Brussels plans to ban scooters on New Year’s Eve

Brussels is preparing to ban the use of shared and private scooters on New Year's Eve and part of New Year's Day, hoping to cut down on accidents and violence.

New Year’s Eve is marked by significant disturbances to public order each year and acts of delinquency are on the rise in several Brussels neighbourhoods.

Last year, dozens of incidents were recorded and the police made 159 arrests.

“In recent years, scooters have sometimes been set on fire or used as obstacles against the emergency services,” said minister-president Rudi Vervoort (PS).

“Additionally, the large crowds in public spaces, combined with heavy alcohol consumption and drugs, increase the already significant risks associated with electric scooters.”

In explaining his reasoning for the ban, Vervoort pointed to the higher probability of serious accidents and trauma leading to the saturation of emergency services. ‘

The ban would begin on 31 December 2025 at an as-yet unannounced time before being lifted the following day, again at a time yet to be determined.

As part of the region-wide ban on scooter use, shared scooter operators will have to remove their scooters from certain public roads (drop zones), not only in hotspots for drug trafficking but also in other neighbourhoods. ‘

Vervoort said discussions had been held with the capital’s two scooter operators to take into account their technical constraints and the 19 mayors of Brussels have been asked to inform the region of the areas in which they would like the ban to take effect.

Some areas already under serious consideration are the hotspot between Porte de Namur and Place de la Tulipe in Ixelles and Place Flagey and its surroundings. In Anderlecht, the whole of Cureghem is being discussed and in Schaerbeek, the places under consideration are Place Liedts, Place Gaucheret and Place Verboekhoven.

“We will see what is technically possible, because everyone is coming up with their own list of requirements,” said Vervoort, noting that any measure must be able to stand up to the scrutiny of Belgium’s Council of State in terms of being proportionate and constitutionally sound.

Crime involving scooters in Brussels has been discussed at length outside the specific context of New Year’s festivities.

According to Brussels public prosecutor Julien Moinil, for several months now, scooters have become a frequent means of transport for the sale and trafficking of drugs in the capital, as well as by perpetrators of shootings.

One new measure put into force on 3 December requires scooter users to identify themselves by scanning their official identity card and taking a photo of themselves.