The cost of Brussels bottlenecks is more than €100 million

Experts from the office of the federal Minister for the Economy, Kris Peeters (CD&V), have assessed the bill for bottlenecks in Brussels at more than €100 million.

Experts based their findings upon recent calculations and figures (2016) both established and supplied by various business organisations, such as Agoria and Beci.

The congestion costs are calculated thus: time lost owing to transport issues (8,960,000 hours for 400,000 vehicles on average on the road each day in Brussels). This figure is then multiplied by the value of the time lost to businesses (averaging 11.72 euros/hour according to various business organisations). We thus reach a total of €105,011,200.

In Antwerp, the situation is even worse than Brussels. There the congestion costs even exceed €150 million a year. Moreover this loss of time is increasing to critical levels: 11% more than 2015. Equally in Antwerp such bottlenecks are harmful to the Port of Antwerp, one of the “economic lungs” of Flanders and Belgium.


The author: Michel THEYS

Michel Theys, a Belgian native, began his career as a civil servant, serving the public for several decades. After retirement, he shifted gears to follow his passion for journalism. With a background in public administration, Theys brought a unique perspective to his reporting. His insightful articles, covering a wide array of topics, swiftly gained recognition. Today, Michel Theys is a respected journalist known for his balanced and thoughtful reporting in the Belgian media landscape.

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