Brussels paid out €370,000 in damages due to poor road infrastructure

The Brussels-Capital Region paid out €371,000 last year in damages to residents who filed claims based on poor road or pavement infrastructure. That’s nearly five times as much as in 2017, according to figures obtained by Het Laatste Nieuws.

The damages were paid to 155 pedestrians and cyclists who had been injured and to owners of cars that had been damaged due to problems with infrastructure, such as deep potholes or loose cobblestones. Anyone injured or with damage to vehicles can file a claim with the region for compensation.

The difference between the €75,000 paid out in 2017 and the €371,000 paid out in 2018 is not due to a huge increase in such claims, according to Camille Thiry of Brussels Mobility but to paying off damage claims received in previous years. “Damages are not necessarily paid in the same year that the claim is made,” she explained.

The region, in turn, also makes claims against vandals or those who have damaged public property in an accident. Last year, it submitted more than 1,000 claims for damages from convicted vandals and insurance companies as reimbursement for the repair of public infrastructure. The total amount claimed was €670,000.