N456 Christoffelweg Evergem
20091
From 2021 to 2023
Transport & Mobility Leuven researched how traffic on the Christoffelweg between Brielken and Heinakker could run more smoothly. We looked into bottlenecks and made several proposals to improve traffic flow.
Public transport from Evergem to Ghent needs to run more smoothly. This is why the Christoffelweg (N456) between Brielken and Heinakker is being redesigned. This redevelopment includes not only the roadway, but also cycle paths, parking spaces, verges, bus stops, and the tram track. TML investigated where the bottlenecks for smooth traffic flow lie, looked at what effect the planned redevelopment will have, and made several proposals to improve traffic flow.
Based on flow figures from De Lijn, interviews with bus drivers, and travel time measurements with Google Maps, we analysed the bus routes. We found that traffic jams at the intersection of the N456 with the R4 are the biggest cause of delays for buses. Other problems include awkward exits and inaccessible bypasses. New bottlenecks came to light during the COVID-19 measures, such as pedestrians and cyclists crossing and many boarding and alighting at bus stops.
We also looked at planned roadworks. Through traffic on the R4 will go underground, so that the intersection only has to handle local traffic. Microsimulations show that this reduces congestion, but does not completely solve it. We also examined the planned cycle highway parallel to railway line L58, which will be connected to Eindeken via Spoorwegstraat and a bicycle tunnel under Christoffelweg. However, the accessibility of destinations south of the Ring Canal is still unclear, so the usefulness of these cycle lanes needs to be evaluated.
Finally, we proposed several measures to make traffic on Christoffelweg safer and smoother:
Public transport from Evergem to Ghent needs to run more smoothly. This is why the Christoffelweg (N456) between Brielken and Heinakker is being redesigned. This redevelopment includes not only the roadway, but also cycle paths, parking spaces, verges, bus stops, and the tram track. TML investigated where the bottlenecks for smooth traffic flow lie, looked at what effect the planned redevelopment will have, and made several proposals to improve traffic flow.
Based on flow figures from De Lijn, interviews with bus drivers, and travel time measurements with Google Maps, we analysed the bus routes. We found that traffic jams at the intersection of the N456 with the R4 are the biggest cause of delays for buses. Other problems include awkward exits and inaccessible bypasses. New bottlenecks came to light during the COVID-19 measures, such as pedestrians and cyclists crossing and many boarding and alighting at bus stops.
We also looked at planned roadworks. Through traffic on the R4 will go underground, so that the intersection only has to handle local traffic. Microsimulations show that this reduces congestion, but does not completely solve it. We also examined the planned cycle highway parallel to railway line L58, which will be connected to Eindeken via Spoorwegstraat and a bicycle tunnel under Christoffelweg. However, the accessibility of destinations south of the Ring Canal is still unclear, so the usefulness of these cycle lanes needs to be evaluated.
Finally, we proposed several measures to make traffic on Christoffelweg safer and smoother:
- Set up a separate bus lane.
- Allowing buses to run over the tram lane.
- Install traffic lights at the crossing at Spoorwegstraat.
- Remove the truck parking at Brielken stop.
- Install full white axle marking at Brielken stop.
- Optimise traffic lights at Brielken stop.
- Evaluate possibly redundant bike lanes.
