July 07, 2023
French railway company SNCF plans to earmark 1 000 hectares of solar panels by 2030 to cover 15 to 20% of its own electricity needs. The plans would make the railway company one of France’s largest green power producers. The SNCF is making this switch to secure supplies and control costs (between 2022 and 2023, […]
July 06, 2023
A survey by the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) shows that one Walloon driver in two drinks alcohol even if he has to drive afterward. One in four respondents recently drove potentially above the legal alcohol limit of 0,5 grams per liter of blood. To do something about the problem, the ASWR will be distributing […]
July 06, 2023
Nissan has launched in the United Kingdom a flexible subscription service featuring a simple all-in-one monthly payment for its EVs, Leaf, and Ariya, and the hybrid Qashqai e-POWER, with 800 miles (1 287 km) per month included. But it doesn’t always come as a bargain. Prices start as ‘low’ as £645/mth (€755) for the Leaf […]
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), […]
July 06, 2023
The new bicycle highway – F24 – between Louvain and Boutersem was officially inaugurated on Wednesday. Plans and preparations for the project were launched eleven years ago, and now the bicycle connection is finally ready. The new section is 4,5 km long, and 4 meters wide, and follows railway line 36 between Louvain and Tirlemont. […]
July 05, 2023
Vilvoorde’s city council is giving negative advice to the plans to redevelop the Brussels Ring Road. Mayor Hans Bonte (Vooruit) is unhappy about the heavy mobility and environmental impact of the works on the city and the region. Several ecological and mobility organizations also side against the plans of the Flemish government. At the end […]
July 05, 2023
While registrations of new vehicles (51 760 units) almost doubled in June (+48,7%), the second-hand market started to regenerate by growing 15,8% in June to 67 528 units. Cumulated over the first six months, the increase is 5,8% (18 999 units more than in the first six months of 2022), but there is a backlog […]
July 05, 2023
Italian carmaker Fiat is back in the B-segment with a new electric SUV. Sister of the 500e, the new 600e is based on the same Stellantis CMP electric platform as the Jeep Avenger. The Italian boasts similar performances with a WLTP range of 409 km thanks to a 54-kWh battery. The Fiat is also cheaper, […]
July 04, 2023
An old Belgian icon, the 127-year-old Royal Touring Club of Belgium, has finally been sold to insurance company AG (75%) and Belgian’s biggest bank company BNP Paribas Fortis (25%). It allows Touring to continue road assistance and other activities in a world where mobility is evolving rapidly. After the authorities’ investigation, the deal was officially […]
July 04, 2023
The Meiser Square in Schaerbeek, a major traffic junction in the neighborhood where public broadcasters VRT and RTBF offices are, will be redesigned completely. Brussels Mobility has applied for a permit. The large roundabout is to make way for two intersections and more green space. The Region hopes to start construction works by 2025. Specifically, […]
July 03, 2023
BMW has joined forces with long-established Italian bicycle manufacturer 3T to create three types of bikes for various use cases. Customers can choose from a gravel bike, road bike, or urban bike; each of which can also be ordered with an electric motor. All models offer a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology and progressive design. […]
July 03, 2023
Flemish public transport operator De Lijn started the phased roll-out of its primary accessibility network, Hoppin. The new De Lijn network means changes are taking place at 16 000 bus stops, with some 180 to be abolished and others to be relocated, frequencies changed, or new line numbers appearing. But not everyone applauds De Lijn’s […]
July 03, 2023
The number of accidents involving e-scooters has exploded in recent years. To gain insight into the exact causes, the Vias traffic safety institute analyzed a hundred e-scooter accidents with injured people in Brussels in 2020. Most occurred with users under the influence of alcohol and drugs, causing them to lose control. Vias pleads for the […]
June 30, 2023
The Belgian government has agreed with French energy giant Enigma on keeping the Doel 4 and Thihange 3 nuclear power plants open until 2035. Engie will also pay 15 billion euros for the future disposal and processing of all nuclear waste. But on the very day that the deal is knocked off, Elia, the transmission […]
June 30, 2023
Primary school ‘De Wieken’ in Kinrooi (Limburg, Belgium) wants to make the bicycle helmet compulsory next school year. The reason for it is a recent accident in which a 10-year-old boy suffered a severe brain injury. The boy, who did not wear a helmet, was hit by a car while crossing the road and landed […]
June 29, 2023
