Greatest challenges faced by Belgian commuters
By: Step Mobility
Tags: Mobility, Transportation, Belgium, Eco Friendly

And how we can solve them together.

The average commuter in Belgium spends almost an hour stuck in traffic daily, with one in five Belgians spending twice that time navigating through the streets. Considering that over 60% of Belgians drive to work, it’s not unsurprising that the country that boasts the Headquarters of the European Parliament, unfortunately also tops the charts in traffic congestion year on year in Europe — Brussels and Antwerp leading the list across all cities in European Union.

The Brussels government has set itself steep targets of cutting down the car traffic by 20%. Individuals and corporations will need to play a defining part, if Brussels is to clear its roads of traffic congestion. With initiatives, such as Slim Naar Antwerpen and Good Move Brussels, the government has shown intent to address the problem head-on. Today, we take a look at the main challenges faced by Belgian commuters and what we can do to help the government in tackling these challenges.

Challenge #1: The cars in front of me do not move!

We all have heard it before — maybe thrown a tantrum while we sat behind the steering — there are so many cars in front of me! Look at this haunted traffic! If you commute in Belgium and travel short distances to work and back by car, you are — no offense — part of the problem. All travel distances less than 8 km, defined as micro-mobility, consist of more than 50% of all trips made in the EU and thus contribute the most to traffic nuisance and air pollution. With a host of mobility options available across Belgium, it is perhaps the time to ditch your car and take the tram, the bus, a bike, an e-scooter. Which brings me to the next challenge…

Challenge #2: My company insists to give me a car, how can I say no?

I just literally got handed this beautiful looking car from my company. I have to accept it, right? Wrong! Belgian companies have been notorious in the past in handing out cars, rather than a raise or a bonus, in order to escape from paying higher taxes (over 50% of new cars on the road are company cars). Yet, as companies get more responsible and start offering alternate mobility solutions, such as Mobility Allowance (or Cash for Car), employees need to start adopting them. As of March 2019, the government passed the legislation on the ‘Mobility Budget’ as an alternative to company cars, which can be used by eligible employees to get more environmentally-friendly commuting options — such as eco-friendly cars and other sustainable modes of transportation (fully untaxed), including a large host of new generation mobility options — or can be exchanged for cash.

The ball is in our court now to trade our company car for better, more sustainable options!

Company cars contribute to almost 15% of all cars on Belgian roads

Challenge #3: Public transport in Brussels sucks!

Fair enough. Your bus may not come on time, or even sometimes may not come at all. You might be stuck inside a metro, because the line is disrupted for some reason. Your train is late by 15 minutes every single day. Rather than complaining, take matters in your own hands — speak to your local representative, carpool to work, use a free-floating (Dott / Lime / …) e-scooter, get a Swapfiets or rent a STEP e-scooter. There are hundreds of startups trying to fight this problem and to push Belgium into a new age of mobility, with help of the government. Companies are increasingly allocating mobility budgets to their employees with the intention of providing a freedom of mobility and saving time and effort in that process. If you are one of those thousands who spend more than 80 hours a year in traffic (and are probably reading this on your mobile phone while waiting in the traffic right now), it is time to embrace these new solutions, and respectfully bid adieu to your car that clutters up this beautiful country.

Want to know more about how you can choose more eco-friendly mobility options like rental e-scooters? Please send in an email to info@ridestep.co or head on down to www.ridestep.co.