Tervuren Park Road Closed Till Xmas

Tervuren’s park will remain closed to traffic until Christmas, causing delays on the municipality’s main entrance road, the Duisburgsesteenweg. That has prompted concerns about the safety of children on the way to school.

The Kastanjedreef, a key road through the park, has been closed since 4 August as part of works on the F29 cycle highway, which will connect Leuven and Tervuren with Brussels. Local authorities had initially suggested reopening the road on 30 November. The reopened park road will see additional measures planned to lower car speeds.

A deadline set by EU Covid-19 subsidies oblige the works to be completed by 31 December. “It is the intention that the works will be completed before the end of the year, as agreed under the subsidy arrangements for these projects,” said Tervuren’s infrastructure alderman Sebastiaan Coudré (Flemish Catholic CD&V, Voor Tervuren). By daytime, Coudré works for a global engineering company. He is the son of a former infrastructure alderman and also the grandson of a former Tervuren mayor.

Traffic Congestion and Safety Concerns

The closure has led to traffic congestion on the reopened Duisburgsesteenweg and dangers for children on the way to school further up in town, at least according to the cyclists’ organisation Fietsersbond Tervuren. Fietsersbond even called for urgent back-to-school measures, including a 30 km/h speed limit and clearer signage near Italian restaurant La Cantina and near Diependal. The organisation also notes that the downhill “sand path” on the Duisburgsesteenweg has already been the site of an accident in which a child was taken to hospital.

“Once the works in the park are completed, traffic will again pass through there,” said former mayor Marc Charlier (Flemish nationalist N-VA). “I expect that traffic — certainly the congestion — will drop sharply, and with that of course the potential danger as well.”

Charlier is also opposed to installing bollards to stop cars from driving on pavements. “Because those bollards sometimes cause traffic to come to a complete standstill,” he said. “They are often also an obstacle for pedestrians.”

Tervuren counts six €59,881-per-year alderpersons, all appointed in December 2024 under Mayor Thomas Geyns (Flemish liberal OpenVLD, Voor Tervuren).

Event Info: Kidical Mass Tervuren

When: Sunday 28 September 2025, 15:00–17:00
Location: Markt, 3080 Tervuren
Organizer: Fietsersbond Tervuren
Offer: Free participation

The Kidical Mass Tervuren is a festive, child-friendly cycling parade aimed at encouraging more children and parents to ride bikes and highlighting the need for safer cycling conditions. Participants provide music along the route, ride at a child’s pace and observe all traffic rules.

Website: tervuren.be/activiteiten/detail/2978/kidical-mass-tervuren
Contact: tervuren@fietsersbond.be