A bicycle tunnel under the Brussels Ring Road has been officially opened in Overijse. The tunnel branches off at the end of Welriekendedreef and connects to the cycle network through the Sonian Forest and, thus, also toward Brussels. Until now, there was a pedestrian tunnel at that spot. Cyclists had to carry their bicycles by […]
June 29, 2023
The new entrance/exit complex of the Brussels Ring Road at Woluwe Avenue in Machelen has been officially opened by the Agency for Roads and Traffic. This completes the second of four phases of the major redevelopment of Woluwe Avenue, part of a 64 million euros investment by the Flemish government with which it intends to […]
June 28, 2023
The Eurostar Group, the merger of high-speed train operators Thalys and Eurostar, transported 14,8 million passengers last year and posted a turnover of over 1,53 billion euros, two and a half times more than a year earlier. As a result, profit before Ebita reached a record level of 332 million euros. By mid-October, a new app, […]
June 28, 2023
The Flemish administration has issued a permit for a link road between the Brussels Ring Road and Parking C at Heysel, according to the business newspaper L’Echo. The link road is considered essential for NEO, the Heysel redevelopment project. However, according to the Flemish Environment Department, the link road has a purely logistical function and […]
June 28, 2023
The 14-brand-strong group, Stellantis, is launching a new ecosystem for electric vehicle charging under the umbrella of Free2Move Charge. The new entity will allow clients to install and finance home chargers, with options ranging from AC charging to Vehicle-2-grid (V2G) systems. Furthermore, it’ll give access to almost all of Europe’s charging points. The Stellantis group […]
June 27, 2023
Due to maintenance, nine Brussels tunnels will temporarily be closed during the summer holidays. To limit traffic disruption, work in four of the nine tunnels will be carried out only at night, reports Brussels Mobility. And in the country’s south, some major highway projects will also be carried out, which could immediately impact the traffic […]
June 27, 2023
Mobia, the overarching partnership between the car sector federations Febiac, Traxio, and Renta, warns of a shortage in public charging points in Belgium if we don’t have an additional 100 installed every day between now and 2030. As taxation rules on cars change in a few days and not only ICE cars but also plug-in […]
June 26, 2023
The Walloon government will allocate another 79 million euros to finalize works on the new Liège tramway. These have been seriously delayed, much to the annoyance of traders and residents. The amount comes on top of the 450 million euros initially planned. The modern 11,5 km tram line will connect Standard’s stadium to the Coronmeuse […]
June 26, 2023
According to Shell Recharge’s annual EV Driver Survey, Europe is at the tipping point of mass adoption of electric cars. Real-world experiences make EV drivers slowly swallow their range anxiety, the ones still seeing a problem dropping from 60 to 50%. 47% don’t feel the need to recharge daily, and there is no turning back […]
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 23, 2023
Last year, the number of road fatalities in Flanders fell by 9%. However, the Flemish Region still had the most accidents (62%), compared to Brussels (11%), and Wallonia (27%). The figures come from Flanders Statistics (Statistiek Vlaanderen). Among the victims is a growing percentage of vulnerable road users, mainly cyclists. In addition, there are still […]
June 23, 2023
According to three car-sharing platforms operating in Brussels, the number of attempted thefts by minors of their cars has reached alarming levels. La Capitale newspaper reports this. According to them, Miles Mobility, Poppy, and GreenMobility have sent a joint letter to Brussels authorities denouncing the problem. According to the three suppliers, their vehicles in the […]
June 23, 2023
The Namur cable car, back in operation since 20021, has been little used as a soft mobility solution. As a tourist attraction, the cable car over the Sambre toward the 650-meter-high Citadel meets expectations, but as a city transport offer, the figures are disappointing. From 1 September, the city will consequently implement new timetables and […]
June 22, 2023
Brussels Mobility has launched a campaign to get the Brussels expat community on bikes. Ambassadors from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Botswana, New Zealand, Bosnia, and Slovenia in Belgium are “not influencers, but real ambassadors” and are pulling the campaign. The Brussels Capital Region has the largest expat community in Europe, with 220 000 people making […]
June 21, 2023
Brussels public transport company MIVB/STIB has won two awards at the prestigious ‘Red Dot Design Award’. The transport company won awards for designing its new TNG tram and M7 metro inspired by the curves of Art Nouveau, an art movement inextricably linked to Brussels. The New Generation Tram (TNG) and the M7 metro, whose design […]
June 21, 2023
