Brussels gets new parking system

The new parking system, which started at the beginning of October, will gradually be rolled out across the city before the end of 2013.

The idea is to ensure that people can park close to their homes, that there is better information about the city’s many car parks and that parking permits are easy to obtain and to use.

Local residents permits – these can be obtained on the city website and other public offices around the city – as well as various other types of parking cards, are now being issued.

The new system will go into operation at the beginning of November in Laeken North and Laeken South. An ID document and residency in the city is needed to obtain a local resident’s permit as well as the vehicle’s logbook. The cost for the first permit is €10 and the second €100. Residents with foreign-registered vehicles are allowed a temporary permit for six months, the time before they must register the vehicle in Belgium.

There are six types of parking card available – local residents, car sharing, home and health care, subscription (for other areas of the city), visitors’ permits and permits for work and events. The system will apply to ten areas of the city by the end of 2013.

Brussels is also introducing a plan to have real-time information about the availability of spaces in car parks in the city centre so that time is not wasted in traffic looking for a parking spot.