Brugge rolls out the red carpet for pedestrians with new sidewalk plan

Brugge is rolling out the red carpet for pedestrians with a new plan to tackle the city's notoriously narrow and uneven sidewalks. The historic Belgian city, while celebrated for its charm, presents challenges for walkers due to its ancient infrastructure. The new comprehensive plan aims to make navigating the city on foot not just accessible, but also enjoyable.

Els Pieraerts, the city's accessibility officer, described the initiative as more than just a sidewalk upgrade. "This is an integral pedestrian policy," she stated. For the first time, the city is viewing the pedestrian as a holistic mobility user. The goal is to make walking "truly pleasant and attractive," with efforts extending beyond paving to include green spaces, enhanced comfort, and more physical room for walkers.

Mayor Dirk De fauw emphasized that pedestrians will be the starting point for future street renovations, permit approvals, and neighborhood mobility plans. "In public spaces with many requirements, from bike parking and terraces to extra greening, we must ask ourselves what place the pedestrian gets," he said. In the city center, the focus is on improving comfort, while in the surrounding neighborhoods, the priority is making it easier to reach shops or bus stops by foot.

De fauw acknowledged the difficulty in a historic city like Brugge, where wide avenues are rare. "There are streets where the sidewalks are so narrow that barely one person can stand on them," he noted. The city is prepared to make "fundamental choices," such as restricting or denying car access to prioritize pedestrians. In such cases, a ground-level design without raised sidewalks is often the best solution. In the surrounding neighborhoods, the focus shifts to eliminating high curbs and creating quality crossings, ensuring a safe and connected walking network for residents.

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Het doel is om te voet gaan echt aangenaam en aantrekkelijk te maken; we willen de rode loper uitrollen voor de voetganger.