A collective of pedestrians living in the Brussels municipality of Uccle is fighting illegal parking by putting humorous stickers on the rear windows of cars parked on the pavement – hindering people wanting to walk or cycle safely.
The collective, named 'Le Piéton Ucclois en a Marre' ('The Uccle Pedestrians Are Tired of It'), wants to humorously denounce the anti-social behaviour of certain motorists who park on the municipality's pavements. They have put up stickers bearing the slogan "Don't be a Putin. Don't annex the pavement."
"These violations have consequences for pedestrians: they make pavements inaccessible, especially for parents with prams, people in wheelchairs and the elderly. These vulnerable users are then forced onto the road, exposing them to the dangers of traffic," the collective said in a press release on Wednesday.
Endangering pedestrians
Members of the collective have repeatedly tried to raise the issue with the police. However, the Uccle/Watermael-Boitsfort/Auderghem police zone replied that the mayor of Uccle, Boris Dilliès (MR), prohibits the police from penalising cars that park on the pavement. "No wonder that only 20 fines per day were issued for illegal parking in this police zone in 2023."
Given the lack of action by the police, the collective decided to take more action by counting the number of cars parked on the pavement on 10 February 2025. "On a single day, we were able to count as many as 618 badly parked cars on some of Uccle's streets," said Jean.
The collective stressed that Dilliès is not just the mayor of Uccle but also the chief of police in the zone. They consider him responsible for the insecurity that is created by badly-parked cars, "because he deliberately chooses to tolerate a phenomenon that endangers pedestrians."
Therefore, they demand that Dilliès immediately take the "necessary measures to protect pavements, enforce traffic rules and give the police the order and proper resources to properly carry out their missions."
Credit: Heroes for Zero
Contacted by The Brussels Times, Dilliès denied the claim that he would ask his police not to punish illegal parking, calling it "a load of nonsense." As a mayor, he can in no way issue negative injunctions to the police. "I do not know the exact figures by heart, but we very regularly issue tickets for badly parked cars. And motorists are not happy about it. The police do their job and they do it well."
Dilliès said he is being attacked in a "stupid, idiotic and cowardly" way. "The implication is that, given my political colour, I would not tackle issues with motorists." His party, MR, has actively come out against numerous measures of the 'Good Move' plan to make Brussels streets safer and more pedestrian-friendly.
"It is a caricature. Why else would I fight against e-scooters abandoned anywhere? That is to defend the comfort and safety of pedestrians," he said. "But then I am apparently supporting people who park anywhere? It is preposterous."
