Female UK drivers are the safest in the world

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 […]

Brussels Ring Road in Zaventem has new bridge

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 […]

Good Move: some 200 protesters against Brussels mobility plan

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 […]

7% of Belgian drivers already had accident due to ‘drunk’ driving

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 […]

€1,5 million grant for Brussels police zones for road safety

June 02, 2023

The Brussels government is to give a 1,5 million euros grant to Brussels police zones to make road safety an absolute priority within policing. The additional grant should lead to more enforcement, among other things. The police zone Brussels-Capital-Elsene/Ixelles can count on just under 430 000 euro in subsidies. For the other five zones, it […]

Flanders: No more fines for late car inspections due to long waiting times

June 02, 2023

Those who present their vehicles late because of long waiting times at technical inspection centers in Flanders will soon no longer be fined. This was announced by Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open VLD). This is a temporary measure. When the problems in the car inspection sector are over, there will be no more […]

AWSR: ‘10% of Walloon drive under influence of medication’

May 26, 2023

One out of ten (10%) Walloon car drivers admit having taken the wheel after taking medication that could have consequences on driving behavior. That is what a new study by the Walloon Agency for Road Safety (L’Agence Wallonne pour la Sécurité Routière, AWSR) revealed on Thursday. Each year, about 25 fatal road accidents are medicine […]

Brussels residents abandon car to cycle and walk more

May 24, 2023

People living in Brussels take their cars less often than ten years ago and more often go by bike or on foot. These are the results of a new study by Brussels Mobility. Every day, the capital’s inhabitants make 3,3 million journeys, accounting for 25 million kilometers traveled. Most of these are done on foot […]

One fifth of Flemish car users continue to manipulate mobile phone while driving

May 23, 2023

Using your mobile phone behind the wheel is prohibited by law, yet 17% of Flemish car drivers say they continue to use the device while driving. This is according to a survey of 454 motorists aged between 18 and 54 conducted on behalf of the Flemish Foundation for Transport Studies (VSV). To alert these thick-headed […]

App for faster green light planned in Belgium

May 19, 2023

Belgium’s Agency for Roads and Traffic (AWV) is working on an app that would soon allow you to get green faster at a traffic light. Public Dutch-language broadcaster VRT reports that. The new system should already work at some intersections in a few months. Linking the app to intelligent traffic lights will make traffic safer […]

Stricter rules drunk driving in Belgium: at 1,2% driving license lost

May 19, 2023

From 1 June, Belgium is lowering the threshold for immediate revocation of the driving license of those drunk behind the wheel. The standard then lowers from 1,5% to 1,2%. This was announced by Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo). The measure will come into force on 1 June. To tackle alcohol behind the wheel even more […]

Brussels MR wants ban on bikes and e-scooters in busy pedestrian areas

May 17, 2023

The Brussels MR has proposed a bill to ban bicycles and e-scooters in busy pedestrian zones in the capital. Currently, the maximum speed allowed there is officially 8 km/hour. Cyclists and e-scooter users who ride too fast through the pedestrian zones risk a fine of 174 euros. The MR justifies the ban by “the explosion […]

Belgium counts fewer road deaths in first three months of 2023

May 15, 2023

During the first three months of this year, the number of on-site traffic fatalities on Belgian roads decreased by 18% compared to the same period last year. There were 89 road fatalities compared to 108 during the same period last year. One in three fatalities is a cyclist or pedestrian. This is according to Vias […]

Edinburgh gets UK’s first autonomous bus service

May 12, 2023

A route with self-driving buses from Stagecoach, UK’s largest bus and coach operator, will start operating in Edinburgh next week, a first in the UK. However, a driver will always be on board to monitor things and take back control of the bus in an emergency. This is also required by UK law. The project, […]

New interchange on Oosterweel project almost fully open this weekend

May 12, 2023

The first parts of the new, more compact interchange Antwerp-West, where the E17 (Ghent) and the Antwerp ring road near the Kennedy tunnel meet, will open to motorists from Friday evening at 8 p.m. The interchange on Antwerp’s Left Bank is part of the Oosterweel project, a mega-project designed to complete the Antwerp ring road. […]

