Noise pollution has been identified as the biggest liveability problem faced by people in Flanders, according to polls. Several attempts have been made to reduce the number of trucks on the road during peak times, including distribution centres on the edge of towns, where trucks would unload and the cargo would then be delivered in smaller delivery vans, or even delivery trams.

Crevits praised the innovative thinking behind such ideas but said it would be “utopia to think you could get trucks out of town centres in the next five or even 10 years.” In the short term, the region has to find ways to reconcile mobility with making towns habitable, she said.

Her plan, based on pilot projects in the Netherlands, would allow trucks to drive into town centres for loading and unloading, providing they conform to strict noise levels so as not to disturb residents. Theproposed levels stand at 60-65 decibels (dB), which is slightly more than a normal conversation between two people.

This off-peak loading would avoid the need for drivers to be on the road during peak traffic hours, which would represent a serious commercial advantage for haulage companies. Already, the cities of Antwerp, Hasselt, Kortrijk, Geel and Ninove have expressed an interest in taking part in Crevits’ pilot project. The scheme is expected to get off the ground in the middle of 2010.