December 30, 2022
One in three road accidents on New Year’s Eve in Belgium involves a drunk driver. This is according to an analysis by traffic institute Vias. There are significantly more accidents during the night between the old and the new year. On average, 63 accidents involve injuries or deaths, compared to an average of 30 during […]
December 29, 2022
More than 38 400 scheduled train journeys were canceled in Belgium last year, a record number. So reports the newspaper De Tijd, which analyzed figures from railway network operator Infrabel from January to November. With more than 38 400 train journeys scheduled to be canceled, 2022 thus already breaks the record from 2016, when just […]
December 28, 2022
European Sleeper, the Dutch-Belgian night train service announced in February 2021, will be operational in May 2023. The train will connect Brussels, Amsterdam, and Berlin and be available three times a week in both directions. The maiden trip is planned for May 25th, departing in the German capital at 10:56 p.m. and arriving the following […]
December 28, 2022
Every bus line of the Flemish public transport company De Lijn driving to and from the Brussels Capital Region will, in the future, be recognizable by a new line number. The new combination consists of the letter ‘R’ and two digits. The letter R stands for ‘regional’. The Flemish transport company, which has some 50 […]
December 27, 2022
The city of Lille is to introduce an eco-bonus to ease highway congestion. So writes the French newspaper Le Monde. Congestion on the highways to Lille during rush hours is increasing so that alarm thresholds for fine particles in the air are increasingly being exceeded. Those who do not use their cars during rush hours […]
December 27, 2022
Swedish engineer and researcher in motor vehicle safety, Astrid Linder, has developed the world’s first female crash test dummy. Linder and her team are convinced that this research can help shape the way cars will be built in the future by highlighting key differences between men and women. Some of them include females being shorter […]
December 27, 2022
From now on, those who wish to do so can request a digital repayment plan for traffic fines. So reports Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld). The application is made through the Justice Just-on-Web digital portal and is available for everyone, as the offender does not have to prove his financial situation. The initiative […]
December 23, 2022
Flemish citizens don’t take the car, train, or bus as often as before the corona crisis. That is what the second large-scale Covid-19 survey of Flanders, in which 3 730 respondents took part, revealed. The third and final report from Statistics Flanders to gain insight into the impact of the corona pandemic on the living […]
December 23, 2022
In the two coming years, Flanders will install at least 10 789 additional charging points for electric vehicles. Compared to the beginning of the year, the total number will almost triple. According to Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), answering a question posed by MP Stijn Bex (Groen), Flanders is on track to achieve the […]
December 22, 2022
Belgium’s biggest bank, BNP Paribas Fortis, wants to be far more active in the mobility sector. So it launched a survey among 2 000 Belgians about their mobility preferences. 35% of the respondents declared not to be ready for electrification (fully electric or hybrid), which is a 6% increase compared to 2021. The electric transition […]
December 22, 2022
More than one million cyclists passed the counting post in Brussels Wetstraat/Rue de la Loi, toward the city center, this year. It’s one of Brussels’ busiest approach roads, with the presence of several notable Belgian and EU governmental buildings. If you also consider the second counting post, in the other direction, the number of cyclists […]
December 21, 2022
Belgian railway network operator Infrabel has inaugurated in Brussels an infrared system against track walkers. The system should avoid as many casualties as possible and protect the punctuality of trains. The advanced surveillance system was inaugurated at Brussels-Capelle Church, the busiest point on the rail network with a daily flow of 1 200 trains and […]
December 21, 2022
In the Brussels region, 18 640 fines have already been issued this year for motorists who drove into the Brussels Low-Emission Zone (LEZ) in a car that was too polluting. So reports Brussels Environment. The number of fines rose again compared to last year, despite a longer warning period. Most of the fines are for […]
December 21, 2022
In recent months, the Flemish public transport company De Lijn had to cancel many planned trips. The reason for it was a shortage of staff. After an intensive recruitment campaign focusing on the largest ‘problem areas’ (Antwerp, Louvain, and the Flemish part of Brussels), De Lijn recently recruited 657 drivers. However, next year, the company […]
December 20, 2022
Inchcape, the British car distributor that also imports Toyota, Lexus, and BYD in Belgium, has opened a second-hand car business to try to take a piece of the growing used car market. The company is called Bravoauto and has already opened a delivery center in Machelen, near Brussels Airport. The Belgian used car market has […]
December 20, 2022
The Walloon government has approved a draft decree to reform the taxi sector to open up the market and integrate innovations without deregulating the activity. The authorities aim to promote integrated mobility, treating the sector’s professionals fairly to guarantee quality and sustainable service, Walloon Mobility minister Philippe Henry (Ecolo) said. In principle, with this taxi […]
December 19, 2022
