Many people just see it as a day to get out their bikes and scoot off down the three-lane-wide boulevards. You can bet a lot of those same people will be back hogging the roads in their cars the next day.

Yet change is coming to the streets of Brussels, even if it is slower than the cycle lobby would want. Just look at the neat ranks of yellow city bikes that are spreading across the city. And count the number of bike shops. What was unthinkable 10 years ago has now become inevitable.

Not that the bike-hire scheme is without its critics. Some complain that the bikes all end up in the lower part of town since no one wants to heave themselves up the Ravensteinstraat on a heavy city bike. Others complain that the Villo! hotline never picks up. Yet others mutter about cyclists jumping red lights.

But bikes are here to stay, not just in Brussels but in every progressive city across Europe. The car-free concept has now spread to other cities in Flanders, notably Ghent and Antwerp, which each has its own car-free event this month.

If you have lived here for any length of time, you will know that the people of Antwerp are immensely proud of their city. So they view car-free day as an opportunity to walk or cycle around some of the city’s most attractive quarters. They are also planning to set a world record for people ringing bicycle bells.

The Ghent authorities were careful to organise a referendum last year to check that people wanted another car-free day. Something like 85% said yes, so the city will once again be traffic-free within the ring road. There are no big events to mark out the day and no website to compare with Antwerp’s funky creation. Instead, the city suggests getting together with your neighbours for a brunch on the pavement or spreading out a picnic in a quiet corner.

Car-free day happens in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp and across Europe on 19 September. The streets remain off-limits to all but essential traffic until 19.00. But at 19.01, you will hear the sound of a thousand petrol engines kicking into life.

www.autolozezondag.irisnet.be
http://tiny.cc/gentcarfree
www.antwerpenautovrij.be