Antwerp (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): N-VA, Vooruit, and CD&V plan significant investments in De Lin’s Antwerp transport, led by Annick De Ridder. Gates for trams and body cameras for inspectors are proposed for safety.
The agreement between N-VA, Voorit, and CD&V plans to invest a lot in the public transport company De Lijn. They want to make buses and trams better by adding more bus lanes, separate tracks, and smart traffic lights. It’s not clear yet how much extra money De Lijn will get, and they don’t know either. Annick De Ridder from N-VA will be in charge of these changes in Antwerp. The plan also says that only paying passengers will be allowed in the premetro, which is only in Antwerp, as it has a special premetro system.
Will De Lin implement tram gates and body cameras for safety?
De Lijn and the ACV union are happy about adding gates for trams, but some people have concerns. Expert Herman Welter thinks gates are a good idea because tickets aren’t checked often, but he points out that they are expensive and require maintenance. He believes the government should first make sure all escalators and elevators in the Antwerp pre-metro are working well before introducing gates. Welter wants to ensure that funding for the gates doesn’t take away from fixing important facilities. De Lijn is already making improvements, like installing new escalators at the Sport metro station by mid-December and adding more at the Meir station this month, with plans for other stations too.
“If the inspectors carry cameras, it discourages aggression among travelers”
(Jo Van der Herten, Secretary ACV)
Flemish leaders want to allow De Lijn inspectors and drivers to use body cameras to make everyone safer. Jo Van der Herten from the ACV union thinks this is a good idea because cameras can help stop bad behavior from passengers, but he’s not sure if drivers should have them since they aren’t trained for safety like inspectors. De Lijn agrees with using cameras, especially for inspectors, but their spokesperson says drivers might not need them as much because they usually work in a closed space.