Walloon section of bicycle highway to Brussels inaugurated

May 08, 2023

In La Hulpe, Walloon Minister of Mobility and Road Infrastructure Philippe Henry (Ecolo) has inaugurated the very first Walloon section of the bicycle highway. The bicycle highways should become the backbone of the Walloon structuring bicycle network, which the government wants to establish to offer attractive alternatives to car use. At the same time, they […]

Bicycle bridge between Vilvoorde and Brucargo to encourage commuting

April 28, 2023

A bicycle bridge over the Haachtsesteenweg (N21) has been inaugurated in the Flemish Brabant town of Steenokkerzeel. The bridge is part of the bicycle highway F214, which connects the center of Vilvoorde with Brucargo, the cargo zone of Brussels Airport. “Thanks to the bridge, hundreds of airport employees will be able to get to work […]

Flanders: Speed pedelecs soon welcome on towpaths

April 28, 2023

In Flanders, speed pedelecs are only allowed on towpaths being part of a bicycle highway. However, according to the new policy vision on towpaths, Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters Open Vld) has agreed with the Flemish Waterway (Vlaamse Waterweg), those fast-riding e-bikes will get access to all towpaths in Flanders, provided they respect the maximum […]

Belgian first: shuttles at Terhills Resort now fully autonomous

April 21, 2023

The self-driving shuttles riding around on the domain of the Terhills Resort in Maasmechelen are now completely autonomous. The presence of a safety steward is no longer needed. The shuttle project is unique in Belgium and exceptional in Europe. The vehicles were officially introduced in May last year in the presence of the Flemish Ministers […]

Netherlands: ‘more people die in traffic on a bike than in a car’

April 19, 2023

The number of people killed in traffic in the Netherlands has increased by more than one-quarter, despite the growing number of safety systems in cars. According to the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, CBS), the number of traffic deaths is the highest since 2008. Last year, 737 road deaths were […]

Vias: ‘Hit-and-run accidents reach record level in ten years’

April 17, 2023

Last year, more than 4 700 serious or fatal accidents ended with a hit-and-run. A record number in ten years. According to the Belgian traffic safety institute Vias, most victims were cyclists (21%) and pedestrians ‘14%). Fortunately, the vast majority of perpetrators were identified. Vias pleads to step up the fight against drunk driving and […]

‘By 2040, 30% of daily trips in Flanders should be made by bike’

April 05, 2023

Flemish Minister of Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), has ambitious plans. In her most recent bicycle policy plan, she expects Flemish citizens to hop on the bike for more than 30% of their daily journeys. To achieve that goal, Peeters is willing to invest at least 300 million euros a year. Peeters’ previous bicycle policy […]

Flanders wants car re-inspection to be carried out by garage owners

April 04, 2023

Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) is fed up with the problems at the technical car inspection centers. That is why she wants to engage certified garages for the re-inspection of passenger cars. Today, these re-inspections take place in the 43 accredited inspection centers. In the summer of 2022, Minister Peeters decided to organize […]

Germans warn cargo bikes are not always that safe

March 31, 2023

The cargo bike is gaining popularity, but, as with any mobility vehicle, there are also safety risks associated with these types of bicycles, which often weigh 65 kg unloaded alone and end up loaded almost as much as a motorbike. This means they can be thrown through the air over a long distance in the […]

Belgian record of speeding fines in 2022: 707 per hour

March 31, 2023

Last year, a record number of drivers in Belgium were fined for speeding. The number of fines went up from 4,9 million in 2021 to 6,2 million in 2022 (+27%) – that is no less than 16 980 per day or 707 per hour. An explanation for this spectacular increase is to be found in […]

Brussels Good Move Plan has ‘speeding impact’ on tram and bus

March 30, 2023

The improvements made for the Good Move Plan in Brussels have had a positive impact on the journey times in the Pentagon and Schaerbeek of several MIVB/STIB tram and bus lines. Especially during rush hours, the travel times of the public transport company’s units are slightly shorter as a result. “Six months after its introduction, […]