The idea of introducing a general speed limit of 100 km/hour on Walloon hhighhways and main roads has not been included in the Walloon government’s revised climate and energy plan (PACE, Plan Air Climate Énergie). Instead of a general speed limit of 100 km/hour, there will be ‘dynamic management’ of speed limits, says Walloon Mobility […]
December 19, 2022
From 2027 onward, citizens of the European Union will have to pay for the greenhouse gases they emit through their transport and the heating of their homes. On Saturday, negotiators from the European Parliament and the European Council, which represents the Member States, agreed on this. Climate goals This means that everyone within the European […]
December 19, 2022
The Walloon government has appointed Jean-Michel Soors as the new director general of Walloon public transport company TEC. Soors will start on 1 February 2023. Soors’ appointment follows a selection procedure launched in May 2022 to replace Vincent Perelman’s. The latter decided to explore other horizons. TEC Liège-Verviers Soors has a master’s degree in industrial […]
December 16, 2022
What turned out to be a significant trend in 2021 is now reconfirmed for 2022: electric cars are in nearly every segment and almost every European country at the same price level or cheaper than gasoline or diesel cars when considering the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). LeasePlan did the math again for 22 European […]
December 16, 2022
No diesel cars will be allowed in the low-emission zones (LEZ) of Antwerp and Ghent from 2031, the Flemish government decided this week. The newspaper De Morgen was the first to report that, and the deadline for gasoline cars in 2035, which will also be banned. Even plugin hybrid will no longer get free entry. […]
December 15, 2022
The Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) has launched several studies to analyze how traffic at the main junctions in Mechelen North and South on the E19 highway can be improved. A study team is considering reorganizing the successive entrances and exits. To this end, they would like to build parallel […]
December 15, 2022
On Wednesday, the Brussels pedestrian platform Walk kicked off an awareness campaign about the consequences of badly parked shared e-scooters and bikes lying everywhere on sidewalks. A stop was made at Brussels North station to present the demands to the Brussels Minister for Mobility, Elke Van den Brandt (Groen). Safe pavements In 2023, the Brussels […]
December 14, 2022
The French government has announced a 100-euros boost for motorists who join carpooling in 2023 for short and long journeys. After a first plan initiated in 2019 and the difficult corona years for carpooling, the government thus wants to boost this practice, which limits traffic jams and pollution. The 50 million euros dedicated to these […]
December 13, 2022
Battery-powered cars make up 20% of the Norwegian car fleet, according to the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association. The numbers have doubled over a period of less than three years, demonstrating how the incentives, though revised by the government, have successfully pushed EV adoption. The organization expects that the share will rise to 30% by 2025, […]
December 12, 2022
The impact of batteries on the environment and communities is set to significantly improve under a new law agreed by EU lawmakers on Friday. The European Union will impose battery producers tougher environmental standards. Batteries should become more environmentally friendly, easier to replace, and recyclable. The new law will apply to all types of batteries […]
December 12, 2022
From Wednesday night until 15 January, there will be no more parking or traffic fines issued in Belgium. This is what the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws writes, and it is confirmed by Carlo Meno of the National Syndicate of Police and Security Personnel (NSVP). Police unions are reaching for major resources in protest against the […]
December 09, 2022
Delhaize has ambitious plans: next year, the supermarket chain is to install 1 800 public fast-charging stations up to 150 kW for electric vehicles on the parking grounds of its stores. By providing such a large number of charging points – the largest in the retail sector – and making them accessible to everyone 24/7, […]
December 09, 2022
The registrations of new motorbikes and second-hand ones scored surprisingly well in November. Last month, 1 093 new motorbikes were registered, an increase of 25,3% compared to last year. However, not enough for a positive annual figure. Speed pedelecs, on the other hand, continue to peak. The annual total over the first eleven months is […]
December 08, 2022
The Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open Vld), is planning to distribute 10 000 additional saliva tests for police control. She wants to step up the fight against drug abuse in traffic. On the federal level, Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) earlier announced to make 100 000 of such tests available – […]
December 08, 2022
Brussels Airlines is expanding its fleet and offering in preparation for summer 2023. It is also creating more than 200 new jobs. The airline is thus adding five new Airbus A320 neo aircraft to its fleet, reducing its carbon footprint. Most of the additional jobs are flying personnel, some of whom are already being trained. […]
December 08, 2022
Flanders’ proactive approach to tackling unsafe traffic situations appears to be successful, and the first results are visible. Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) intends to use new technology to preventively improve traffic safety. Last year, Minister Peeters introduced the MIA approach, a new and inventive way to tackle unsafe traffic situations. MIA […]
December 07, 2022
