Antwerken initiative in Antwerp (Belgium) - Osmose

CASE STUDY
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commercials etc. which is of clear added-value. They clearly outline benefits of green
alternatives to cars and gather all marketing messages into a same and coherent brand.
These City wide campaigns schemes can be found in different forms but all encourage
public discussions on potential or already existing mechanisms and alternative transport
modes. These campaigns are organised and financially supported by the local authority
or its transport department. Partnerships with local media or promotion at the occasion of
specific communication events are to be put forward. A good and regular press coverage
on City campaigns will ensure a more effective campaign and modal shift will be
increased.
The tools used within the campaign are adapted to the target audience and user-friendly.
An appealing design attracts more people, and values them as customers.
Basic facts
The City of Antwerp is undergoing from 2000 to 2015 a large scale renovation of its
transport infrastructure, being it road or rail. The activities are brought together in a
Master plan Mobility for the wider city region. The whole programme is coordinated by a
temporary agency: the BAM (Management Unit Antwerp Master Plan). The key
investments include:
‣ A renovation of the city ring road, a highway that is part of the TEN-T network.
‣ A renovation of the main urban highway (‘Leien’) that crosses the city from South
to North.
‣ Large railway investments, including the connection of the Antwerp Central
Station with the High Speed Train (HST) lines Brussels – Amsterdam, and the
preparations of a regional railway system.
‣ The construction of a fixed cross-river connection (a bridge, or combined bridge –
tunnel) across the Schelde river.
‣ Extensions of tramway lines to the outskirts of the urban region.
The vast scale of these construction works, the innovative segmentation and sequencing
of the works and the importance of the accessibility of an important economic area such
as the Port of Antwerp, lead to the decision to combine the hardware measures with a
comprehensive but broad scheme of soft accompanying measures. These measures
represent a smart combination of:
‣ Increase of public transport, being it by road or rail. New fast bus lines link up
Park & Ride areas outside the urban area with the city centre. Most of the
increased public transport offer will remain after the construction works are
finished.
‣ Provision of alternative routes for motorised transport, with a strong focus on
freight. This includes smart signposting (starting even at the Belgian boarders),
and GPS applications. These alternative routes include measures such as
temporary bridges.
‣ Improvement of the bicycle network.
‣ Teleworking schemes etc
The accompanying measures are jointly promoted under the brand ‘Antwerken’, a
wordplay with Antwerp and Werken (Works). The main message of the campaign is that
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