Brussels’ latest edition of Car Free Sunday went off without a hitch yesterday.
The weather was fine and many of the Belgian capital’s residents took to the streets to enjoy a variety of activities and workshops centred around alternative modes of transport.
“It was lovely to see the many inhabitants of Brussels enjoying the free space and the calm city,” said Brussels minister of mobility Elke Van den Brandt in a statement for The Brussels Times.
“Car Free Sunday shows the potential of the city with a fair distribution of public space. It encourages us to keep transforming Brussels into a city for people.”
Brussels organises a Car Free Sunday each year, where from 9:30 AM until 7:00 PM, motor vehicles are not allowed in the Brussels Region, including the City of Brussels.
The initiative is part of Mobility Week, which takes place in Brussels and all over Europe during the same period of 16 to 22 September.
The car-free region of Brussels is the largest one in Europe at around 160 square kilometres, according to Van den Brandt’s office.
Photos by Orlando Whitehead of The Brussels Times
Emergency services reported around 255 minor incidents, such as people falling from their bikes or steps, or other minor issues. Last year there were 212 and in 2019 there were 246.
There were no major incidents reported.
People can ask for exceptions to Car Free Sunday for professional or exceptional reasons. This year, around 16,000 exceptions were granted, more or less the same as last year.
