Belgium Authorities Impose ‘Climate Lockdowns’ on Hot Days

A Belgium town has restricted movement on hot days with roadblocks and police checks on city limits.

The Belgium coastal municipality of Knokke-Heist has approved plans to shut down its town centre during warm, busy days. Police checkpoints will block vehicles, conduct random inspections, and decide who gets in and who is turned away.

Under the new scheme, on hot days nobody will be allowed in or out of the city by car.  Commuters will be forced to park in “peripheral car parks” far from the centre, at places like AZ Zeno hospital or temporary overflow sites at the station. From there, citizens will have to walk or rely on government approved public transport to get in and out of the city.

On hot days that are "likely to be busy" roadblocks will go up at three entry points effectively sealing-off the town to all but essential vehicles.  Police and local authority guards will perform what they call “triage” — where those designated acceptable, such as local authority workers and some traders, will be allowed through, whilst everyone else refused entry.  

Additional police will be stationed at key  locations on route to carry out vehicle checks on so-called ‘peak days., when temperatures are likely to rise above ‘acceptable’ limits.  

Officials admit these checks are designed to have a “discouraging effect” on movement as they effectively cajole citizens into accepting the new normal.  

The mayor, Cathy Coudyser (N-VA), says the crackdown was triggered by traffic 'chaos' on 1 May, when 40,000 cars entered Knokke-Heist. But instead of simply expanding parking or improving transport links, the authorities have chosen to implement a system of controlled access and police-enforced entry.

Even day-trippers will be treated like a problem to be contained, pushed into remote parking lots and kept away from the town’s core. The beaches may still be there — but your ability to reach them will depend entirely on whether officials have decided the centre is too busy.

This plan, presented as a local solution, uses the same principles seen in “15-minute city” experiments: make driving so inconvenient that people stop trying. Once the infrastructure for checkpoints and triage is in place, it can be activated for any reason — traffic, weather, “emissions targets,” or whatever justification officials decide fits the day.

Knokke-Heist insists the restrictions will be “reassessed” as they are rolled out. But history shows that “temporary” measures have a habit of becoming permanent. Once a town learns how to close itself off, there is little incentive to reopen.

An entirely new framework for movement control is being put in place under the cover of “safety.” Permits, policing, and triage are replacing the simple right to enter a public space. Visitors will soon discover that their freedom to travel depends not on the open road, but on the approval of uniformed gatekeepers.

The summer beach trip — once a spontaneous drive away — is now something you’ll have to qualify for. And in Knokke-Heist, the authorities have shown they’re more than willing to decide who belongs and who doesn’t.

Related:

The Terrorist Past of 15-Minute City Inventor Carlos Moreno