Last month was the worst May month in terms of traffic jams since records began in 2011, ranking third among the months with the heaviest congestion ever, according to Statistics Flanders, based on figures from the Flemish Traffic Centre.
May 2023 clocked in at a traffic jam average of 1,078 kilometre hours: this figure combines the jam length with congestion duration, and is expressed in kilometre hours. One hundred kilometre hours, for example, is the equivalent of 100 kilometres of traffic jam for one hour, or 200 kilometres of traffic jam for half an hour.
This makes May 2023 the busiest May month ever, and even the third heaviest in absolute terms across all months and years measured.
In first place are the months of June 2019 (1,107 kilometre hours) and October 2021 (1,079 kilometre hours). The traffic centre has only had reliable measurements since 2011. While the first structural traffic jams in Belgium occurred in 1986, they were certainly not as long as those in 2011.
Related News
- Police to carry out extra alcohol and drug tests on Belgian roads this weekend
- Driving distracted: Those caught using a phone now face 15-day ban
It is becoming increasingly clear that the pandemic period, when there were far fewer traffic jams due to most people working from home, was really just an interlude. The trend since 2011 has been a year-on-year increase in congestion, and this is now simply continuing.
Teleworking does not significantly reduce traffic jams because commuting only accounts for a quarter of all trips. Recreational and freight traffic continues to rise. The Federal Planning Bureau calculated two years ago that continuing to telework as during the Covid-19 lockdowns would eliminate only 1.6% of transport demand by 2040.
An important factor for congestion in Belgium is also the company or salary car. According to HR service provider Acerta, 23% of white-collar workers in Belgium already have a company car and now, due to the tightness in the labour market, its popularity is increasing even more.
