Long-span radars have been installed in Brussels
Road safety has always been an issue in Europe and across the whole world. Many instruments have been set up over the last decades. The radar is a useful tool to enforce drivers to comply with the speed limit, but it doesn’t seem to be sufficient, as many of them speed up just after they have passed the radar.
This is why some countries have set up radars that can sense the car speed over a long distance. The idea is quite simple. The radar makes sure the drivers do not exceed the speed limit over a specific distance. Unfortunately, this will not settle the whole issue of car accidents and road fatalities, but it could be an efficient instrument as long as it minimizes the occurrence of such accidents.
Belgium, and Brussels specifically, are no exception in this regard. The Brussels authorities have unveiled the first long span radar (radar tronçon) in the region of Brussels-Capital. In case you’re used to driving through Leopold III Boulevard, then you should be careful. It is about complying with the maximum speed limit (50 km/h) for a stretch of 663 meters for those who enter the city, and 813 meters for those who exit it.
To be more concrete, the checkups are made from Général Wahis Boulevard (Schaerbeek) to Avenue des Loisirs (Evere). “In this area, we have increased the number of fees about 60% in comparison to last year,” Bernard Clerfayt, mayor of Schaerbeek, stated.
The authorities are convinced that the number of fines will increase over the upcoming months.
It is however not about making money, it is about reducing the number of car crashes and saving lives. “The radar section allows to improve road safety and reduce noisy disturbances,” Biance Debaets, the State Secretary in charge of road safety, said.
Although this type of speed control has only begun in Brussels, the local authorities aim to set up additional ones. It seems that a long span radar might be added in Stéphanie tunnel soon, Ms Debaets mentioned.
