Concrete proposals to revise the Brussels 'Good Move' mobility plan in the municipality of Schaerbeek will be made by mid-2026, announced city councillor for mobility Justine Harzé (PS) on Thursday evening.
The 'Good Move' plan was rolled out in summer 2022 and aimed to make Brussels neighbourhoods largely car-free by giving more space to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
"Four years after the plan's launch, Schaerbeek residents still do not understand the chaos created by a measure intended to make their lives easier," said Elias Ammi (Team Fouad Ahidar), who questioned Harzé at the municipal council meeting. He also criticised the majority's "political stubbornness and forgotten promises."
Across the Capital Region, many are against the introduction of the new mobility plans; some municipalities went back to the drawing board after violent protests while others tried different strategies or backpedalled completely – withdrawing the traffic measures designed to ban through-traffic as the project's name became taboo in some areas.
Avoiding past mistakes
But Harzé has "neither forgotten nor minimised the problems," she stressed. "The first few months were used to listen, consult, and understand, to avoid past mistakes."
Georges Verzin (1030 Ensemble) recalled that "PS and MR, currently in power, promised change" during their campaign for the 2024 municipal elections. Radical left PTB-PVDA supported the request for revision, citing the "justified anger" the traffic plan had caused.
Within the municipal majority, Emel Köse (Les Engagés) acknowledged that "the residents of Schaerbeek are becoming impatient and are waiting for clear signs of adjustments to the local reality."
However, Harzé emphasised that she had extensive contact with residents, shopkeepers, parents, and school principals. A traffic count was conducted in June. A neighbourhood-specific diagnostic is now being developed in collaboration with Brussels Mobility and two research agencies, she stressed. "Every adjustment has consequences elsewhere."
