Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – 2 years after Antwerp’s 2023 parking policy, not all businesses are satisfied. UNIZO’s Axel Van den Enden says limited parking and few Shop & Go spots keep affecting smaller shops.
As VRT News reported, 2 years after Antwerp changed its parking rules in the old city centre, shopkeepers still feel mixed. The rules began on 1 August 2023. Most visitor parking on the streets inside the Leien stopped that day. Now, only locals and people with a permit can park there. Others must use car parks or park outside the centre and walk.
Many shops said customers stayed away. A study by the group UNIZO showed that almost half of the owners thought about stopping work in the area. A third said helping clients became harder. About one in eight saw customers stop coming.
The city reacted fast. It gave more jobs the right to a permit. It shared clearer information about the rules. It also added more short‑stay Shop & Go spots so people can stop quickly for things like food or medicine.
What impact do Antwerp’s parking rules still have on small shops?
By mid‑2025, the changes made by the city have eased some anger, but UNIZO still hears mixed views from shop owners. Big stores and many service workers say they can manage with the new rules now. Small shops that need quick visits, like sandwich bars and corner stores, still struggle. Some customers stay away because they cannot park close or do not know where to leave their car.
The Shop & Go spots help, but there are not enough. Shopkeepers want more on the side streets. The city says it will keep checking the rules and make changes if needed. 2 years later, the parking plan is still a balance between quiet streets and easy access for shops and their customers.
“There are businesses that experience relatively little inconvenience from the parking policy,” says Axel Van den Enden of UNIZO Antwerp.
Shop owners in Antwerp say the city’s strict parking rules are still causing problems 2 years after they began. Katrien Van den Eynden from UNIZO says more visitors leave their cars on the edge of Antwerp and spend the day there. She says shopkeepers also see another problem, some customers avoid the centre on purpose.
“Customers often follow the path of least resistance and shop elsewhere.”
Axel Van den Eynden, UNIZO Antwerp
Shop owners say the new parking rules cause trouble for them, too. Many cannot park near their shops. They leave their cars on the edge of town and must still pay for a space. This adds costs to their day. Even so, UNIZO is not fully against the plan.
The group says the city has made changes since 2023. Officials listened to shopkeepers and added more Shop & Go spots. They also gave more jobs the right to get a permit. UNIZO says this open talk has helped and kept the parking plan from causing more anger.
