Ixelles plans to reduce paid parking hours, with it ending after 7 pm instead of 9 pm in all red zones across the commune. The measure aims to support local businesses by reducing parking costs, thus encouraging evening visits to shops, cafes and restaurants.
Last Thursday, Ixelles approved several parking-related measures, including the reduction of paid parking hours. With new rules, the parking will be free after 6pm in blue and green zones, after 7 pm in red zones, but remain paid until 9pm in the grey zones of Ixelles.
The roll-out will not be immediate, as Parking.brussels, the parking agency for the Brussels-Capital Region, needs to update the parking meters. However, new hours already apply at rue du Bailli, Parvis de la Trinité, and rue du Tabellion, to support local shopkeepers affected by the STIB works in rue du Bailli.
Parking.brussels plans to fully implement the new hours not later than June 2026.
Ixelles parking map. Credit: Communue d’Ixelles
In addition, the commune will increase the number of professional parking cards for shops and businesses in Ixelles from one card to four. These cards allow you to park in the sector where the business is located, with the exception of the red zone. Ixelles' card for 'companies and the self-employed' costs 500 euros per year, with some additional cost depending on the vehicle's length.
This measure directly aims to reduce pressure on businesses. "Residents’ purchasing power has been under pressure for years due to high parking costs," said Gautier Calomne, First Alderman in charge of Economy and Trade. "With these measures, we are sending a clear signal: in Ixelles, we choose common sense, support for local shops and hospitality, and at the same time, a pleasant living environment for residents."
The commune also plans to improve the visibility of off-street car parks, for example, through elevated signage directing drivers towards existing off-street parking facilities, to encourage their use and reduce on-street parking pressure.
"At present, those parkings are not sufficiently visible. People often have no idea they are there," Carolina Sanchez, Head of Cabinet of Alderwoman in charge of Mobility & Parking, Valérie Libert told The Brussels Times. "We explore additional measures, including bicycle parking solutions, though these are still in progress."
Ixelles also intends to step up communication around visitors' parking cards, which are still "insufficiently known" according to the municipality.
These cards allow both residents and non-residents to benefit from 100 parking sessions per year at a preferential rate of €2.50 for 4.5 hours of parking in grey, blue and green zones. The system also becomes fully digital.
Finally, Ixelles announced that parking will be free across the entire commune, including red zones, on 24 December and 31 December from 1pm onwards.
