For one day every year, traffic in the European Capital is almost nonexistent. Well, traffic in the conventional sense of the term.

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No motor-vehicles are allowed to circulate in the city’s 160 km², apart from taxis, public transport, emergency services, and those with special passes – and there is a speed limit of 30 kph.

The event originated in Paris in 1998, with the aim of raising city-dwellers’ awareness of sustainable mobility and promoting an environmentally friendly transport strategy. Brussels joined in the fun in 2000. Car-free Sunday has taken place every year since then, and has become increasingly popular. 2003 saw the introduction of free public transport as part of the festivities. Information stands are set up in every commune; bike circuits are organized, and bike rental shops are kept busy throughout the day.

Our local bike shop

We set off at 9 a.m. to rent a bike. The streets were quiet.

Boulevard du Trone

I did see a few renegade cars – most had German or Dutch number plates, and I imagine the unwitting drivers were surprised to find no traffic in the city. In order to allow a maximum number of people to participate, our local bike shop only allowed us to keep our bikes for two hours.

For me this was a great opportunity: I know my way round many areas of Brussels – I have become thoroughly familiar with the part of Ixelles, in the heart of the city, where we have been staying for the last three weeks, and if I take a metro or a bus (and my street map), I can generally find my way round. But the Lord forgot to bless me with spatial intelligence, and I had no picture in my head of how the various bits link up. I particularly wanted to explore the area we will be moving to in three weeks’ time, near the Bois de la Cambre – the gorgeous forest park on the south side of the city.

The street where we will be living

I was keen to find out where my nearest shops and public transport would be.

I was surprised by how few people were around, and riding down the middle of normally exhaust-fume polluted and traffic-packed boulevards was extraordinarily liberating – until my multitasking got the better of me. Freewheeling down a slope one-handed with the wind in my face – and my camera raised to my eye - I neglected to notice the tram rails on the road beneath me.

Tram rails proved dangerous

My wheel got caught and I went flying. Fortunately an embarrassing photo opportunity was missed! Not too much damage done to me or my camera, but the plastic chain guard was split and twisted, and the bike unrideable, till I managed to find someone with a Phillips screwdriver and managed to remove the guard and strap it onto the rack.

We covered a huge circuit, through the woods and park,

Bois de la Cambre

and finished up riding along the elegant Avenue Louise. By this time a few more people had appeared, some on various forms of wheels,

hooves,

or simply enjoying the opportunity to walk down the middle of normally crazy traffic-filled avenues.

But it was in the afternoon that things really got moving. I saw bikes of all shapes and sizes, trikes,

scooters,

bikes pulling children’s bikes with all sorts of ingenious means,

bikes pulling little baby chariots,

rollerbladers, Nordic skaters (is that what they’re called?) …

In one of Brussels’ most elegant squares in the heart of the up-market shopping area, people rested, and the air was filled with an atmosphere of bonhomie.

Occasionally, an ambulance wee-awed by. ‘Careful,’ a dad said to his son, ‘this is more dangerous than driving a car!’

But it was such fun to get a completely different perspective on this city which is to be my home for the next while.