France to ban e-scooter under 14 and fine sharply

March 30, 2023

The French government has finalized its national regulation plan for e-scooter users. As a result, the age to use an e-scooter goes from 12 to 14 years old, and the fines for e-scooter offenses go up sharply. By doing so, the government hopes to reduce the nuisance of the mode of transport that has become […]

7% of Belgian drivers watch video behind the wheel

March 28, 2023

Seven out of a hundred Belgian drivers admit to watching video films behind the wheel at least once a month. That is what a recent survey traffic safety institute Vias organized among 6 000 Belgians revealed. In Flanders, 5% of car drivers say they sometimes watch a video in the car; in Wallonia, it is […]

Flanders to restore 30 movable bridges in public-private partnership

March 28, 2023

Some thirty movable bridges across Flanders must be replaced by 2030 with a public-private partnership (PPP). Prior to the start of the works, the Flemish Waterway will start a market survey to present the approach to the sector. The Flemish Waterway wants to have all its movable structures (bridges, locks, weirs, and pumping installations) remote-controlled […]

France writes off average speed checks because ‘too expensive’

March 27, 2023

The French traffic safety organization, Sécurité Routière, has decided to phase out average speed checks. According to some French media, they would be too expensive to maintain, although a motorists’ organization questions that. The oldest installations, which appeared in 2012, would even need replacement. Average speed checks are no typical French phenomenon. They’re frequently used […]

Amsterdam considers 20 kph maximum speed for e-bikes

March 24, 2023

The city of Amsterdam is planning to reduce the speed of electric bicycles to 20 kilometers per hour to improve road safety. Introducing a maximum speed should tackle the increasing number of accidents with e-bikes. According to a 2021 AT5 survey among 1 900 inhabitants (AT5 is a local television station in Amsterdam), 75% of […]

Nearly 23.000 commercial ‘on-site’ vehicle inspections in Flanders

March 21, 2023

The sector federation on inspection centers GOCA Flanders counted 22 914 inspections ‘on location’ last year. These were inspection lines for trucks and buses on the site of large companies, where inspectors go to the customer instead of the other way around. The project to have larger vehicle fleets inspected on-site quickly and efficiently was […]

E-scooters most problematic obstacles for visually impaired

March 20, 2023

Mobility is a basic right, but for (partially) blind people, the road is, unfortunately – literally – littered with obstacles. That is why the Braille League wants to raise awareness about mobility among blind and visually impaired people. The organization, therefore, has organized a large-scale survey among about 700 respondents and is repeating its sensitizing […]

VAB: ‘Eight in ten youngsters in favor of total alcohol ban when driving’

March 16, 2023

Eight out of ten young people in Flanders are in favor of zero tolerance for alcohol behind the wheel. Almost 17% do not support such a proposal. That is what a survey by mobility organization VAB revealed. Earlier this month, the European Commission proposed a total alcohol ban for new drivers. Novice drivers should not […]

Flanders adds almost 200 average speed checks this year

March 16, 2023

Between 2019 and today, the Flemish government added 234 average speed checks on 136 locations. This year, another 194 controls are planned on 109 locations. According to Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), they’re a “concrete and effective measure to reduce the number of accidents”. Excessive speed is one of the biggest killers in […]

Eight-year renovation starting on Brussels Ring viaduct

March 14, 2023

Vilvoorde Viaduct is to undergo a major renovation that will take some eight years to carry out. Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters (Open VLD) has announced this. The viaduct, one of the busiest traffic points in Western Europe with an average of about 150 000 vehicles passing over it every day, […]

Flanders plans 100 hectares of solar parks to light up tunnels

March 13, 2023

Flemish Mobility Minister, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), wants to install solar panels on the unused land of The Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) to generate renewable energy and reduce AWV’s high electricity bill. The last invoice amounted to no less than 45 million euros. The energy will mainly be used […]

Construction E313 rush-hour lanes Beringen-Ham starts

March 09, 2023

The construction of rush-hour lanes on the E313 between Beringen and Ham (Limburg) in the direction of Antwerp will start on Friday. Temporary road signs will be installed, and the actual works at exit complex 25a Tessenderlo will start on Saturday. Entrances and exits in Tessenderlo toward Antwerp will be renewed before the summer. The […]

