Belgium Sets Car-Free Sunday Record as Wallonia Joins In

A record number of more than 70 Belgian municipalities and cities held a car-free Sunday on 20 September 2026, up sharply from the previous record of 53, according to VRT NWS. The jump is explained largely by the first-ever participation of 22 Walloon municipalities, which joined what had long been a Flemish and Brussels tradition. In a second milestone, air quality was measured for the first time in participating Flemish municipalities.

The event, part of European Mobility Week (16-22 September), was coordinated in Flanders by the sustainable-mobility organisation Mobiel 21. Streets and squares were closed to cars so residents and visitors could cycle, walk, skate or simply enjoy the reclaimed public space.

A Tradition Extends South

Flanders and Brussels have taken part for decades. “Flanders already has a long tradition of car-free Sunday,” Els Van den Broeck, director of Mobiel 21, told VRT NWS on Radio 1. “Brussels has also been involved for a long time, and this year the Walloon government also called on people to join. As a result we can put more than 20 Walloon cities and municipalities on the map. That is fantastic news.”

The organisation reported that 22 Walloon communes had confirmed participation, each organising its own “dimanche sans voiture”: Aiseau-Presles, Ans, Ath, Bertrix, Colfontaine, Comines-Warneton, Eghezee, Hamois, Hannut, Hastiere, Jalhay, Montigny-le-Tilleul, Morlanwelz, Ramillies, Sambreville, Spa, Stavelot, Sainte-Ode, Tenneville, Vise, Waremme and Wavre. As L’Avenir reported, the first region-wide car-free day in Wallonia followed an appeal by the Walloon government, with Ans having led the way since 2008 by closing its main axis, the N3.

“The car-free day lets us look at our streets differently, to realise the place the car occupies in our public space and to experience concretely what happens when we give space back to pedestrians, cyclists and local life,” said Alice Gobiet, coordinator of the Walloon Mobility Week. “That is the spirit of this Mobility Week: to try something else and discover that some journeys are possible in another way.”

Wallonia’s late arrival is notable given how car-dependent the region remains. According to L’Avenir, cars account for 72.8% of kilometres travelled in Wallonia, far ahead of the train (7.3%), public transport (6.4%) and the bicycle (3%), even though walking accounts for 25.1% of trips but only 6.9% of kilometres.

Brussels Claims Largest Car-Free Zone

The Brussels-Capital Region took part with all 19 of its communes, with cars barred between 9:30 and 19:00. “Brussels, this Sunday 20 September, will again become the largest car-free zone in Europe,” Bruxelles Mobilite said, as reported by La Libre Belgique. The region has already announced a second car-free day, scheduled for 9 May 2027. The claim of being Europe’s largest car-free zone is an assertion by the regional authority rather than an independently verified global comparison.

Measuring the Air

The novelty of the 2026 edition was systematic measurement. The Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) compared traffic flows on the car-free Sunday with an ordinary Sunday. “Car-free Sunday is a moment with a big impact on air quality,” Annemie Wynands, an air-policy officer at the VMM, told VRT NWS. “That is why this year we are studying the influence of a day of car rest on emissions, air quality and health.”

Historical data from Brussels suggest the effect can be striking. According to RTBF, Bruxelles Environnement measured nitrogen dioxide (NO2) reductions of 66-79% depending on the station in 2025 compared with an average Sunday, while nitric oxide (NO) fell by 80-96%. Background noise dropped by more than 20 decibels in places. Particulate matter, by contrast, reacts far less to a traffic stoppage because of other sources and long-range transport.

The Counterpoint

Even as organisers celebrated, the day exposed tensions. The most striking paradox was that major rail works cut several links into Brussels on the very weekend of the car-free day. According to DH Les Sports+, Infrabel scheduled works on three lines, with no trains on line 60 between Opwijk and Jette, line 124 between Nivelles and Brussels-Midi, and line 161 between Ottignies and Brussels-Luxembourg. Several Brussels stations saw no service.

The passengers’ association GUTIB sarcastically called it a “day of immobility,” arguing the event should have been better considered in planning the works. RTBF cautioned that it would be incorrect to blame the national rail operator SNCB directly without knowing the constraints behind the dates.

Accessibility remained a concern too. With cars gone, streets were shared with pedestrians, bicycles, e-scooters and public transport, where authorised vehicles were limited to 30 km/h. RTBF noted that the multiplication of quiet bikes and e-scooters can create new risks for blind or visually impaired people, and that some elderly residents, people with reduced mobility, carers and certain workers still depend on their cars, with exemptions in place.

The economic impact was mixed. RTBF reported that the Brussels florist Verttige closed both of its stores, calling the day a loss, while the taxi company Taxis Bleus said the car-free Sunday was a particularly busy day, its only constraint being the speed limit. Brussels public transport operator STIB made its network free for the whole day and reinforced service.

What’s Next

Mobiel 21 says the trend is firmly upward: about 3.52 million residents experienced a car-free Sunday across 50 Belgian municipalities in 2025, with up to 90% less air pollution measured in the car-free zones. “We want to plant the seed, to let people experience how that feels,” Van den Broeck said. “It is also healthier and fresher.”

With more than 70 municipalities taking part, 22 of them Walloon for the first time, and Brussels already planning a second car-free day for spring 2027, the event appears to be shifting from a Flemish and Brussels tradition into a country-wide fixture. The open questions are whether Wallonia’s participation deepens next year, and whether the air-quality findings give policymakers the evidence to push for more car-free days beyond a single weekend in September.