Residents of Neder-Over-Heembeek are being asked to share their opinions about a new tram that will connect the northern part of the City of Brussels municipality to the centre.
As part of efforts to better include residents in decision-making processes, the City of Brussels municipality has provided an online survey about the new tram for residents of Neder-Over-Heembeekof to fill out.
In addition, employees of the municipality have been interviewing residents of the area about their opinions regarding the new tram over the last two weeks.
400 people have already completed the survey, while 70 people have been interviewed.
"Heembeek has grown a lot in recent years," said alderman of mobility and public works, Bart Dhondt to HLN.
"Public transport has not followed [the growth] and the bus lines there are over-subscribed. New lines are being added to the STIB bus plan, but that will not be sufficient. That is why we want to bring the tram," Dhondt explained.
In addition to the survey and interviews, eight residents of the municipality have been chosen to sit on a consultation committee for the project.
"By taking into account what citizens think and involving them, we are trying to make the decision more from the bottom up," explained Dhondt.
“Do people want to be in the centre quicker, what is the importance of comfort and where do residents want to see the tram running? These are the questions we are trying to answer,” Dhondt added.
Residents of Neder-Over-Heembeek can participate in the study until 3 November.
A decision is expected to be taken about the new route early in 2020.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
