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Groen proposes lower speed limit in Brussels Region
Belgian political party Groen has proposed to make the entire Brussels Region one large 'Zone 30', bringing the speed limit down to 30km per hour (kph) on all local roads within the Region, reports De Standaard.
The proposed zone applies to 70% of the Region's total road network, which currently has a speed limit of 50kph. Groen hopes to lower the speed limit across the zone to 30kph - albeit with the possibility of certain exceptions. Brussels MEP Bruno De Lille has already prepared the reform proposal.
"The main motivation is safety," said De Lille. "We have seen an average of 30 fatalities annually on Brussels roads in recent years. We therefore agreed to work together with the Region to reduce this number to less than 12 by 2020... And we know that speed is a crucial factor in accidents."
Brussels minister for road safety, Bianca Debaets, has said that De Lille's proposal is "definitely a good idea." Brussels mobility minister Pascal Smet also expressed his approval, saying he sees “no problem” with the extension of the Zone 30.
Comments
What a laugh I live on a road that's 50 and the traffic is always in excess of that next to me. I'm at the edge of a village and people don't slow down. As I drive on the limit others become Cupid stunts and overtake me over solid white lines round blind bends. Currently a section is 30 for the toads frogs crossing and no one except locals respects this even though there are barriers and people walking in high Vis gear to rescue the reptiles and help them across. How will they enforce this? No one currently drives at 50 or 30 by schools. They would be much better at looking at way to encourage people to use public transport instead
Why not make 10 km/h speed limit or ban cars, there will be no car accidents? The technology for safer streets is already there. If so-called “regulators” really wanted to make a difference, why not make safety systems mandatory in all cars. Auto-braking/detecting pedestrian is already working in more expensive cars. Essentially, it is cameras/lasers and electronics, how much does this cost to put in every new car (compared to value of the car, but of course, it is sold as premium for now)? Connected cars? Mandatory dash video cameras/driving tracking devices linked to car insurance – if really wanted to minimise loss of life on the streets.
Groen - does that mean that only the Flemish Green party wants slow traffic in Brussels? What about Ecolo? What does Groen want for Flanders? Speeding as usual?