Geel (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Starting August 1st a trial bans parking on roads in the city to improve traffic flow, pedestrian safety and delivery access with a review planned for October.
It has been said that when cars stop on the road for people to get in or out pick up things, or drop off goods at stores, it causes a lot of issues on the roads. Other drivers have to swerve around them like in a slalom race. This makes the traffic flow uneven and can make accidents more likely to happen. When people want to cross the street but there’s a car blocking their view they have to walk behind the car. This can be risky because they can’t see the traffic coming from the other side which might cause accidents. When there’s a car stopped on the road cyclists coming from the other direction might get pushed to the side by other vehicles trying to pass the stopped car. This can make cyclists go into less safe areas on the road making accidents more likely to happen.
What are the new parking rules starting August 1, and how will they impact traffic and safety?
Starting from 1 August cars won’t be allowed to stop or park on the road anymore. This rule is because of the problems caused by vehicles stopping on the road which traders and the police have been warning about. The city is providing options for parking. There are parking spots open and a free one-hour parking at the city center car park. They will also create specific areas for loading and unloading so shops can get their deliveries. Due to the new rules some parking spots will be taken away. The loading zones might be a bit further from some shops than before because there’s no space to add more. These changes are meant to make traffic better and keep pedestrians and cyclists safer.
The new rules about not parking on the road will be tested out for a while. During this trial the city will see how well the changes work and hear what people think about them. During this time the city will keep a close eye on how traffic moves how safe it is for people walking and how easy it is for traders and shoppers. They will ask people, traders and police for their thoughts to see if the new rules are fixing the problems. By October they will finish testing the new rules and look at all the information and opinions they gathered. Then they will decide if the rules should stay as they are, change a bit, or stop. They want to make sure their choice is based on what really happened and what people think.
