The reduction in the number of street parking spaces is just one of the measures contained in the Good Move Plan, a plan that sets out the transport priorities for the Brussel-Capital Region over the next 10 years. The plan has been the subject of heated political debate. However, the new regional coalition government made up of Francophone and Flemish socialists and greens, the Flemish liberals and the Francophile federalist party Défi has said that it intends to adopted the plan in its entirety.

As a form of compensation to the many Brussels residents that own a car, but don’t have their own garage, drive or parking space, the regional authorities intend to find 20,000 extra off-street parking spaces in public or private car parks that will be reserved for residents. There are currently half a million parking spaces available in private and public car parking facilities in the Brussels-Capital Region.  

In the first instance, the regional authorities will look to companies, schools and shops that have parking spaces available outside their respective opening hours.

The Brussels Minister responsible for transport public works and road safety Elke van den Brandt (Flemish Green) told the paper that “The intention is above all to remove parking spaces from the side of roads in order to create more space for pedestrians and cyclists and in so doing make the city a more pleasant place in which to live”.