Brussels (Brussels Morning) Brussels Minister of Mobility, Elke Van Den Brandt (Groen), has announced the implementation of a new decision: on the last section of the A12 and R21, between the Heysel and the Van Praet bridge, the Brussels Region will soon reduce the space allocated to cars to create a green promenade. However, everyone knows very well that this section is one of the main access routes to the north and therefore from Flanders.
The Minister, therefore, intends to reduce the number of traffic lanes on this 3 km long section: it will go from three lanes to one, which will create a funnel effect. To get out of town, nothing will change. Two traffic lanes will therefore always be available.
Speed limit to be reduced to 50 km/h
Currently, traffic from the crossroads of the Brussels ring road to the Atomium is still at 120 km/h. But here too, the authorities have an opinion and they believe that the speed is too high. From now on, the limit on this last section will be reduced successively to 90 km/h, then to 50 km / h. According to decision-makers, these changes will also free up space for buses, a new tram line to the center, cycle paths and a footpath. The mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close (PS) has driven the point of this policy by explaining that “the nuisances due to the automobile traffic must be reduced and public space must be returned to residents.”
Commuters will have to find an alternative
One can wonder how the thousands of commuters who go to Brussels every day to work via the A12 will respond. For Elke Van den Brandt, “those who have no alternative can still get to the city by car via the A12, but the Brussels Region wants to encourage these people to look for alternatives to the car or to leave it on the road in a parking area on the outskirts of town ”.
The permit for the project to modify this section of the A12 has already been filed and, after a public inquiry, the Brussels Region hopes that work can begin next year for completion scheduled for 2024. The objective is that the inhabitants of Brussels can benefit from more green spaces in the immediate environment. Those wishing to travel to Brussels from another part of the country should do so preferably by public transport.
