The Brussels-Capital Region is looking to improve one of its key roads, Avenue Louise, by completely redesigning it with a greater focus on pedestrians and cyclists rather than cars.
The street is one of the capital's main cultural and commercial axes as it is home to hundreds of shops, art galleries, hotels, bars and historic buildings dating back to the Belle Epoque, but it is also an important traffic artery in Brussels. However, experts say it is currently failing at both – it is not enjoyable to walk along for pedestrians, is impossible to navigate as a cyclist and is regularly clogged up with cars.
"Today, Avenue Louise serves mainly as a conduit for car traffic," Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt said. "We want to restore the historic mistake of the 1950s and 1960s and make Avenue Louise a liveable and pleasant place again: greener, safer, quieter."
Avenue Louise as it exists now provides more space for cars than vulnerable road users. Credit: Brussels Mobility
As part of this process, all modes of transport will be taken into account, mainly through a pedestrian boulevard and special attention to cyclists and public transport. The region hopes to get rid of the tunnel mouths, and ensure the bicycle streets that are currently in place can actually make cycling more enjoyable, by enforcing these with traffic filters and greenery.
Future for Louise
A strategic feasibility study on the redevelopment of the avenue will be launched this autumn for this purpose, the Brussels Mobility Authority reported on Tuesday.
A consultancy specialising in mobility will work to develop that strategic vision together with the municipalities concerned and with relevant bodies such as the police, STIB, the Brussels Fire Brigade, Bruxelles Environnement, Net Brussels, URBAN, the Master Builder, etc. Several guidance committees and technical meetings are planned.
Brussels Mobility explained that, once the strategic guidelines for Avenue Louise have been determined, work can begin on a more detailed redevelopment study, in which local residents and traders will also be involved.
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The new plan will also work to revive the avenue's "monumental character" and its "role as an important green promenade between the Brussels Pentagon and the Bois de la Cambre."
"Whether you come there by public transport, by bike or by car: the mission of the study is to make this avenue accessible to everyone, whether you live in Brussels or are visiting it," said Brussels Mayor Philippe Close.