Brussels to give Lambermont Avenue green makeover

March 09, 2023

Brussels Mobility plans to start the redevelopment of Avenue Lambermont and General Wahis in the second half of 2024. Together with Auguste Reyers Avenue, which is being redesigned as a city boulevard, the two avenues form the Schaerbeek section of the Brussels Central Ring (R21). The public service has now applied for planning permission for […]

Oosterweel yard: this year mainly works on Right Bank

March 08, 2023

The focus of the Oosterweel works this year will be on the Right Bank of the river Scheldt. The first utility works in Antwerp are underway, but this autumn, both the construction of the bypass, temporarily replacing the Merksem viaduct, and the construction of the channel tunnels under the Albert Canal will start. In recent […]

Florida senator wants to limit EV use for hurricane evacuations

March 08, 2023

A Republican senator from Florida has suggested limiting the use of electric vehicles during hurricane evacuations, arguing that the charging infrastructure is not ready yet and that EVs with empty batteries could become roadblocks in critical locations. However, others are not as worried or offer alternative solutions instead. Florida is a high-risk area for hurricanes, […]

Brussels Reyers Avenue can be reconstructed into a city boulevard

March 07, 2023

Urban.brussels has granted an urban development certificate to Brussels Mobility to create a city boulevard on Auguste Reyers Avenue, an arterial road in Schaerbeek where the public broadcasters VRT and RTBF are located. So reports Brussels State Secretary for Urban Planning Pascal Smet (one.brussels-Vooruit). Reyers Avenue will be reconstructed from facade to facade between Meiser […]

Gilkinet wants hefty fines for promoting street racing on social media

March 07, 2023

Anyone bragging about street racing or driving excessively fast on social media or TikTok should be severely fined. At least, that’s Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet’s opinion. Gilkinet (Ecolo) proposes penalties of up to 1 000 euros and/or one year without a driver’s license. Excessive speed has always been considered one of the major killers in […]

Brussels to provide 3.000 drop zones for shared e-scooters

March 03, 2023

There will be an end to the nuisance and the uncontrolled proliferation of shared e-scooters lying around in the Brussels Region. Some 3 000 parking spaces or drop zones are going to be created. The distribution between the municipalities has been decided in the meantime. Brussels City would get 681 drop zones. The number of shared […]

EU proposes ‘universal’ digital driver’s license

March 02, 2023

The European Commission wants to introduce a universal digital driver’s license. It should be accessible on smartphones and other digital devices, and it should be easier to replace or renew someone’s license. Such a digital document, issued nationally, should be recognized throughout Europe. According to the Commission, youngsters in the EU should be able to […]

65% of UK drivers say aggressive cyclists threaten their safety

February 27, 2023

Almost two-thirds of drivers (65%) in Britain believe aggressive cyclists and motorists are putting lives at risk. Of over 2 000 drivers surveyed, the majority of respondents claimed that both aggressive motorists (78%) and aggressive cyclists (65%) are a threat to their personal safety. That is the conclusion of a recent survey commissioned by road […]

Brussels pays car owners €270.000 compensation for bad road surface

February 27, 2023

Brussels Mobility had to pay more than 270 000 euros in compensation to motorists in 2022 who considered that they had suffered vehicle damage due to poor road conditions. However, this is 50% less than in 2021, writes the newspaper La Capital. All road users can claim compensation from either the municipality or the Brussels […]

Antwerp driving school was hub of license exam fraud

February 23, 2023

Before the district court of Antwerp, 33 clients of a driving school with branches in Deurne and Merksem are being prosecuted. The driving school had assisted them in their theoretical exam for their driver’s license with earphones and hidden cameras to whisper the answers into their ears. “By committing fraud during the theoretical driving test, […]

Vias: ‘More 65+ cyclists than ever died on Belgian roads’

February 23, 2023

Last year, traffic in Belgium killed 521 people, 8% more than in 2021. One out of three victims was a cyclist or pedestrian. The number of cyclists killed increased from 74 to 95, the highest figure ever. And people aged over 65, many of them driving an electric bicycle, accounted for half of the victims. […]

