Parking spaces reserved for private companies to be cut

As of 1 July, private operators of public car parks in Brussels will be required to remove parking spaces reserved for private companies.

Brussels Environment has made this decision, whose ultimate aim is to reduce the frequency of traffic jams in Belgium’s capital. Don’t you see the point?

Everyday, about 200,000 employees enter Brussels by car to go to work. Though this is not the only reason for the city’s traffic jams, it is definitely a leading cause of them. To address this problem, Brussels Environment wants parking spaces reserved for private companies in public car parks to disappear.

Since local rules require that parking operators renew their licence every 15 years, every new licence will now only be granted if this condition is met. Thus, operators will only have two options going forward: either they must make those spaces previously reserved for private companies accessible to anyone, or they must render the entire car park a “business car park”, in which private companies will only be able to reserve parking spaces at higher than current prices (because of increased taxes).

“This is one of the remarkable measures the Region has taken in order to fight against traffic jams in Brussels and to support mobility,” Pauline Lorbat, spokesperson for Brussels Environment, explained to Belga.

Brussels Environment’s ultimate goal is to encourage the use of public transportation, bikes, scooters etc. Although this might sound a bit problematic to those who are not used to going to work without a car, such measures are, arguably, necessary to reduce the frequency of traffic jams in Belgium’s capital.