Bilzen (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): On 18th September, the police in Bilzen, under Chief Dirk Claes, used a drone to keep an eye on the bike zone on Zeepstraat. They caught drivers speeding over the 30 km/h limit and ended up giving out seven fines to help keep everyone safe.
Last Wednesday on 18th September, the police in Bilzen checked out Zeepstraat, which is now a bike zone where drivers can’t go faster than 30 km/h or pass cyclists. They noticed a lot of drivers weren’t following these rules, so they decided to take action. Police Chief Dirk Claes said this street is important for students and shouldn’t have heavy traffic. Some drivers use this road to avoid busier streets, which is not allowed. The police used a drone to watch the street and had officers at both ends to catch rule-breakers. Claes mentioned that the road has many curves, making it hard to see everything, but the drone helped them keep an eye on things. They only used one drone and didn’t check any license plates.
How are Bilzen police ensuring the Safety of cyclists on Zeepstraat?
As a driver, it’s important to be careful around cyclists. Police Chief Dirk Claes said that drivers need to follow the rules to keep everyone safe, especially on Zeepstraat, which is now a bike zone. The police are using drones to watch the roads and remind drivers to respect cyclists. Recently, they gave out seven fines to help people understand how to act around cyclists. Some residents were upset about the drones, saying it felt like too much, while others thought the police should focus on cyclists who break rules. Claes mentioned that if drivers follow the rules, they won’t get in trouble, and the drones are just there to catch those who don’t.
“It is certainly not the case that we just let cyclists do what they want, we address everyone”
(Chief of Police Dirk Claes)
According to police Chief Dirk Claes, parents want their kids to bike safely to school, so it’s the police’s job to check that road, and using a drone makes it easier. He thinks people shouldn’t be surprised by this and is open to talking to drivers who have concerns. Claes pointed out that if drivers follow the rules, they won’t face any issues. He also said that they monitor cyclists and teach them about traffic safety too. The police might do more checks in the future based on what they see on the roads, but it won’t happen soon since they need to borrow a drone from another area.
