The Brussels Region will receive a budget of €1.4 billion for mobility, Minister Elke Van den Brandt confirmed last week. ‘Brussels is changing,’ Van den Brandt said. ‘The Brussels government is investing in a greener city where people can travel more safely.’
The vast majority of that budget – €945 million – will go to Brussels public transport company STIB.The money will allow STIB to enhance accessibility. The frequency of metro lines 2 and 6 will be increased to one metro every two and a half minutes, while they currently run at a frequency of a metro every three minutes. In addition, the new M7 train will enter service, and reinforcements and extensions for the 55 and 82 tram lines are planned.
New bus lines will also be introduced between the Erasmus hospital and the commune of Uccle, and between the Forest-National event hall and Brussels’ central station.
A recent poll found that 75% of Brussels residents were in favour of the construction of a new metro line. Part of the 2021 mobility budget will also go to the addition of 251 hybrid buses, allowing STIB to have a 30% hybrid fleet.
‘The budget for road safety is also being increased,” she added, “and where we can, we are making public spaces better for soft mobility.’
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Other mobility news for Brussels this week:
The City of Brussels has approved a project proposed by the Region to redevelop the Schuman roundabout as a pedestrian square in the European quarter, following a public enquiry. The consultation commission of the City of Brussels gave the green light to the plans, which are intended to transform Schuman Square from a roundabout for car traffic into a meeting place over the coming years.
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A new cycling lane to connect Brussels to the sprawling fields of the Flemish Brabant is in the making, regional officials announced on Thursday. Flemish mobility officials said that the new lane, named Volle Gaas, will provide commuters in the western Flemish outskirts of Brussels with a ‘smooth’ and quick commute to the capital.
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