Hoeilaart (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hoeilaart is using Lidar technology to scan 65 km of roads, bike paths, and sidewalks. Alderman Patrick Demaerschalk says this helps prioritize repairs efficiently. Results are expected by April or May 2025.
Belgium‘s municipality Hoeilaart, is employing a special technology named Lidar to inspect the health of its bike paths, roads, and sidewalks. Lidar emits lasers, which generate highly accurate 3D maps that can indicate cracks, bumps, and other issues, even subsurface ones.
A car with a Lidar system will drive through all the roads in Hoeilaart, and a bike with a similar system will check the bike paths and sidewalks. Officials mentioned that this is much better than just looking at the roads because it finds even small problems that might be missed otherwise.
How is Hoeilaart using Lidar to improve its 65 km of roads?
According to the officials, after the Lidar system checks all the roads and paths, they will be put into groups based on how good they are. This will help the town decide which roads need to be fixed first. Roads that are in bad shape will be fixed right away, and roads that are still good will be watched for problems later.
They mentioned that this way, the town can use its money wisely and fix the roads that need it most. By using Lidar, Hoeilaart is making roads safer and lasting longer. Officials said it also stops small problems from getting worse.
This allows us to use our budget efficiently
Alderman Patrick Demaerschalk (All of Hoeilaart)
According to Patrick Demaerschalk, they will also share the results with people who live in Hoeilaart, so they know how good their street is. This makes the town’s decisions about roads more transparent and helps them plan better.
The town of Hoeilaart is checking all 65 kilometres of roads. Once they finish checking, they will use the information to decide which roads need fixing first. They expect to have the results by April or May 2025. Officials mentioned that this will help them plan for the future and make sure the roads are safe and last longer. They are trying to fix small problems before they become big ones.