From next year, French people will be allowed to get their driving license and drive alone from the age of 17. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has reported this. Several traffic associations have already spoken out against a reduction because of the risk of accidents. Driving a car as a 17-year-old in France is now […]
June 21, 2023
French energy provider, Engie, launches Vianeo. Under this new brand dedicated to electric mobility, the company aims to develop 12 000 electric charge points across France by 2025. In addition to that, the company confirms that “about one hundred” fast chargers will be built in Belgium too. Engie isn’t one to miss the transition to […]
June 20, 2023
Indian low-cost airline IndiGo has ordered 500 Airbus A320 aircraft. By volume, this is the largest contract ever concluded in civil aviation. The contract represents a theoretical list price of 55 billion dollars. The aircraft are to be delivered between 2030 and 2035. And Walloon aviation company Sonaca also sings the “largest contract in its […]
June 19, 2023
Municipal, provincial, and regional officials in Belgium will soon be allowed to fine motorists alongside the police if they overtake a cyclist in a bicycle zone. The council of ministers has decided this. A car driver who overtakes cyclists there risks a municipal administrative sanction, known as a GAS fine for short, of 58 euros. […]
June 19, 2023
The Court of Appeal in Antwerp has decided that Tesla must repay a Belgian customer his Model S P100D, worth 158 600 euros. According to experts, there were severe shortcomings in driving comfort and safety. On top of that, the company has obstructed the investigation, the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws writes. Four years ago, the […]
June 19, 2023
Three manufacturers of so-called L7e microcars, Microlino, City Transformer, and Circle Mobility, are forging a coalition to convince policymakers to push their products as a viable alternative for full-size cars, especially in cities. They’re considering specific taxation, subsidies, and exemptions for microcars in urban traffic and parking areas. The coalition that welcomes all other microcar […]
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 16, 2023
Plum, Ghent’s best-known bike shop, has a new owner. The shop on Verlorenkost has been taken over by Lucien, D’Ieteren’s bicycle chain. Lucien also takes over the Remory-Van Heddeghem shop in Wetteren from the Remora family. This reports the business newspaper De Tijd. With the two acquisitions, Lucien now has 16 branches in Belgium, but […]
June 16, 2023
Partena Professional’s latest survey reveals some interesting insights on the trends and evolutions of Belgian company cars. As the share of diesel power is, for the first time, matched by fully electric models, plug-in hybrids showed a substantial rise in 2023. Also, on average, company cars for men are 18% more expensive than for women. […]
June 15, 2023
Estonian mobility company Bolt is to launch ‘Reckless Ride Score’, an evaluation system to address the unsafe driving habits of e-scooter drivers. It is the first micro-mobility provider to do so. Through this approach, Bolt hopes that safety standards for the highly stressed sector of shared e-scooters will continue to strengthen across the industry. The […]
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 […]
June 14, 2023
The driving license with points does not seem to be introduced in Belgium, for the time being. The French-speaking socialists (PS) and liberals (MR) are not enthusiastic and have made their own counterproposal, much to the dismay of Vooruit, the party of the Flemish socialists. “People are dying on the roads because PS and MR […]
June 14, 2023
402 Automotive, a Dutch organizer of car shows and events, seems to want to fill the gap the cancellation of the Brussels Motor Show 2024 organized by sector federation Febiac has left. The Dutch event specialist wants to replace the Brussels Motor Show (BMS) with an ‘innovative car show’ with a lot of attention to […]
June 14, 2023
Worldwide, there are 1,35 million fatal road accidents every year, meaning that around 3 700 people die every day in car accidents on the road. Male drivers cause most accidents, although the gender cap is not the same in every country, according to a study by Compare the Market Australia. The gender gap in terms […]
June 13, 2023
After Arriva last week, now Dutch public transport company Qbuzz has announced plans for high-speed trains between Amsterdam and Paris. For both companies, the trains would stop in Antwerp and Brussels en route. The start-up is targeted for January 2027. The application to the Dutch regulator Authority Consumer & Market (ACM) mentions seven trips in […]
June 13, 2023
Brussels Finance and Budget Minister Sven Gatz (Open Vld) has raised the possibility of a new tender for the construction of metro line 3 in negotiations with the two companies that submitted bids do not lead to a reduction of the bill of more than 3 billion euros. The bids are “way too high”, he […]
