In Belgium, on 01/01/2020, 61 % of the population lives in a 200-metre radius around a public transport stop (bus, tram, metro, train). This percentage amounts to 93 % of the population if we extend this radius to 500 m, and to 99 % if we extend it to 1 km. Although the total population in Brussels lives within 1 km of a public transport stop, it concerns almost the total population of the province of East Flanders (99.7 %). This percentage is the lowest in the province of Namur (96 %) and varies between 97 % and 99 % in the other provinces.
At municipal level, only just over half (53 %) of the inhabitants in Stoumont are less than 1 kilometre away from a public transport stop. In Erezée, which ranks second of this reversed ranking, it is the case for 71 % of the population. Moreover, in 96 municipalities, the entire population is within this 1-km radius of a stop. This is, unsurprisingly, the case for all Brussels municipalities, but also for more rural municipalities such as Herbeumont.
A stop within only 200 m from home is a reality for 95 % of the inhabitants of Koekelberg and for 90 % of the inhabitants of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, second of this ranking. This hyper proximity is only experienced by 18 % of residents in Vorselaar and Stoumont.
Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, publishes in its DataLab statistics based on new geographical breakdowns, making it possible to identify the population living at a defined distance from a point. This can be a hospital, a train station, the border, a motorway or a motorway entrance, a school or a senior care facility.
Data used:
Stations and stops of public transport:
it concerns 69,672 stations and stops of public transport (bus, tram, metro) in Belgium based on the active stations, i.e. stations with travellers counts (figures travellers on board (counts October 2018) - SNCB), and the stops in Flanders (stops from the Flemish transport company De Lijn, situation on 20/06/2020), Brussels (location of stops (stations) of the STIB) and Wallonia (Walloonia TEC GTFS data set).
- https://data.gov.be/en/node/119930
- https://data.gov.be/en/node/118340
- https://data.gov.be/en/dataset/tec
Buffers of 200 m, 500 m and 1000 m were created around the points of public transport stations and stops.