Several members of an action group named the "Tyre Extinguishers" once again deflated the tyres of dozens of SUVs as part of their battle against large vehicles in urban environments.
The group targeted cars in the vicinity of the Kinepolis cinema on Wednesday night. Ghent local received several reports but the total number of vehicles is not yet known, spokesperson Matto Langeraert told Belga News Agency.
The activists did not damage the tyres but released the air. Notes are usually left on the targeted vehicles, explaining the action to victims.
"We have deflated one or more of your tyres. Don't take it personally. You are not our target, it is your vehicle," the notes read. "We are doing this because driving a vehicle of this size in a city is harmful... You can get around without driving a tank – by walking, bike, or public transport."
The activist group targeted 41 SUVs in the Flagey neighbourhood in March 2023. They went on to carry out similar actions in Ghent in April and October last year.
Militantism vs legal actions
Heavier cars, such as Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) – the primary target of the militants, pose a much bigger risk both to people in smaller cars, as well as pedestrians and cyclists. In addition they are far more polluting than smaller vehicles and occupy more street space.
On Thursday, the group noted on social media that SUV sales are "out of control in the middle of a climate crisis", adding that people must help "make these death machines unusable in urban areas".
The group maintains that "Deflating tyres and encouraging others to do the same will turn the minor inconvenience of a flat tyre into a giant obstacle for driving massive killer vehicles around our streets."
All the same, their actions are illegal and perpetrators risk fines if caught. A more legal course of action against large vehicles has taken place in Paris, where residents voted for a new regulation against these cars on 4 February.
The new law will make parking fees three times more expensive for large, heavy vehicles such as SUVs. This will require owners of heavy cars to pay €18 an hour to park in the central arrondissements of Paris. The city aims to implement the new tariff from 1 September 2024.
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The Brussels-based NGO Les chercheurs d'air, stressed that the Belgian capital must follow Paris's example by introducing higher parking charges for these vehicles "to reduce the number of them on our streets".
Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) confirmed to The Brussels Times that the region is in the process of carrying out a study to identify possible scenarios for combatting the growth in the number of cars and pick-ups with a range of measures, from taxing cars by weight or volume, to increasing parking charges, to an outright ban.
