M, the carmaker presented it on a robotaxi, the M-Vision. Google’s subsidiary Waymo is the first customer. The unveiling of the car, and the architecture, follows a previous announcement from Google and Geely unveiling their collaboration on developing an all-electric ride-hailing vehicle […]
November 22, 2022
Europe’s largest airline group Lufthansa has launched a campaign to recruit 20 000 employees in Europe. According to the group’s statement, Lufthansa will recruit these new employees in 45 professions at its site in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Belgium. In particular, technicians, IT specialists, lawyers, pilots, and cabin crew are being sought. The campaign comes […]
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
The Belgian version of the points-based driver’s license is about to see the light of day. So report several newspapers, including De Morgen and La Libre Belgique, which saw the draft by three competent ministers. The primary measure in the draft, which comes after more than 30 years in limbo in the federal parliament, is […]
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 18, 2022
Carlos Brito, the former CEO of Belgian beer giant AB InBev will become CEO of Carglass parent Belron. Belgian group D’Ieteren, which owns just over half of Belron, announced this on Wednesday. Quite a lot of analysts think that Brito has also been hired to prepare an IPO of the very successful glass provider Belron […]
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
The Toyota Parts Center Europe (TPCE) in Diest, the Japanese car giant Toyota’s largest distribution center outside its home country, expects to increase its activities by 25%, but without recruiting. This was stated by Andy Sinton, head of the parts supply chain at Toyota Motor Europe, on Tuesday during a press visit to mark the […]
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 16, 2022
Brussels city district Tour & Taxis will banish the cars from the streetscape from 2023 on their site. From then on, parking will only be available underground on the Tours & Taxis site. As a ‘five-minute neighborhood’, it wants to ensure that all facilities are accessible within walking distance, which is why soft mobility will […]
November 15, 2022
The Hoppin center’s pilot project, a platform responsible for planning, booking, and paying for public transport in Flanders, will start today in the Klein-Brabant (Puurs, Sint-Amands, and Bornem) bell bus area. The pilot project marks the phased roll-out of the Basic Accessibility Plan, a major public transport reform in Flanders. With the mobility brand Hoppin, […]
November 14, 2022
To meet the Paris agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1,5°C above pre-industrial levels, the planet cannot support more than 315 million additional internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040, Greenpeace Germany reports based on a new study of the production forecasts of the world’s major carmakers. Carmakers plan to sell about 712 million more, […]
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
Belgian railway company NMBS/SNCB will not extend its timetable in December as planned. The company is pressing the pause button due to the “difficult financial and operational context”. NMBS/SNCB CEO Sophie Dutordoir indicated late last month that investments would be postponed after the budget conclave. This is because the federal government came up with less […]
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 […]
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
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
The ‘free-flow’ highway without barriers at toll roads or the so-called “péages”, a system long established in other countries, will soon become the new standard in France. Users can drive at the permitted speed, without slowing down to stopping, by passing under gates equipped with cameras and sensors that identify their vehicle. The French state […]
November 03, 2022
At the end of November, the city of Brussels will inaugurate the second phase of Good Move, the circulation plan to make the Brussels Region a more car-free zone, reports the newspaper Le Soir. Specifically, a dozen traffic filters with ANPR cameras with number plate recognition capabilities will become operational. This means that drivers will […]
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
Belgian railway NMBS/SNCB is raising fares from February by an average of 8,73%. The decision for the increase was taken earlier, but the railroad company’s board of directors had yet to give the go-ahead. The price increase is also necessary because Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) secured a lower-than-hoped-for rail budget at the budget talks. However, […]
October 31, 2022
The Brussels government’s eagerly awaited draft decree regulating shared bicycles and e-scooters is as good as ready. However, the text, which received a first reading on Thursday, does not yet have a political agreement. It still must be finalized with the municipalities, the operators, and the various police zones, among others. However, it does seem […]
October 28, 2022
Brussels Airlines made record profits in the third quarter. The adjusted operating profit or ‘adjusted debit’ amounted to 51 million euros, “the best quarterly result in Brussels Airlines’ 20-year history,” the airline said. With the strong increase in demand, good development of liquidity, and financial support of parent group Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines will be able […]
October 27, 2022
Belgian railway NMBS/SNCB must postpone a number of investments planned for 2023-2024 until the following years. This is the result of a decision by the federal government after the budget conclave that means NMBS/SNCB will receive less money than first promised. In 2024, NMBS/SNCB’s debt threatens to exceed 3 billion euros, well above the imposed […]
October 26, 2022
