Analysis of Traffic Congestion in Belgium
Evolution of traffic congestion in light of the growth in traffic demand and possible control measures
Transport & Mobility Leuven did a study for the FOD Mobiliteit en Vervoer, in which they assessed the magnitude and consequences of the congestion in Belgium. An innovative aspect related to this study, was that it considered congestion not only on the motorway road network, but also on the underlying regional and city road networks. To this end, traffic measurements were used that were gathered by inductive loop detectors (START-SITTER) and GSM/GPS probes (Be-Mobile). The main results of the study were:
- In Flanders and Walloon, the traffic volumes are the highest on the regional road network, followed by the motorway road network and finally the city road network. They are higher on the motorway road network than on the regional road network in the agglomerations. The increase in traffic volume between 2007 and 2020 is the largest in Brussels.
- Travel time losses are mainly high in Antwerp, Flanders, and Brussels; they are lower in Li�ge, Ghent, and Walloon. 67% of the total amount of travel time losses is found in Flanders. For Belgium, the number of lost vehicle hours on the underlying road network is a factor 3,9 larger in comparison with the motorway road network. The number of lost vehicle hours increases with 35% between 2007 and 2020.
- The average jam length on the motorway road network is shorter during the evening rush hour than during the morning rush hour. Besides that, 91% of all congestion in Belgium can be found in Flanders. A drastic increase in jam length on the motorway road network is expected between 2007 and 2020. For Belgium, the jam length on the motorway road network increases with 54%.
- Except for fuel consumption and CO2, a strong reduction of emissions is expected, despite the increase in road traffic. This can be explained by the continuous renewal of the vehicle fleet and the more strict emission standards. Only for CO2 there is an increase in the emissions, because newer vehicles are insufficiently clean to compensate the increase in traffic volume.
Federale Overheidsdienst Mobiliteit en Vervoer
Sven Maerivoet, Isaak Yperman
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