More EU road deaths but still under pre-corona level

February 22, 2023

Since car traffic in Europe started to get going again after the corona crisis, the number of road deaths went up again. Fortunately, the figures remain below those before the corona pandemic. Last year, there were three percent more deaths on European roads compared to 2021. In 2022, about 20 600 people died in traffic. […]

Works start on first six km of Brussels-Ghent F2 bicycle highway

February 21, 2023

On Monday, February 20th, the preparational works for an important part of the bicycle highway between Ghent and Brussels started. The F2 bicycle highway runs from Ghent – via Melle, Wetteren, and Aalst, among others – to Brussels. The F2 passes various train stations, optimizing multi-mobility. Workers began by clearing shrubs and trees near the […]

Parisians to vote over banning e-scooters

February 20, 2023

Parisians will have to go to the polling stations in their arrondissements to vote for or against keeping shared e-scooters on April 2nd. Paris City Hall has announced this. Parisian e-scooter operators have denounced this decision and the organization by the city council of this unprecedented vote or referendum, in ballot boxes and not online. […]

VAB: ‘8/10 Flemish drivers would flunk official theory exam’

February 17, 2023

More than eight out of ten Flemish drivers would flunk their theoretical driving test if they were to take it again. That is what mobility organization VAB discovered after organizing a large-scale ‘traffic quiz’. Almost five thousand people participated in the quiz; 86,1% failed. Although most of them have had their driver’s licenses for ten, […]

Good Move leads to one-fifth less car traffic in the Brussels Pentagon

February 17, 2023

A fifth less traffic in the Pentagon, more space for pedestrians, and a lot more people choosing to cycle. Those are the provisional results of six months of ‘Good Move’, the new circulation plan to reduce transit traffic in the Brussels city center. Bart Dhondt (Groen), the Brussels Alderman for Mobility, calls the results encouraging […]

Vias: ‘8% drive while using sleeping pills or tranquilizers’

February 15, 2023

Almost one in seven young drivers drove under the influence of one or more drugs in the past month. Eight percent of Belgian motorists – 5% in Flanders and 8% in Wallonia – drive a car after using sleeping pills or tranquilizers at least once a month. In Brussels, the problem is even worse: 17% […]

‘43,7% more cycling commuters during rush hours in Brussels’

February 14, 2023

The number of cyclists traveling through Brussels during the morning rush hours almost doubled in 2022 compared to 2021. Cyclists seem to be moving increasingly safely in the city. The conclusions come from the Bicycle Observatory. Four times a year, the Bicycle Observatory organizes bicycle countings in the Belgian capital. The 104 hours of manual […]

‘Japanese are world’s best drivers, Thai the worst’

February 10, 2023

With 1,45 billion vehicles worldwide, the car insurance experts at Compare the Market, a UK price comparison website founded in 2006, wanted to see which countries really do have the best and worst drivers. The researchers ‘analyzed’ drivers in 50 countries, although the method used should be taken with a pinch of salt. They looked […]

Coyote drivers slow down for 22.000 ‘identified’ bends

February 09, 2023

Two years after starting the program in June 2020, navigation aid specialist Coyote says it has registered an apparent change in the behavior of its drivers after identifying more than 22 000 dangerous bends on Belgian roads. The navigation aid system warns when you are approaching a dangerous curve, which already resulted in drivers limiting […]

VSV: ‘smartphone in car holder is no safe option’

January 31, 2023

Flemish drivers are thick-headed. Despite earlier campaigns and an official ban, three out of ten Flemish motorists still use their cell phone, holding it in their hands or having it lying next to them while driving. A rather large group, one in three, uses it when the device sits in a fixed holder on the […]

TEC buses to get green light automatically at intersections

January 26, 2023

By the end of this year, buses and trams of the Belgian public transport company TEC in Wallonia will automatically get a green light when approaching a traffic light at an intersection. This will reduce travel times, causing fewer delays, and as another positive result, allow for fewer emissions if not yet electric. To technically […]