Despite green intentions, Belgians are keeping their cars

Despite green intentions, Belgians are keeping their cars
© Belga

Belgians may have every intention of becoming more environmentally-friendly, but cars do not risk losing their dominant position in transportation in a hurry, a study by AG Insurance and Touring revealed on Monday.

Regarding energy-intensive transport, 77% of the population consider it to be a very important issue. Similarly, over two-thirds feel that governments (70%) and businesses (72%) do not do enough for the environment.

Despite 57% of people recognising that cars contribute to pollution, Belgians still rely heavily on their cars to move around. Close to 90% of households have at least one car, and 30% have at least two.

Still, there has been a noticeable change, as noted by the authors of the study. Some 14% of households say they bought a more environment-friendly car in the past few years and 34% plan to purchase a cleaner vehicle in the next three years. However, 44% of participants say they are inhibited by the prices, and 21% were concerned by the limited autonomy of these vehicles.

Bicycles are viewed as the prime alternative to cars and about a quarter of Belgians plan to use them more in the next three years. The potential for growth within public transport is more limited, with accessibility, punctuality and prices cited as drawbacks by close to two-thirds of respondents.

Additionally, shared-mobility solutions have a hard time garnering support with Belgians, according to the survey, which was conducted in mid-January among 1,514 persons.

The Brussels Times

 


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