Ring extension will expose one million to pollution risk

Plans by the Flemish government to increase the capacity of the Brussels Ring will expose almost one million people to an increased risk of health problems caused by fine particulates, according to the Flemish environmental organisation Bond Beter Leefmilieu (BBL).

BBL, according to a press release, studied the Flemish government's environmental effect report for the Ring extension, and together with the norms set out by the World Health Organisation, calculated that 967,525 people would be at risk on an increased exposure to the ultra-fine particulates known as PM2.5 – among them 200,000 children under 18.

“We can only conclude that the Flemish government was not concerned by air pollution and the health of its people when it made the decision to broaden the Ring, just so long as traffic flows faster,” BBL spokesman Erik Grietens said. Fine particulates have been blamed for low birth-weight babies and for asthma in children. Particulate pollution also aggravates existing respiratory problems.

As reported here previously, the Flemish government plans to increase the width of the Ring by two or three lanes, along a stretch of the road between Zaventem and the Vilvoorde viaduct. The plan is to use the extra lanes to split through traffic off from local traffic, helping both streams to flow more easily. The plans are opposed by Greens in Flanders, and by most of the Brussels government.