Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The AWV plans to build 2.4 km of “weaving lanes” on the motorway between Sint-Denijs-Westrem and Zwijnaarde. The GMF opposes it, arguing it encourages more car use and worsens pollution.
The Flemish Roads and Traffic Agency (AWV) is going to build special lanes on the motorway between Sint-Denijs-Westrem and Zwijnaarde. These lanes are called “weaving lanes”. AWV mentioned that they’re not going to make the motorway wider, but instead, they’ll use the space in the middle of the road to create these lanes.
The AWV says this is just a technical solution to improve traffic flow and prevent accidents, and they don’t want to make the road bigger or encourage more cars. The new lanes will cover a distance of 2.4 kilometres.
Will AWV’s 2.4 km weaving lanes in Ghent lead to more traffic?
The Ghent Environmental Front (GMF) opposes the weaving lanes. They think the lanes will act like a hidden 4th lane. Steven Geirnaert, the leader of the GMF, says this kind of project goes against environmental goals and makes people more dependent on cars.
They remember a similar project in 2019 that was stopped because they and Greenpeace complained. They’re afraid this new plan is just a way to bring back the old plan and make more space for cars. They mentioned that they should be focusing on things like walking, biking, and public transport.
“In the short term, a weaving lane might provide relief,”
Says Geirnaert.
“But an additional lane of 2.4 kilometres is simply an expansion of capacity,” says Geirnaert. “In the long term, the same problems will arise again: even more traffic, even more traffic jams and even more air pollution.”
According to the Ghent Environmental Front (GMF), the lanes might look like they’re for safety, but they’ll make the road bigger. Steven Geirnaert says the lanes might help traffic a little bit now, but in the long run, they’ll cause more problems.
“That is why we are proposing a maximum speed for the entire Ghent region that corresponds to the maximum speed imposed on the Gentbrugge Viaduct, 90 kilometres per hour for passenger cars and 70 kilometres per hour for trucks,”
Says Geirnaert.
The GMF wants to slow down traffic on the road instead of adding lanes. They think making the speed limit 100 km/h instead of 120 km/h would be better for the environment. They mentioned that a report says that slowing down traffic would make the air cleaner and healthier for everyone.
The government is also planning to put up taller noise barriers and improve the drainage system to make the road better for the environment. The GMF is happy about those changes, but they still think that we need to focus on making people use cars less.
