Limburg asks citizens: "Why drive to the gym?"

The Belgian region will organise public discussions to examine why people opt for cars instead of public transport or bicycles

In the next month, the regional authorities in Limburg, Belgium, will hold five public discussions to showcase mobility plans for the three decades. The discussions will also focus on people’s mobility habits.

For example, according to an official statement, people prefer driving to the gym instead of cycling. At the same time, most gym-goers spend the first half-hour of their workout doing a warm-up on a gym cycle. Here, authorities ask, why not choose the bike and arrive at the gym ready for action?

Public discussions

Regional authorities in Limburg will hold a total of five sessions with the public in the next month. The sessions are open to everyone but have a cap of 100 people per meeting. Additionally, the region is particular because it does not have large urban centres and the sessions will be geographically spread out to connect with more people.

At the public discussions, people can comment on the region’s mobility plans for 2050 and reflect on their own mobility behaviour. Sven Lieten, the chairman of the Limburg Transport Region, was quoted by the VRT explaining that participants will also be asked to reflect on their own habits.

He continued by pointing to the example of gym parking lots. Most people go to the gym by car, yet do their warm-up on the gym cycle. He explained that people could in theory go to the gym by bike and if they prefer not to, there is a problem that can hopefully be solved.

Limburg’s mobility profile

Promoting cycling is the long-term focus of Limburg’s mobility strategy, as it is one of the most car-dependent regions in Belgium. Moreover, it is a region of small population centres, which could be the main driver for car dependency.

Transport authorities in their own right have decided to focus on boosting public transport but also providing ample cycling infrastructure – both around population centres and between them – with the addition of cycling highways.

Lieten also pointed out that Limburg has a vibrant cycling tradition already, however, it only seems to show its face during the weekends. The region needs to offer the right kind of infrastructure to translate leisure cycling into a day-to-day commute option.