Search form

menu menu
  • Daily & Weekly newsletters
  • Buy & download The Bulletin
  • Comment on our articles

Trial phase of Brussels road fee project begins today

10:32 17/02/2014

Starting today, more than 1,000 drivers begin participating in the trial phase of a kilometre tax for vehicles in the Brussels Regional Express Network Zone (Gewestelijk Expresnet or GEN zone in Dutch), the 30km zone in and around Brussels where a rapid public transit system is being built.

The purpose of the trial period is to test the extent to which a kilometre tax will impact road users’ driving habits and its effect on their monthly incomes.

For Johan De Mol, transport expert from the University of Ghent, “an intelligently implemented kilometre tax can have a major affect on road traffic in Brussels, but other transport factors need to be taken into account. For example, the frequency of public transport will need to increase exponentially. This is possible if the profits from the tax are properly reinvested into the system.”

He believes the research project will prove successful, but that more technology will be needed for a succesful long-term implementation. “Licence plate recognition software will be needed in the future to prevent fraud,” he says. “It would also be to good to adjust the tax according to the car and how much it pollutes.”

The results of the trial phase are expected in mid-2014. The decision for a definitive implementation of kilometre tax will then be the first task for the new governmental administration following summer 2014 elections.

Photo by Flickr/reinholdbehringer

Written by Kelly Hendricks

Comments

Dominik

Seeing that finally something is being done to battle the congestion and air pollution in Brussels gives me hope. A flexible fee based on kilometers driven, location, time of day, and perhaps even vehicle type is the most intelligent and fairest approach I've seen so far. I really hope they pull it off.

Can't really understand the petition that's going on to stop the project. Why would you sign that? Apparently 170,000 people prefer to be stuck in traffic and breathe toxic fumes to keep their wallets a little thicker.

Feb 18, 2014 10:14