The Good Move circulation plan in the Brussels region continues to cause a commotion. After protests, the municipality of Schaerbeek is already implementing the first modification to the circulation plan. The Interprofessional Federation of Self-Employed Entrepreneurs SDZ demands repealing the Good Move circulation plan. With its Good Move plan, Brussels wants to improve mobility in […]
October 25, 2022
The European Trade Union Confederation, an umbrella organization of European trade unions, is taking action against taxi and courier service Uber at the European Parliament. Remarkably, the socialist union ABVV-BTB is also participating, even though it reached a ‘historic’ agreement with Uber last week. Hearings will take place in the European Parliament on Tuesday about […]
October 24, 2022
Socialist transport union BTB-ABVV has struck a deal with US taxi and meal delivery service Uber concerning self-employed drivers and couriers. The agreement is the first of its kind within the EU. However, the deal is encountering quite a lot of incomprehension from Christian and liberal unions, several Mediahuis newspapers report. Historic turnaround The socialist […]
October 24, 2022
The reform of the Walloon road tax, as desired by Walloon Minister of Energy, Infrastructure, and Climate Philippe Henry (Ecolo), is highly unlikely to materialize. Several Walloon media report this, including La Dernière Heure and La Libre Belgique. The reform of the Walloon road tax, which included a 50-euro levy that Walloon drivers would have […]
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 21, 2022
Despite the remaining obstacles, 30% of French people are considering buying an electric car and 54% a hybrid. Only 12% of French people say they are “attached” to the internal combustion vehicle. This is evident from an online survey of about 1 300 people conducted by Odoxa, a French polling company. In 2035, when it […]
October 20, 2022
The D’Ieteren Group, best known as a car importer and of Carglass, continues to expand its national network of bicycle shops that it started under the Lucien brand name in May of this year. With the acquisition of Waterloo-based ReCycle, D’Ieteren is now also focusing on the fast-growing used-bike market. The acquisition of ReCycle is […]
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
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 19, 2022
German car-sharing company Miles is expanding its presence in Belgium, and after its debut in Ghent, it is now also available in Brussels. The company is running a fleet of 100 Opel Corsa models in the capital, which are offered in a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) model. Antwerp is the next city on the strategic roadmap. “It […]
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 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
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 17, 2022
In France, the ecological bonus will be raised from 6 000 to 7 000 euros for half of the most modest households buying an electric car. French President Emmanuel Macron announced this in an interview with the daily Les Echos. “Because we want to make the electric car accessible to all, we will even raise […]
October 14, 2022
At least seven out of ten motorists believe that driving a car requires financial sacrifices, but 72% say they cannot do without one. So says the annual barometer conducted in 18 countries worldwide by the Cetelem Observatory, the economic research and intelligence unit of BNP Paribas. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed fear they will no […]
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 12, 2022
The student-run GreenTeam of the University of Stuttgart has again broken the acceleration record for electric vehicles, with a lightning-fast time of 1,461 seconds from 0-100 km/hour, beating the previous record of 1,513 seconds set by a Swiss student team. Neither the Porsche Taycan nor the Tesla Model S Plaid comes close to the GreenTeam […]
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 11, 2022
Former social affairs minister Wouter Koolmees will become the new top executive of Dutch Railways, NS. Koolmees succeeds Marjan Rintel, who left in early July for airline KLM, and will start on 1 November. Koolmees’ appointment is for four years. Koolmees was a minister from 2017 to early 2022 but did not return to the […]
October 10, 2022
US giant Amazon plans to more than double its fleet of electric vehicles making deliveries in Europe. The multinational technology company that focuses on e-commerce, among others, is planning an investment of more than 1 billion euros over five years, it announced on Monday, to work on decarbonizing its transport network in Europe. Amazon, the world’s largest […]
October 10, 2022
German air mobility company Volocopter has taken the next step on its roadmap toward offering flying taxi services. At Fiumicino Airport in Rome, their 2X electric air taxi took off in front of onlookers from the media and airport officials. The test flight is a prelude to offering real taxi rides in 2024. While the […]
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 06, 2022
High fuel prices have boosted carpooling in Belgium in recent months. As a result, the number of carpooled kilometers doubled in the first eight months of 2022 compared to last year. Compared to 2019, there is even a 40% increase, reports Vias Institute. Some 11% of the kilometers driven on Belgian roads are driven by […]
October 05, 2022
Many tunnels in Brussels are in poor condition. The Brussels government has initiated a renovation plan, but delays have shown that the predetermined deadline is no longer appropriate. However, Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) reassured the Brussels Parliament’s Mobility Committee on Tuesday when discussing the evaluation report of the Multiannual Investment Plan […]
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 […]
