Flight Forum is becoming even more accessible, as well as pleasant and welcoming for all forms of mobility.
Since Bart Verschut took office as director of Flight Forum in 2020, he has had a clear vision: to develop the area into a diverse and hospitable environment where various forms of work and residence converge. Mobility is crucial to this vision, with a strong emphasis on accessibility and safety for both cars and cyclists and pedestrians.
Flight Forum, located on the A2, is currently easily accessible via a high-quality bus connection with frequent services to and from the center of Eindhoven. In collaboration with the municipality, various improvements have been made in recent years to increase accessibility and safety, such as widening the road from the A2, creating safer crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, and setting up temporary parking spaces.
Nevertheless, Verschut has ambitious plans to further improve mobility to and within Flight Forum. “This year, the focus will be on welcoming cyclists. Temporary measures will be taken to make it clear that there is space for cyclists on the parking ring, alongside cars, making cyclists feel more at home. And although public transport is already quite good, we aim to further improve it. For example, we want to reduce congestion during peak times and create better connections with other campuses and De Kempen. However, we depend on the municipality of Eindhoven and the province of North Brabant for improvements to public transport.”
New parking garage
Another project in the pipeline is the construction of a new parking garage near the gas station. With a whopping 900 spaces, this parking garage will not only accommodate the relocation of 450 parking spaces that currently dominate the landscape of Flight Forum at ground level but also allow for future growth of the area. Verschut says, “We are working on a striking design where we reuse used parts in the facade. Because the research is still ongoing, I cannot reveal everything yet, but I promise it will be spectacular. We have also taken pedestrian safety into account in the design. A pedestrian bridge will provide a seamless connection between the office cluster and the parking garage, making it easy to access your car.”
The completion of the parking garage is scheduled for 2026, making Flight Forum even more attractive for both employees and visitors. But Verschut is not only thinking about cars. He also wants to give cyclists a prominent place. Verschut says, “Together with the municipality, we are investigating how cycle connections can be further improved and how crossing to Flight Forum can be made safer and more enjoyable.
With the new parking garage, space will also be freed up on the parking ring to give cyclists their own space, amidst a green, park-like environment. The first designs for the green parking ring have already been made. All the measures we are going to take will ensure that Flight Forum will be even more accessible in three years’ time, as well as pleasant and welcoming for all forms of mobility.”