The rise of dirty politics in Europe

THE BOIS DE LA CAMBREMEP is the most handsome park in Brussels. Its 123 hectares offer mature forest and potential peace for the residents of the Belgian capital’s well-to-do southern suburbs. Naturally, the Belgians—among Europe’s biggest petrolheads—built a motorway through it. During the lockdown, the park was closed to traffic. Pedestrians were delighted. Drivers were furious, court cases came and a new front in the culture war was born.Grumpy motorists are easy to find in Europe today. Head north to the Netherlands and they moan about speed limits. There, motorway traffic now crawls along at 100kph (62mph) after the government cut the daytime speed limit from 130kph to stop the country busting through its pollution limits. Mark Rutte, the country’s ever-flexible prime minister, declared the measure he had just introduced “rotten”. Over the border in Germany, the days of screaming down the autobahn at 200kph could be over, if the Greens end up in government and introduce a speed limit. Green politicians know it will cause a fight. “The speed limit is second amendment stuff,” says Daniel Freund, a Green .