Member(s) of Government responsible for this response
Elke Van den Brandt
Minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Mobility, Public works and Road Safety
Ans Persoons
Secretary of State of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Urbanism and heritage, European and international relations, Foreign trade and Fire fighting and emergency medical assistance
Response
This proposal is in line with existing
measures or upcoming legislation.
Explanation in the area of mobility
This proposal is fully in line with the regional Mobility Plan ‘Good Move’, which aims, through more than 50 different actions, to improve the livability of Brussels by significantly reducing individual car use by 2030. Good Move’s ambition is to discourage the ownership and use of individual vehicles or commercial vehicles for own-account transport to avoid systematic car use and to keep public space free of long-term parking. In addition to the development and integration of travel modes and services alternative to the use of the private car (and developed under the other actions of the plan), it is necessary to create and activate various economic and fiscal instruments that modulate charging according to the use of the vehicle. This tax reform should enable better use of cars while ensuring that this does not have negative social consequences in particular for Brussels residents. Appropriate accompanying measures must be identified
More info and a summary of the plan can be found here: http://goodmove.brussels/
To comment briefly on the various sub-proposals…
Offer a subsidy to regular users of public transport and people who cycle or walk to work:
- This is a federal competence (linked to salary benefits, contribution to public transport costs, bicycle allowances, etc.), but the Brussels-Capital Region also supports families who want to give up their car through the Brussell’Air premium: https://leefmilieu.brussels/burgers/diensten-en-aanvragen/premies-en-financiele-steun/brusselair-premie
Making company parking spaces rarer and more expensive (e.g. via a new tax on parking spaces):
- The COBRACE/BWLKE (Brussels Code of Air, Climate and Energy Control) already regulates operating conditions for car parks in this way.
Ending the tax advantage for company cars:
- This is a federal competence, but the Brussels Government has repeatedly asked the federal government to (gradually) end this system.
Introduce a city toll (e.g. a tax at the entrance to Brussels or per kilometre driven in the city):
- Under study through the Smartmove project, see https://smartmove.brussels.
Offer a single ticket for all forms of public transport:
- Recently introduced in 2021 across Brupass and BruPass XL zones, development of a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) app underway by STIB, scheduled for launch in 2023.
Creation of a single information platform for connections:
- Development of a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) app by STIB, scheduled for launch in 2023. Data also available through STIB and in opendata.
Coordinate with Flanders and Wallonia to connect the cycle highways to the centre of Brussels:
- Close interregional consultation on cycle routes was strengthened, through bilateral meetings depending on the project, but especially through the cycling-GEN steering group (with the three Regions, the province of Brabant-Flanders, Beliris, etc.), which meets at least three times a year to consult, identify bottlenecks and enable coordinated cooperation. In 2020, we also concluded a cooperation agreement between Brussels Mobility (Brussels administration) and De Werkvennootschap (Flemish administration) to facilitate the construction of cycling links between the regions. A first project for a cycle highway was recently completed along the E40 motorway, between the regional border and the Avenue des Communes, and several other projects are currently being implemented.
Increase the number of S-trains in and around Brussels:
- This is a federal responsibility, but there is already consultation through a management committee and gradual improvement (opening new stations and increasing frequency and range). After lobbying by the Brussels Capital Region and intensive consultation, SNCB recently presented its new 2023-2026 transport plan with strong ambitions for the Brussels Region, see the presentation here: https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/about-sncb/en-route-vers-mieux/transport-plan
Finalise the RER project:
- See previous point
Create more pedestrian zones and quieter neighbourhoods.
- Ongoing, in collaboration with municipalities, notably through the implementation of car-free neighbourhoods (measure A2 of the regional mobility plan ‘Good Move’), see website: https://lowtrafficneighbourhoods.brussels
Explanation in the area of urban development
Today, public space is saturated by cars, with traffic and parking at the expense of other functions, and the function of using public space is very limited. This situation needs to be rectified.
As part of the reform of the Regional Urban Planning Ordinance and the preparation of the Handbook for Public Space Projects in Brussels, the aim is to increase the social value of open spaces, accessible to all (age, gender, disadvantaged communities) with a view to preventing ill health, promoting healthy lifestyles and community resilience. On the other hand, the aim is to rebalance the distribution of public space between different active transport modes, public transport and environmental functions and create public spaces suitable for travel by active transport modes that are safe, comfortable and uninterrupted. Parking in front of listed buildings open to the public will be abolished.
The proposal put forward at first reading as part of the reform of the Regional Urban Planning Ordinance proposes, with the exception of shared spaces (meeting areas, bike lanes, etc.), to allocate no more than 50 % of public open space for use by private cars, thus contributing to the regional goal of reducing the number of on-street parking spaces to less than 200,000.