The extensive e-shared network in the Antwerp region is as good as completed. Indeed, after Antwerp, the orange bikes of the Danish company Donkey Republic will be extended to the Waasland region in East Flanders. In this way, some 36 cities and municipalities are participating in the network today. According to Beveren Mayor Marc Van […]
December 06, 2022
For the first time since January, sales figures for the second-hand car market were positive in November, Traxio announced. Last month, 53 996 used cars were registered, 1,9% more than in 2021. Still, the second-hand market remains down -9,8%, with a cumulative loss of -64 261 vehicles compared to last year. Volkswagen is still the […]
December 06, 2022
Air France-KLM is to buy 800 000 tons of non-fossil Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) over ten years from TotalEnergies to meet its environmental objectives. The two companies signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding for this, starting in 2023. The fuel will be produced by TotalEnergies in its biorefineries and made available to Air France-KLM […]
December 06, 2022
Due to the energy crisis, electricity outages may be possible in some European cities this winter. In France, struggling with its supply as several nuclear plants are out of service, public transport considers all scenarios to avoid stranding passengers, including electricity cut-offs. Although the metro system will be spared a power cut this winter, trams […]
December 05, 2022
On Friday, Belgian’s railway company NMBS/SNCB board of directors approved the future management contract. It will now be submitted to the unions for their opinion, with the federal government expected to give the final go-ahead before the end of the year. Many details about the management contract are yet unknown. However, several broad outlines are […]
December 02, 2022
Belgian materials specialist Umicore and PowerCo, the battery company of German automotive giant Volkswagen, are to expand their partnership in battery materials. To this end, they are exploring a long-term strategic agreement to supply PowerCo’s future giant electric vehicle plant in North America. Umicore reports this in a press release. Umicore and PowerCo have also […]
December 02, 2022
Next year, Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works (Open Vld) will invest 2,3 billion euros in 815 projects. In all those projects, three keywords are involved: bicycle, safety, and sustainability. The largest part of the budget is destined for the Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) (€738 million) and the […]
December 02, 2022
Low-cost airline Ryanair has signed an agreement with Shell to supply more sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The oil and gas group will help make SAF more available to the Irish carrier’s fleet at 200 European airports. This mainly concerns Ryanair’s largest bases in Dublin and London Stansted. Ryanair has already partnered with Neste, the world’s […]
December 01, 2022
In Jette, in the north of Brussels, the regional agency parking.brussels has opened a new 50-space interchange car park on the grounds of the UZ Brussel. This P+R parking with access control is the first in Brussels under shared management. The Brussels-Capital Region now has eight car parks designated as Park & Rides: Erasmus, Coovi, […]
December 01, 2022
The BMW Group has decided to share its technological expertise with the world. BMW opts for an open-access approach and hopes to start a dialogue with potential partners. The initiative shows an approach that has never been implemented in the automotive industry before. Global trend research allows the company to draw conclusions about future technological […]
November 30, 2022
Thirty-five new speed camera posts will be installed on the capital’s roads next year. Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) has announced that. According to the minister, 30 poles have been ordered and received. The installation of 17 to 20 radars is planned for 2023 based on the new radar plan. For the […]
November 30, 2022
Applicants and young employees are still interested in a company car. That is what 68% of fleet and mobility managers confirmed in the new Company Car Report organized by Mobia, the mobility federation of Febiac, Traxio, and Renta. According to the questioned managers, 21% of youngsters have a neutral attitude toward the company car, and […]
November 29, 2022
Car dealers in the Netherlands saw their turnover rise by almost a quarter (24,3%) in the third quarter compared to the same period a year earlier. This was mainly due to price increases. Used cars were never so expensive before, reports the Dutch governmental statistics institute (CBS). A year ago, the turnover in the Netherlands’s […]
November 29, 2022
Owners of an electric car who cannot install a charging point at home and don’t have one nearby can ask for a public charging station in the immediate surroundings of their home. Since September, citizens with an electric vehicle can file such a request via an e-counter. In the meantime, 437 citizens or companies applied. […]
November 28, 2022
Federal Minister for Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) wants driving licenses in Belgium to be automatically and immediately revoked even at lower blood alcohol levels. Suppress newspapers report that. The figures for drink-driving in Belgium are still alarming: between January and October, there were 3 138 accidents on Belgian roads in which the driver had drunk […]
November 28, 2022
In 2021, the quality of bikeways along the Flemish regional roads was better than in 2019. As a result, not only has the infrastructure improved, but the comfort for cyclists increased. That is the conclusion of the Agency for Roads and Traffic’s latest bicycle report. The ART (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV) publishes a similar […]
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 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 […]