June 13, 2023
Bolt will be the third company to offer bike-sharing in Ghent. Four years ago, Donkey Republic started in the Artevelde City and has 500 city bikes on offer. Last year, Dott proposed 600 electric bikes and 45 cargo bikes. Bolt is joining the club, starting with another 400 electric bikes. The Bolt bikes will be […]
June 13, 2023
Walloon public offices, municipalities, and provinces should now be legally required to pay their leased vehicles’ registration tax in Wallonia. This is part of an ongoing fight from the Walloon government to bring back losses from leased vehicles registered in Flanders. Wallonia is pushing back. Finance Minister Andrien Dolimont (MR) is taking legal action to […]
June 12, 2023
During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the new Hector Hennaud Avenue bridge on the Brussels Ring Road in Zaventem was successfully put in place. The colossus, which at 106 by 27 meters approaches the area of half a football pitch, weighs just under 2 000 tons. The smoothly run operation allowed the Ring Road […]
June 12, 2023
Some 200 people from ‘Non au plan Good Move’ protested the Brussels Good Move mobility plan in Anderlecht on Sunday. The local committees against the mobility plan from several Brussels municipalities are demanding a new regional mobility plan for Brussels. The committees recently succeeded in collecting the required 1 000 signatures with which to interpellate […]
June 09, 2023
Spanish scooter and micro-mobility EVs manufacturer Silence has officially rolled the first production models out of the assembly line in Barcelona. Built by Acciona in a state-of-the-art, 60 000 m2 factory, the first batch of Silence S04s are heading to customers. Silence is a newcomer to the game of micro-mobility EVs, or so-called ‘nano cars’. […]
June 09, 2023
Works on the last unfinished premetro tunnel of the Antwerp premetro network and the four unfinished premetro stations, Drink, Morkhoven, Willibrordus, and Stuivenberg, could start in early 2025. The whole project should then be ready in the first quarter of 2027. Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) has said so. The cost would hover […]
June 09, 2023
According to Viapass’ latest annual report, the number of trucks on Belgian toll roads has decreased by 800 000 in one year, from 41,10 million vehicles to 40,28. Viapass is the governmental organization that monitors the kilometer tax for trucks in Belgium. The decrease has economic reasons: the high energy prices reduced people’s purchasing power, […]
June 08, 2023
Twelve nurses of the ‘Wit-Gele Kruis’ in Hasselt (Limburg) use leased electric bicycles to visit and take care of their patients in the city center. This way, they can avoid the hustle and bustle of the city and their eternal search for a parking space. The home nursing service has decided to invest 20 000 […]
June 08, 2023
The second-hand motorbike market in Belgium is in dire straits, according to sector organization Traxio. Until May, almost 30% fewer motorbikes, that’s 9 446 units, were sold compared to last year. The reason for this drop, according to Traxio, is the second-hand inspection of motorbikes that has been mandatory since 1 January 2023. One of […]
June 08, 2023
Amsterdam has decided to ban all polluting traffic from a large part of the city center. From 2025, only emission-free vehicles – cabs, vans, trucks, scooters, motorbikes, and boats, running on electricity or hydrogen – will be allowed. The Netherlands’s capital and most populous city will introduce this measure to improve the air quality and […]
June 07, 2023
According to several French-language newspapers, the Brussels Region will automate its metro network. These ‘driverless’ trains have been discussed for about a decade, but now the goals are becoming more concrete: the first route to run without a human driver will be line 5 Ceria-Erasmus in the summer of 2026. Eventually, all metros should run […]
June 06, 2023
The Fleming increasingly prefers to cycle and walk. This emerges from a study into the travel behavior of the Flemish population by the Department of Mobility. Although the car remains the most popular means of transport, the share of the car drops below 60% for the first time. It is the sixth time since 1994 […]
June 06, 2023
Last Friday, Dutch state secretary Heynen (Ministry of Infrastructure & Waterstate) decided that the Eurostar train between Amsterdam and London will not be proposed for eleven months, starting June 2024. The reason? Amsterdam Central Station has to be overhauled, and apparently, there’s no room during the works period to house the Dutch Marechaussee (police force), […]
June 05, 2023
A European survey shows that 7% of Belgians, or around 420 000 drivers, have already had an accident attributable to alcohol behind the wheel. Last year, nearly 47 000 drivers, an average of 128 per day, were also fined for ‘alcohol behind the wheel’ in Belgium. The new BOB campaign ‘BOB protects lives’, therefore, calls […]
