Knokke-Heist (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Knokke-Heist has changed its traffic plan after an early closure caused traffic jams. Now, closures depend on traffic at the turbo roundabout. Mayor Cathy Coudyser confirms it’s still developing. 900+ extra parking spots added.
As VRT news reported, the city of Knokke-Heist had a plan to close the city centre on hot days to stop traffic jams caused by lots of visitors. But when they tried this last Thursday, July 12, 2025, it backfired and caused a traffic jam.
Now, the police are changing their approach. Instead of closing the centre ahead of time, they’ll watch the traffic at the turbo roundabout near the fire department. If traffic starts to get too crowded there, they’ll redirect cars and only close access to the city centre when needed.
They mentioned that this new method gives them more flexibility, so the centre can stay open for as long as possible. They said that Lippenslaan, a busy road in the centre, will now stay open on warm days, which should help traffic move more smoothly through the area.
“The plan wasn’t perfect in the first few days, we admit that,”
says Mayor Cathy Coudyser (N-VA).
“It is also a procedure that is still in development.”
What is Knokke-Heist doing to manage heat and crowds?
To handle the large number of visitors on hot days, the city has created more parking areas near the station, calling them “beach car parks.” One spot is the underground car park under the Albert Heijn supermarket, which has 350 parking spaces and is located near the beach. Another parking area is accessible via Knokkestraat and Jeugdherbergstraat, offering space for an additional 250 cars.
Officials mentioned that if more parking is needed, a nearby meadow has been opened as an overflow area, capable of holding an extra 300 vehicles. They said that the aim is to encourage visitors to park slightly outside the city centre.
This weekend, the coastal town expects a large number of visitors due to the warm weather. And, in addition, many young people just finishing their examinations are likely to attend to celebrate. The local government wants to ensure that all are aware that they are welcome – they are not excluding anyone from the town centre.
They’ve responded to social media rumours that certain groups might be treated differently, saying those claims are not true. The town wants to be a fun and safe place for everyone, and they will take action against anyone who causes trouble to keep it that way for both locals and visitors.
In Ostend, the city is getting ready for a lot of people. They’ll watch how many people are coming and might close the Kennedy roundabout if traffic gets too bad. This is to stop traffic jams in the city centre. Even if the roundabout is closed, people can still get to other areas like Vuurtorenwijk and Mariakerke.
The city wants people to use public transport to avoid traffic. If people drive, they suggest parking outside the busy areas, like at the station, Mariakerke, or Oosteroever, to make it easier to get around.
