BRUSSELS – City dwellers are using their cars less and getting from place to place more often by bike and on foot. This emerged from the City monitor, a survey of 8,000 people in the 13 central cities and large towns in Flanders.

The inhabitants of the Flemish cities continue to use the car regularly to go to work or school however. About half of the city dwellers do so in Antwerp, Mechelen and Turnhout, but car use has fallen by 5 to 6 percent over the past two years.

One in eight residents uses public transport to get to school or work.

Bicycle use is on the rise, especially in Bruges, where more than 40 percent of resident cycle in their free time. The percentage of people who do so in Turnhout, Roeselare and Sint-Niklaas is also above 35 percent.

Only about 20 percent of residents in Antwerp, Genk and Ghent cycle in their free time however.

More people in Antwerp cycle to work or school than use public transport.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news