Skip to main content

Belgium considering tolling to pay for roads and tunnels

Belgium is considering tolling options as a mean to fund necessary road and tunnel developments and upgrades. The Brussels region is expected to spend between €500 million and €1 billion in order to update a series of key tunnel connections, with tolling being considered to raise a part of the funds required. A toll could be applied for the Léopold II tunnel during peak hours. According to Belgian consultancy company Stratec, traffic congestion could be reduced in Brussels by implementing an area charge dur
January 27, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Belgium is considering tolling options as a mean to fund necessary road and tunnel developments and upgrades. The Brussels region is expected to spend between €500 million and €1 billion in order to update a series of key tunnel connections, with tolling being considered to raise a part of the funds required. A toll could be applied for the Léopold II tunnel during peak hours. According to Belgian consultancy company Stratec, traffic congestion could be reduced in Brussels by implementing an area charge during peak hours. A pay for distance charge could also be used, based on a recording device installed in cars. Brussels suffers amongst the worst traffic congestion in Europe and measures to reduce this problem have been discussed for some time.

Meanwhile the Flanders Region plans to invest an additional €140 million in its transport network by mid-2017. The budget for road works can be increased by €100 million due to pay for use charges on HGVs. A budget of €36 million will be invested in preparatory work for the new Oosterweel link in order to help cut congestion in Antwerp.

Related Content

  • Chile’s new urban highway link
    May 2, 2022
    Nestling in a valley beside the Andes mountain range, Santiago has a growing population and has suffered from increasingly heavy congestion in recent years, requiring a new urban road link for which safety has been set as a priority for drivers - *iRAP reports
  • Cutting congestion in LA?
    June 4, 2019
    A new proposal has been put forward for Los Angeles suggesting that a congestion charging scheme be introduced to help tackle the city’s transport woes. According to the CEO of the Los Angeles Metro system, the revenue from the congestion charge for drivers could then be used to allow people to use the city’s transit system for free. Many US cities depend heavily on road transport for carrying goods and commuting. However as many inhabitants and visitors to Los Angeles can attest, the sprawling city and it
  • Parts delivery
    February 29, 2012
    Komatsu Europe has invested in developing an efficient spare parts operation - Mike Woof writes. Komatsu Europe is reaping the benefit of its investments in the spares support facility in Belgium. During the financial crisis new machine sales plummeted across Europe for all manufacturers but Komatsu Europe was able to ensure steady income through its spares support service. With many European customers holding onto machines longer during the last few years due to the downturn, spares support has been pivota
  • Financing safer, more sustainable European roads
    April 12, 2012
    The future financing of the European road network has again become a hot topic in Brussels On 15 October, 2010 in the Belgian capital, the Council of Transport Ministers hammered out a political compromise on the revision of the Eurovignette Directive that paves the way for the imposition of additional charges on road transport as a means of internalising externalities. Whether the imposition of these additional costs is justified or not remains the subject of protracted debate.