Will Schuman become a pedestrian zone?
The Brussels minister for mobility is aiming to renovate Schuman square.
What would the EU neighbourhood look like if there were no cars? While millions of cars pass through the district every week and month, making the air quality very bad, this situation might well soon change.
Pascal Smet, the Brussels minister for mobility, would like to make a part of Schuman square pedestrian-friendly. “Schuman is one of the most emblematic places in Brussels and in Belgium, a business card […]. It is also the deadest and ugliest square,” he said.
How would this change be brought about? First of all, Cortenbergh Avenue would only have two lanes (instead of three lanes, as it does today) for cars, and the third lane would be used only by buses. Then, Schuman square itself would only have two lanes, one towards Rue de la Loi and the other one only for buses. The extension of Rue de la Loi (between Schuman and Cinquantenaire) would be fully pedestrian, and no cars would be able to use the lanes at the end of Rue Froissart and Auderghem Avenue.
And finally, in the middle of the square, a massive canopy would be set up, which would be decorated with greenery.
The works for such a purpose would cost about €8 million. The different Brussels authorities would also coordinate with each other in order to make this project successful. However, the project would likely only be completed in several years’ time.
