Once again, a motorist mistook the tram tracks under the South Tunnel for a traffic lane. It concerns an elderly man who has maneuvered his car unluckily between the tram rails. He is not the first motorist to make a mistake. Should something change?
First the facts: on Thursday, just after 6 p.m., a motorist drove into the South Tunnel, which is actually only intended for tram traffic. The driver quickly got stuck in the tracks and was unable to move forward or backward. Images posted on social media show other travelers trying to help the driver. The driver is a slightly older man.
Finally, the STIB services tow the car away. The STIB has had to stop tram 81 for half an hour. “Luckily there were no injuries,” says STIB spokeswoman An Van hamme. The car driver can expect a ‘high bill’ for the towing and delay of the tram.
It is not the first time that a motorist has become trapped in the tram tunnel. “Car imagines itself as a tram in South Station”, we already wrote it in 2012. In our archives we found several examples of motorists entering the tunnel of South Station. They may mistake the tunnel for a lane.
Well Marked
Granted, it’s hard to see from afar. But even before the intersection, the stop sign is clear. Also just before the tunnel is a stop sign and a warning sign that the tram tracks begin. “It is well marked,” says STIB spokeswoman An Van hamme.
Why do motorists still drive onto the tracks? That may have more to do with the driver than with the signalling. “I don’t know what the reason was on Thursday, but in the past it sometimes happened that motorists were drunk or confused.”
This was also the case in 2016, when a Range Rover driver made a crazy ride from Albert to Zuidstation. Since then, STIB has built barriers in the tracks. As a result, a driver cannot continue driving after entering the tram rails. One drawback: the car cannot drive any further, but it can still drive on the rails. If a motorist makes a mistake, STIB must always tow away the car before the trams can pass through again.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be.
