The city of Leuven in Belgium is setting an example for other mid-sized European cities with its policy of promoting sustainable mobility in the city center. Now, pedestrians, bicycles and kick scooters have replaced cars in nearly 75% of city center streets.
Leuven is a medium-sized city with just over 100,000 inhabitants, located in Flanders. A university town, also and above all known for its breweries, Leuven is now setting an example for other municipalities looking to cut down on cars in the city center, in favor of pedestrians and cyclists.
Indeed, for four years now, Leuven has been organizing infrastructure around the idea of giving space to cyclists in the city center -- so much so that 75% of it is now reserved for bikes. There are zones where cyclists and pedestrians take priority, and where cyclists can ride two abreast, preventing them from being overtaken by cars, which must stick to a 30 km/h speed limit.
A large influx of new residents, accompanied by fears of traffic congestion and increased pollution, helped spur this policy, and the city's mobility plan has seen proven results.
The public mobility offer now includes bicycles, as well as self-service electric kick scooters. An autonomous shuttle bus was even tested this year as part of a specific route between a train station and the Einstein science park. To encourage cycling in the city, Leuven has also invested heavily in new bicycle paths and underground parking facilities. These should soon be able to accommodate up to 4,000 bicycles.
And cyclists aren't the only users benefitting from this mobility plan, as pedestrians can also enjoy an expanded pedestrian zone covering a large part of the city center.
