Koekelberg (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Koekelberg installed nudge30 traffic islands near Comenius Primary School in 2025. The project was led by Johanna.be, reduced speeding for nearly 1,000 students, says Alderman Dirk Lagast.
As VRT News reported, Koekelberg, the northwestern part of Brussels, Belgium, has installed new traffic islands near Comenius Primary School to improve road safety. They mentioned that Felix Vande Sandestraat is crowded on school days, with nearly 1,000 students attending classes. Despite many children walking in the area, cars often speed along the street.
To address the problem, the municipality participated in a test project featuring nudge30 traffic islands, designed by the non-profit organisation Johanna.be. The islands automatically slow down cars using visual and structural cues.
“The results are really good,”
says Alderman for Mobility Dirk Lagast (Liste du Bourgmestre).
“The average speed on the street has decreased. The number of speeding violations has also decreased significantly.”
What impact do Nudge30 traffic Islands have on safety near Comenius school?
Comenius Primary School reports that children can now cross streets more safely. Residents say there is less racing and reckless driving in the area. Cities use various traffic calming tools, such as speed bumps, chicanes, and Berlin cushions, to slow down vehicles.
Lagast says new nudge30 traffic islands are less disruptive for residents.
“When cars drive over a Berlin cushion, it causes vibrations,”
he explains.
“That can be annoying for people living nearby.”
The traffic islands are also under consideration for wider use in Brussels. Outgoing Minister of Mobility, Elke Van den Brandt (Green), said she will study whether they can be installed on other streets, including regional roads.
She noted the islands are cheap and easy to install. If used across the city, the traffic islands could protect pedestrians, reduce speeding, and keep traffic flowing safely while remaining cost-effective.
“The cars have to come to a near stop, which means they have to accelerate again afterwards,“
says Lagast.
“That’s also disruptive for those who live near the traffic calming device.”
In early 2025, the Brussels district of Koekelberg launched a pilot project to improve road safety near Comenius Primary School by installing nudge30 traffic islands. It was Founded in 2003, Johanna.be has a long record of promoting pedestrian-friendly streets and previously supported the “City 30” initiative, which lowers speed limits to 30 km/h in urban areas.
