12
JULY 2015
ClodaghKinsella
wonders if pedestrians and
pedal power canbeat Brussels’ traffic jams
B
russelsmaybe the beating heart of Europe, butwhen it
comes to circulation issues, its pulse can feel decidedly
sluggish. TakeUber: absurdly, despite holding one-third
of themarket share for taxis here, the controversial Californian
car-hailing app remains illegal, meaning that Uber drivers risk
impounding and€10,000 fines per ride. Yet, despite reports
it’s set tobe legalisednext year, there’s an evenmore radical
shake-upof the city’s roads in themaking.
Since 29 June, keyarteries in the city centre, including the
chronically cloggedBoulevardAnspach, have gone car-free for
apilot periodof eightmonths. Besides promising to “pamper”
pedestrians, Socialist PartymayorYvanMayeur’s slightly
scary-sounding PentagonMobilityPlanwill also create 3kmof
cycle lanes. Eventually the pedestrian zonewill expand to cover
50hectares –one of the largest such schemes inEurope.
Traffic has long blightedBrussels: according to traffic data
crunchers Inrix, it’s the secondmost congested city inEurope
andNorthAmerica (Antwerp takes thirdplace “honours”). The
reasons?Aglut of company cars, long-distance commuters
andbyzantine urbanplanning that dates back toExpo ’58,
andwhichpeaked in the 1960s and 1970s. During this time,
new tunnels and roadswere dug pêle-mêle to funnelworkers
into the city, and icons likeVictorHorta’sMaisonduPeuplewere
bulldozed tobuildbrutalist office blocks.
The Pentagonprojectwill tackle smog, andmaywell boost
Brussels’ glamour. For residents and eco-watchers, though, it risks
displacing traffic to an inner citymini-ring that coulddisrupt quiet
neighbourhood streets, and raises the spectre of newunderground
car parks just beyond the pedestrian zone (one destined for the
fleamarket Place du Jeude
Balle has been abandoned
due toprotests).
At least the youthof
Brussels is on-message:
from4-6 July, at a 15th-
century castle outside the
city, anew “chic and green”
festival calledParadiseCity
will combine green energy,
vegetarian food and composting toiletswithhouse duo Soul
Clap and electrodarlingMatthewHerbert.Meanwhile, inAntwerp,
Belgium’s boldest eco-venue openedunder the railway tracks in
MaywithaDJ set byFrenchDJ LaurentGarnier. Designed to support
youth culture through sustainability, Amperewill harness energy
from its reactive dance floor – representing another, rather cooler,
triumph for footpower.
paradisecity.be;ampere-antwerp.com
MayorYvan
Mayeur is
promising
to “pamper”
pedestrians
CHAMPAGNEFOREVERYONE!
Carryonglamping
LegendaryChampagnehousePiper-
Heidsieck is offering theultimate
glampingexperienceon thegrounds
ofChâteauFond-Roy inBrussels this
month. For sixnights, up toeight
guests canenjoydinner bychef Peter
deClercq, aclassic film (with lashings
ofChampagne) andanight ina luxury
tent. 20-26 July, €390per couple
all-inclusive.
piper-heidsieck.com
CITYBEACH
LACROISETTEKE
Withpalm trees, parasols
and6,000 sqmof sand,
Brussels’ citybeach, or
LaCroisetteke in the
local lingo, offers ahandy
alternative toposhBelgian
coastal resorts. The event
began in 2002, inspired
by the success of Paris
Plages, and is now a
summer fixture; the 13th
edition, which runs from
3 Julyuntil 9August, offers
the usual fun–pétanque,
pedalos–alongsideopen-
air films, food-tasting
huts and clubnights.
bruxelleslesbains.be
FOOD&DRINK
JOSEPHINE’S
SUMMER BAR
& RESTAURANT
This temporaryvenue from
the teambehind the Zuid
hotspotwas ahighlight of
Antwerp’s summer
calendar last year. It
returns untilmid-
September, combining
Belgian cuisinewith
off-kilter cocktails,
hammocks andDJs. The
formerDeKoninck
brewery, itself launching a
newvisitor centre, is pretty
special too.
josephines.be
THE INSIDER
Roadblock
upahead
