The Francophone centre-right liberal party, MR, will present a nine-priority plan in the Brussels Parliament to make walking the main means of transport in the Capital Region, the party announced on Monday.
The plan, contained in a draft resolution, includes the installation of pedometer panels indicating distances and travel times – as in other major European cities – and the placement of more benches to pause and rest. MR also want an increase in the budget for the maintenance of footpaths and for the reinforcement of a pedestrian culture to make Brussels residents feel like walking in their city again.
"The state of pavements in Brussels is catastrophic," said Brussels MP David Weytsman (MR), who is the co-author of the draft resolution. "Fixing them is a priority for MR, because they encourage people to walk in the city."
Therefore, he stressed, it is essential to provide "safe and comfortable routes with well-maintained pavements and appropriate lighting" as a means to improve the pedestrian environment in Brussels – particularly for senior citizens and those with reduced mobility.
Excluding part of the population
In 2020, the Brussels Government carried out an analysis of the pedestrian network in the Region. Since then, a refurbishment programme has been underway. Over the last two years, Brussels Mobility has renovated 20,000 m² of pavements.
"It is important to make the city more walkable, and it is a debate that should be discussed more often in committee, because it concerns us all," Weytsman said. "It is therefore imperative that we find solutions, talk more about the difficulties encountered by users and put all the necessary resources in place to make this a priority."
"The current state of our pavements excludes part of the Brussels population from their ability and right to move around," he stressed. "This must change."
Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
He also pointed to the recent pedestrian barometer in Brussels, which revealed disappointing figures: a score of 4.3/10 for the presence of toilets and benches in public spaces, 4.7/10 for unclear pavements, 5.3/10 for pavement condition and 5.7/10 for pavement design.
Other issues raised were safety, adaptation of public space for young children on foot or with prams, the elderly and people with reduced mobility, and the lack of facilities to ensure comfort.
"Walking in Brussels is often a real obstacle course, where many people fall. The latest survey on travel in Brussels, which is conducted every ten years, shows that the percentage of people walking is still far from Good Move's original ambition of achieving a 50% modal share by 2030," said Anne-Charlotte d'Ursel (MR), who chairs the Brussels Parliament Mobility Committee.
