Transport in Belgium - Belgium Road Transport

Transport in Belgium - Belgium Road Transport

Belgium Road Network

The road network in Belgium is managed by regional authorities, meaning that a road section in Flanders is managed by the Flemish Government, a road section in Brussels by the Brussels government and a road section in Wallonia by the Walloon Government. This explains that road signs in Flanders are written in Dutch, even when referring to a Walloon region, and conversely, which can be confusing for foreigners who do not know the different translations of Flemish or Walloon cities in the other language. The road network in Belgium is made of highways, national (or regional) roads (the secondary network) and communal roads (or streets). Communal roads are managed at the municipal level. There are also a number of orbital roads in Belgium around major cities.
  • Total: 152,256 km (2006)
  • Country comparison to the world: 35
  • Paved: 119,079 km (including 1,763 km of expressways)
  • Unpaved: 33,177 km
Belgian road numbering evolved during the middle decades of the twentieth century, in a relatively inconsistent way. Road number allocations became less systematic during the surge in road building that took place in the 1960s and 70s. Frequently downgraded and deteriorating older national roads retained two digit numbers while newer major roads were identified with less instantly memorable three digit numbers, if only because the shorter numbers were already taken. 1985 saw a comprehensive renumbering of the "N" (National) roads which now followed the scheme described below.

Belgium Highways

The highways in Belgium are marked with a letter A and a number. Most often however the European numbering system for the international E-road network is used. There is however not always a one-on-one relationship between the two numbering systems along the whole length of the highways.
  • A1 (E19): Brussels - Antwerp - Breda
  • A2 (E314): Leuven - Lummen - Genk
  • A3 (E40): Brussels - Leuven - Liège - Aachen
  • A4 (E411): Brussels - Wavre - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg
  • A10 (E40): Brussels - Ghent - Bruges - Ostend
  • A12 (Brussels - Boom - Antwerp - Netherlands (Bergen op Zoom)
  • :(includes a section not yet fully upgraded to motorway standard)
  • A13 (E313): Antwerp - Beringen - Hasselt - Liège
  • A14 (E17): Lille - Kortrijk - Ghent - Antwerp
  • A15 (E42): Charleroi - Namur - Huy - Liège
  • A17 (E403): Bruges - Kortrijk - Tournai
  • A18 (E40): Bruges - Veurne - Dunkerque
Belgium Ringways

The ringways (or orbital roads) around bigger cities have their own series of numbers. The names start with a R then a first digit indicating the (old) province, and sometimes a second digit to further differentiate in between different ringways.

Some major examples are:
  • R0 is the outer ringway around Brussels. The R20 and R22 are (parts of) inner ringways around Brussels.
  • R1 is the southern half ringway and R2 is the northern half ringway around Antwerp.
  • R3 is the outer ringway and R9 is the inner ringway around Charleroi. The inner ring is counterclockwise-only.
  • R4 is the outer ringway and R40 is the inner ringway around Ghent.
  • R6 is the outer ringway and R12 is the inner ringway around Mechelen.
  • R8 is the outer ringway and R36 is the inner ringway around Kortrijk.
  • R23 is the ringway around Leuven.
  • R30 is the inner ringway around Bruges.
Belgium National Roads

The national roads were renumbered in 1985 according to a national scheme and are identified with the letter N followed by a number.

The principal Belgium national roads fan out from Brussels, numbered in clockwise order:
  • N1: Brussels - Mechelen - Antwerp
  • N2: Brussels - Leuven - Diest - Hasselt - Maastricht
  • N3: Brussels - Leuven - Tienen - Sint-Truiden - Liège - Aachen
  • N4: Brussels - Wavre - Namur - Marche-en-Famenne - Bastogne - Arlon
  • N5: Brussels - Charleroi - Philippeville
  • N6: Brussels - Halle - Soignies - Mons
  • N7: Halle - Ath - Tournai
  • N8: Brussels - Ninove - Oudenaarde - Kortrijk - Ypres - Veurne - Koksijde
  • N9: Brussels - Aalst - Ghent - Eeklo - Bruges - Ostend
Secondary Belgium national roads intersect these.

National roads have an N plus 1, 2 or 3 digits. National roads numbered with 3 digits are provincial roads, their first number indicating the province in which the road begins:
  • N1xx Province of Antwerp
  • N2xx Provinces of Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant
  • N3xx Province of West Flanders
  • N4xx Province of East Flanders
  • N5xx Province of Hainaut
  • N6xx Province of Liège
  • N7xx Province of Limburg
  • N8xx Province of Luxembourg
  • N9xx Province of Namur
Belgium Cars

Changes

Between 1993 and 2012 the average age of the passengers cars registered as running in Belgium increased from just over 6 years and 4 months to 8 years and 17 days. 2012 data for other European countries are not yet available, but in 2010 the average age of car Belgium was 7.9 years against a European Union average of 8.3 years. Government policy provides an important clue as to one reason for the relative newness of the national car parc. Despite recent high-profile plant closures by Ford and Renault, Belgium remains an important centre for automobile component and passenger car production, with important plants operated by Volvo and Audi, and this is reflected in a relatively benign taxation environment whereby company cars are a still a popular and relatively tax efficient element in many remuneration packages.

 
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