Bruges tests car-free shopping streets in the weekend

There is only access for public transport, emergency services and to supply a shop. The city wants to make shopping a lot more pleasant now that there is room for 2,000 cars under ‘t Zand, close to the main shopping streets. UNIZO thinks that’s a bad thing, the Handelsgebuurtekring is in favour.

Expansion of car-free periods

The Bruges city center is a bit more closed to cars on weekends. Because it is already car-free in Bruges on Sunday shopping and the end of the year.

“The minor adjustment now is that no cars can drive through Geldmuntstraat, Noordzandstraat, Zuidzandstraat on four Sundays and more between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. This is from June 1 to September 30. We consider this a trial period,” says Dirk De fauw Mayor of Bruges.

“Fear of Bruges as a kind of Bokrijk”

But UNIZO is not in favor of this car-free measure. Fully parked shopping streets are no longer of this time, but customers would drop out if things are difficult to reach.

“In the long term, we see a fear from us that Bruges would become a kind of touristic Bokrijk that only serves the tourist customer. But in an economically healthy climate we have a system that, in addition to a touristic shopping offer, is also important locally. And that locally. offer where accessibility is very important is not compromised,” says Brecht Clyncke of Unizo North-West Flanders.

“Parking nearby”

The Handelsgebuurtekring Brugge has 120 affiliated stores in the car-free shopping streets. And they are ringing a different bell, says chairman Dirk Vanhegen: “Our position has always been: we will wait with those measures until there is sufficient extra parking capacity.

There is now doubling and the largest in Belgium. We have to be honest people can park in a decent way. And not that expensive either. Near a shopping center.”