In the area of private vehicles, the EU Commission is enforcing a significant change in Europe’s car fleet by setting binding targets on car emissions. This should have an impact here reasonably quickly thanks to our friendly company car policies (fleet managers are more sensitive to fiscal stimuli and company cars get replaced quicker than private cars). Car components will also be regulated at EU level, for example, to stimulate roll out of more efficient car tyres.  More can, however, be done at a Belgian level. For example, root filters for diesel engines are subsidised but given the scale of the fine particle problem, it seems strange that government is not compelling a faster roll out of this technology.

 

The various fiscal and other policies that stimulate the use of company cars and diesel engines are a particularly contentious issue. Critics argue that our disproportionate number of diesel cars contributes significantly to the air pollution problem (fine particles especially). Also, public transport cannot possibly compete against the free Audi parked on the driveway. In defence, the leasing companies argue that this country has one of the cleanest fleets of cars in the world (since the cars are so new). Indeed, when the newest range of hybrid cars enters the market we should see reasonably rapid adoption of this technology. When the plug-in hybrid or full electric car is rolled out in force, however, it is absolutely essential that the electricity system is upgraded as planned (more generation capacity, better grid integration with neighbouring countries, and ‘smart’ distribution networks). 

 

Public transport is another key topic. Firstly, we need to get more people on our buses, trains and trams. While there has been some improvement in this regard, a number of tough obstacles remain. On the one hand, the offering needs to improve: better and more integrated networks (linking the regional public transport systems, in network and in ticketing/services) and more comfortable and safer facilities (on route and in stations).  Secondly, public transport itself can clean up further, especially the bus fleets. In that regard, there is innovative work being done by the likes of Van Hool. Van Hool is a leading manufacturer of coaches and buses for public transport and has developed several alternative drive systems which it is successfully commercialising.  The range includes hybrid diesel-electric, natural gas and hybrid fuel cell-electric. Public transport is an ideal environment in which to roll out a network of plug-in stations or natural gas stations, which is something Electrabel is working on. A third tactic to strengthen public transport is to weaken the competition—the private or company car—which itself is a highly contentious issue.

 

Probably the most hotly debated issue in the transport domain is goods transport.  Belgium is blessed (or cursed, depending how you look at it) with its geographic location at the ‘crossroads of Europe.’  We are right in the middle of a huge industrialised zone in Europe and have one of the most dense road, rail and inland shipping networks of the world. And we have at least two major sea ports, Antwerp being the second largest in Europe.  Given the fact that more than 70% of goods transport flows via road, there are a fair number of trucks on our road.  Eurostat has compiled some wonderful graphs that plot road transport on the European map in terms of volume in tons (the more volume the denser the line) and in terms of whether it is international or not (international is red and dark red, local is yellow).   On that map, Flanders (and much of the Netherlands) is a red smudge.