Brussels, already suffering like much of Belgium from record daily traffic jams, has found an added burden: a swarm of delivery vans carrying all the packages ordered online.
From 2014 to last year, the number of vans registered in the capital grew by 40%, while overall vehicle totals dropped by 10%. In addition, size restrictions on trucks in some areas, including pedestrian zones, has meant a growth in smaller vans—and more of those are needed because the packages still need to be delivered. Overall, one of every 10 vehicles in the capital is now a van.
The growth of van traffic adds to a situation in many areas of Belgium where the number of hours spent in traffic jams has risen sharply. Touring Mobilis, a traffic-information provider, says that the number of hours when the length of traffic jams throughout Belgium exceeded 100 kilometers rose last year to 1,588, or the equivalent of 66 days, up 8 days from 2017. The 100 km figure is a total, but while no one is in a 100 km jam, it identifies the heaviest days.
But there’s good news, too: the number of days when the jam total hit 400 km dropped.
I’ve always found this a two edged sword. While there may be more vans delivering packages, there are also thousands less traveling around in their cars going shopping. I’m not sure if you’ve ever watched delivery vans, but they’re very efficient. A UPS driver can drop of hundreds of packages in a city environment in a day. My gut reaction is that online shopping leads to a net reduction in traffic.