Brussels: 230 offenses in the low emission zone

Nearly 230 fines were issued to motorists who broke the rules of the Low Emission Zone in Brussels. The effects of this will extend to January 1st. In four months, the number of offenses would have decreased by 85%.

P230 people were punished for violating the low emission zone rules in Brussels. This is apparent from the figures compiled by Brussels Taxation and forwarded to Brussels Environment, the two Brussels administrations responsible for LEZ.

Between October 1st and October 31st, an average of 286,000 vehicles (cars and vans) were "flashed" at least once a day the cameras of the LEZ; 228 fines were issued to motorists who entered the territory of the Region with a vehicle that was too polluting and unauthorized. Amount of the fine: 350 euros. 40% of the fines concern Brussels residents, the other 60% are vehicles registered in Belgium.

Decrease of the offenses?

The message of the low emission zone seems to make its way into the minds: while in the first days after the entry into force of the new provisions 240 offenses were found each day, this number rose to 40 per day at the end of the month October. And again: three-quarters of these offenses are committed by "repeat offenders" who do not receive a second invitation to pay since a fine can only be imposed once a quarter.

At the same time, 953 derogations were requested (especially for ancestors), as well as 68 pbades allowing, for the payment of 35 euros, to circulate a day in Brussels.

For foreign vehicles, the relevant services registered 42,500 online registrations; cars mainly from the Netherlands, France and Germany. Reminder: a non-registration is punishable by a fine of 150 euros. The Brussels authorities should conclude by the end of the year an agreement with France and the Netherlands to abolish the registration requirement for French and Dutch vehicles.

Strengthening criteria

If the compilation of data from Brussels Taxation seems still tedious, they prove that the LEZ enters the break-in phase. Next year, the zone will enter a new phase with the ban of Euro 2 diesel vehicles and gasoline vehicles without Euro standard and Euro 1 standard.

Until the end of the year, the current provisions concern 2,300 Brussels and 805 non-Brussels vehicles. From next January, 17,056 Brussels vehicles and 8,772 non-Brussels residents will be banned from staying in Brussels. Probably a little less since the car fleet is slowly renewing itself. Owners of newly banned vehicles will benefit from a three-month transition period to find an alternative solution. During this period, the drivers concerned by the criteria and who circulate within the LEZ will not receive a fine, but only a warning.