The Brussels government is looking for a date for a second car-free Sunday, and the process isn’t going smoothly. Social media, in particular, where Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) is coming under fire, especially from mainly anti-Good Move civic groups, is fanning the flames.
The reason for the commotion? The coalition agreement stipulates that, starting in 2027, the second car-free Sunday in Brussels will take place on the Sunday of the Iris Festival.
However, May 9, 2027, is also Mother’s Day, and visitors from outside the city who come to visit their mothers, parents, or grandparents in Brussels fear additional complications and mobility issues.
Search for an alternative date
Van den Brandt said in the Brussels Parliament that all the details still need to be finalized, that alternative dates – May 2 or 9, or June 6 – are being considered in consultation with the various stakeholders, and that she hopes a date can be set soon.
According to Van den Brandt, the budget for Car-Free Sunday will be on the same scale as the 2025 edition. At that time, 150,000 euros were spent on communication and awareness-raising, 310,000 euros on closing off the Brussels Region and the tunnels, and 350,000 euros on compensating for free public transportation and expanding service. Discussions with the municipalities will also follow regarding funding for activities.
Is a 2nd Car-Free Sunday useful?
The mobility association Touring is surprised that the debate over a second Car-Free Sunday in Brussels is focused primarily on the date. At the same time, the real question concerns its feasibility and cost. In other words, wouldn’t it be better to invest the money spent on a car-free Sunday like this in making a dangerous intersection safer?
According to Touring, which usually sets up its own booth on Car-Free Sunday to inspect bicycles for free, Brussels’ mobility system “doesn’t need a second symbolic Car-Free Sunday, but rather concrete solutions that work year-round.”
That means reliable public transportation, better accessibility, efficient park-and-ride facilities, safer infrastructure for all road users, and credible alternatives for those who currently remain dependent on cars.”
In a difficult budgetary context, every euro should be allocated to measures that truly improve citizens’ daily mobility, according to Touring.
Tangible health benefits
Other mobility organizations, such as Mobiel 21 – an organization that helps coordinate the annual car-free Sundays in Belgium and whose membership, unlike that of Touring, does not consist largely of car users – do not share this criticism. The organization emphasizes the importance of a second Car-Free Sunday, in part to keep pressure on precisely those structural projects.
Managing Director Els Van den Broeck also cites a recent study in BRUZZ showing that nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels on Brussels’ Car-Free Sundays are 77 to 81% lower than on a typical Sunday.
According to the study, the number of childhood asthma cases would drop by 10-34% if air quality were as good every day as it is on Car-Free Sunday. “To me, that shows that a second Car-Free Sunday isn’t merely symbolic, but can also yield tangible health benefits,” says Van den Broeck.
Brussels Environment, which deliberately uses this day to demonstrate how public spaces can be designed differently rather than focusing on the car, also highlights the impact of reduced noise pollution on a Car-Free Sunday.
In the past, decreases of 17.5 to 22.5 dB(A) were measured at monitoring stations along the E40 and E411 – a reduction in sound pressure of nearly 99%. This is relevant to public health, as research has shown that traffic noise cost the Brussels population nearly 5,400 healthy life years in 2021, averaging 4 months per person.
