Under study for several years, the introduction of a toll for traffic in the Belgian capital received a boost with the arrival of environmentalists in the regional government in July 2019. Their objective? Reduce car trips by 25% by 2030 in the Brussels region.
From 2022, you will have to pay to ride in the city
The recipe is simple: from 2022, any car owner will have to pay to use the streets of the city. In exchange, the annual road tax for Brussels residents is abolished, except for luxury cars.
The new charge will take into account the kilometers traveled, the pollution of the vehicle and the time of circulation. The price will then be calculated via a smartphone application which will associate this data with that collected. via cameras capable of reading registrations and therefore of capturing the time and distance traveled. For those who do not have a smartphone or who rarely use the streets of Brussels, a system of day passes is also planned.
Premature tax
By taxing use rather than property, we encourage drivers to consider alternative means of transportation
, said Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt. However, for its detractors, for lack of viable alternatives to the car, this tax is premature. According to data from the Belgian Mobility Observatory, more than 58% of the Brussels road network is dedicated to cars, compared to 2.5% to public transport and 2% to cyclists.
Particularly late, the region intends to invest to double bike trips by 2025. But for now, following confinement, Brussels has contented itself with tinkering with cycle paths “in a hurry”. Nothing is yet perpetuated. In addition, many Brussels residents complain of an inefficient tram, bus and metro network, with unreliable timetables and uneven service.
“I do not intend to let this project pass”
But the strongest resistance comes from neighboring Belgian regions who fear that the tax will penalize commuters. Every day, 400,000 Flemings and Walloons converge on the capital, often by car. Flanders has already adopted a resolution to block the measure by all possible legal means. I don’t intend to let this project go
, also said Willy Borsus, Walloon Minister of the Economy. To calm people down, the Brussels government has promised a consultation with the federal government and the regions. The new toll is therefore far from being acquired.
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