The Forest National concert hall in Brussels will see the addition of an ‘event zone’ in the area around the building venue, where parking costs will see a significant increase.
Pushed for by the Brussels municipality of Forst (Vorst), the new zone will be active from 1 November 2019. Parking within it will cost users €5 per hour with 4.5 hours being set as the maximum amount of time a car can be parked.
Residents with a parking permit will be exempt from the costs of the zone, as will residents’ visitors who will be able to apply for a temporary permit, reports New Mobility.
The move - which is intended to encourage concert-goers to use public transport - will be tested for one year at which point it will be evaluated.
This development comes as more and more European cities, especially capitals, are increasing the costs of parking cars in busy locations in an effort to improve traffic congestion.
In recent months, concert venues in Brussels have seen the addition of increased public transport routes, using shuttles and trains, during large concerts such as those of Rammstein and Metallica, in similar efforts to encourage concert-goers to use public rather than private transport.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
