By FrankyDeMeyer / Getty Images
In 2022 Brussels implemented the Good Move traffic plan, which promotes walking, cycling and the use of public transport, and the program is already beginning to bear fruit, according to the first figures published by the city.
In 2022 Brussels implemented the Good Move traffic plan, which promotes walking, cycling and the use of public transport, and the program is already beginning to bear fruit, according to the first figures published by the city.
Following the launch of the Good Move traffic plan, car traffic in Brussels' hypercentre has fallen by 19%, while at the same time the number of cyclists has risen by 18%. More specifically, the first statistics generated from the project in November 2022, just three months after the launch of the plan, already show that fewer cars are driving in the city than a year earlier. Inside the Pentagon area, Brussels' historical city center, car traffic has decreased by 19.2%. On the inner ring road, Small Ring Road, it is down 16%..
Another positive element to emerge is that more people are choosing to travel by bicycle. An increase of 23% during the morning rush hour and 13% more during the evening rush hour was observed on average at all counting points. Nearly 15% of Brussels residents now cycle to work, according to a study by Acerta, a human resources services company. Nearly one in two Brussels residents (46%) also use public transport to get to work.
The Good Move plan was developed with the goal of making certain neighborhoods more livable by reducing all or most of automobile traffic. To do this, the plan limits car traffic in several parts of the city center, favoring public transportation and the use of soft mobility (walking, biking, stand-up scooters, etc.). The city council's goal is to reduce car traffic by 24% in the capital by 2030, a goal likely to be reached, judging by initial feedback.
Other major European cities have also launched their own bicycle plans, with similar objectives. Examples include Madrid, Milan, Oslo, Copenhagen and Ljubljana.
