It’s been a year since the regional mobility and transport plan for the Brussels-Capital Region, also known as Good Move, has been introduced and the efforts are paying off. Bart Dhondt, the city’s councillor responsible for mobility, speaks of a “spectacular move” when talking about the numbers. With the number of cars in Brussels city centre dropping by 27% and the number of cyclists increasing by 36%, there’s definitely talk of a radical change over the span of just one year.
The numbers compare traffic on 8 November 2022 and 23 June 2023 on multiple locations within Brussels, with the registrations taking place on peak travel times. The percentages represent an average between the cars within the centre itself and on the inner ring road, with the traffic in the centre decreasing by 30% since the last counting and the number of cars on the inner ring road decreasing by 20%. And despite the introduction of Good Move, those ho still take the car don’t have to worry because the travel times remain more or less unchanged.
Thanks to the Good Move traffic plan and changes in travel habits, public space is being freed up in the city centre.
Bart Dhondt, Brussels city rcouncillor responsible for mobility, told Belga
“Many places are becoming quieter, safer and more pleasant. As a result, the city is already able to redesign public space with more greenery and more comfort for pedestrians and cyclists. This will make Brussels an even nicer place to be.”
Because thanks to to the decrease in the number of cars, the average number of cyclists within the Brussels-Capital Region has increased by no less than 36%. It thus seems like Good Move, by decreasing car traffic and putting effort into urban development and a better public road organisation, has already been able to set a positive tendency in motion after its first year.
What is Good Move?
Good Move is the mobility plan of the Brussels Capital Region. The plan aims to continue the evolution towards more pleasant and accessible cities.
More and more cities are focusing on quality of life. It is an international evolution that has also been noticeable in Brussels for some time, for example through the introduction of 30 km/h zones and pedestrian zones.
