In many Belgian municipalities it is raining fines for speeding offenses due to the unannounced activation of section checks and the (simultaneous) removal of warning signs. One motorist has already received 11 fines.
Belgium is full of route checks. They are being installed at lightning speed, especially in Flanders. 225 section checks are planned, many of which have already been activated. The other checkpoints will be turned on in the coming months. In Wallonia, ‘only’ 25 section checks are planned, some of which have yet to be installed.
Although several new section checks were activated in recent weeks, the federal police failed to inform the municipalities. At the same time, the warning signs for section checks were also removed in many places by the Belgian Agency for Roads and Traffic. The result was a huge amount of fines in some regions.
Eleven fines
Many people were angry and frustrated that on average the fines did not arrive until two weeks later, so that the offenders were not immediately aware of their mistake. Several people have already received two or three fines for slightly exceeding the speed limit – 72 or 73 km/h where you can drive 70 km/h – but fear many more will follow. One motorist has already received eleven fines in the bus.
“Our goal is to make people drive slower, not to issue fines,” said the mayor of Kinrooi Jo Brouns to the Belgian newspaper. The newspapaer in a comment. “By silently activating the speed cameras and removing the warning signs, you only create frustration and misunderstanding. That is why the commissioning of a new speed camera or route control is always preceded by an information campaign.”
You can find the route checks in Flanders here. And…