BRUZZ
Brussels drop zones for share bikes and scooters “bursting at the seams”
Since 1 July, it has been compulsory to leave share vehicles in drop zones in most Brussels municipalities. However, at several points in the Brussels region, these special parking spaces are so choc-a-block that they are encroaching on the pavement and even the rest of the street.
Since the beginning of this summer, in the Brussels boroughs of Sint-Gillis, Etterbeek, Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Koekelberg, Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Jette, the City of Brussels and Schaarbeek, it has now become compulsory to park your share vehicle, share bike, scooter and the like, in a designated drop zone. Users wishing to leave their scooters outside these zones cannot interrupt their journey and will be obliged to continue to pay. Parking share vehicles outside drop zone has thus become basically impossible.
Test phase
In several places, the drop zones are the victims of their own success. As a result it’s often impossible to leave your bike or scooter in the proper manner within the markings of the zone. "We know that several zones are currently congested," Marie Thibaut de Maisieres, spokeswoman for mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt (Flemish Green/Groen) told Brussels media outlet Bruzz.
In places like Elsene the drop zones are not yet up to scratch. "Elsene is currently in a test phase," the spokeswoman says. "The drop zones are being monitored in real time to gain insight into the areas that are currently congested so that additional zones can be set up there. The Elsene-Ukkel border, for example, is such an area."
This tactic is also being applied in reverse. "Drop zones that remain unused or underused are moved to areas in need of extra capacity."
Regional legislation
In several municipalities including Koekelberg, Schaarbeek and the City of Brussels City additional drop zones will be set up this summer, although the system will only really be up to speed from 1 January next year onwards. That is when regional legislation will come into force and drop zones will become compulsory throughout the region.
The legislation also restricts the total number of scooters: from 1 January, 8,000 scooters will be allowed on Brussels streets, compared to 21,000 today. This too should help solve the problem of bulging drop zones.
