The Rampart, The Traffic Artery, and the Park; Designing for the city regions of Antwerp

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Highway network
Highway network
Highway network
Highway network
plans mainly focus on building the missing links (Flemish Government, 2018;
Municipality of Antwerp, 2015).
Bicycle network
Bicycle network
Bicycle network
Bicycle network
The upcoming bridge over the Scheldt is going to be an important step in
realising the high-quality bicycle network discussed in the previous section;
a bridge that will only be accessible for pedestrians, public transport, and
cyclists. Due to its above ground connection, the bridge will be a faster alternative
to the ring area and city from the Waasland, than the current Kennedytunnel
and Sint-Annatunnel on Linkeroever. Which are often plagued with
congestion and safety issues. The bridge is going to be an important link in the
concentric connection that Antwerp is striving for in the ring zone; a concentric
connection that intersects all the major traffic corridors coming to the city
(Team West; De Urbanisten; Omgeving; COBE, 2018).
Railway network
Railway network
Railway network
Railway network
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Public transport network
Public transport network
Public transport network
Public transport network
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A system of park & rides
To stimulate less car-oriented traffic in the urban fabric, Antwerp is improving
and expanding its park & ride system. This includes scaling up the existing
P+R’s and building new ones at crucial highway intersections, like Linkeroever,
Merksem and Luchtbal, increasing the total parking capacity with 4000
vehicles. The public transport (mostly trams) at these P+R’s will be expanded to
transport people to the city for economic or recreational activities (Municipality
of Antwerp, 2020). The traffic arteries used to connect the P+R’s and the city
mainly follows the old system of chaussee roads, making this strategy a continuation
of their historic connecting function.
The ambition is to transform these P+R’s to multimodal transport
hubs to various destinations in the city and suburbs, and let them function as
not only as a transfer point for car traffic, but also for the previously mentioned
bicycle network. In addition to this, connections to a light rail or metro network
are researched (Municipality of Antwerp, 2015). The mobility plan mentions
increasing the attraction of using the P+R’s by adding certain facilities, like a
carwash or kiosk.
Figure 1.2
Map of the infrastructural changes of
the ring project (The Intendant for the
liveability measures in Antwerp’s ring
zone, 2016a).
More public transport
With the ambition of building a robust P+R network, minimising congestion
and car travel, and reducing noise- and air pollution, the city of Antwerp is not
only installing a low-emission zone within the bounds of the ring, but is also
going to invest in a better public transport network. Currently, tram and bus
traffic are plagued with increasing congestion and long delays (Flemish Government,
2018). Antwerp is predominantly focusing on scaling-up the tramway
network, only resorting to busses when no other option is available. A distinction
is made between urban tram tracks (stedelijke tram) and normal tram
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