Diepenbeek (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Local residents warmly welcome initiatives designed to improve the safety conditions of the Diepenbeek Steenweg within the short-term period. The Steenweg road speed limit has changed from 70 to 50 KPH, and crews have fixed the street lighting and paint lines on the ground.
The municipality of Diepenbeek, together with the Roads and Traffic Agency and the police, have established short-term safety measures for the Steenweg. A change reduced the allowed speed from 70 to 50 kilometres per hour in the Diepenbeek centre area, extending toward the Hasselt border.
Section controls will employ extra police checks as a preventive measure. The municipality of Diepenbeek will modernise road markings while undertaking streetlight replacement for damaged fixtures. The safety measures emerged following a fatal bicycle accident in November that occurred due to a drunk driver collision.
“The residents are very relieved that there are finally measures,”
Says Froyen.
“The temporary speed reduction is the first necessary step. We will only be completely satisfied when there is a structural solution. The Steenweg needs a wider and safer cycle path, preferably separated. We assume that this will be achieved within a reasonable period of time.”
The municipality of Diepenbeek has promised to inform the initiators of the petition and other residents about further steps.
“We will also follow it closely ourselves. If necessary, we will request further consultation. We will certainly not let it go”,
Froyen concludes.
“I am very happy that measures are being taken. It is extremely dangerous now,”
Says Heidi Verpoort, who regularly cycles along the Steenweg.
“The cycle paths are much too narrow, especially if you want to pass or cross each other. The cars drive too fast and are there faster than you think.”
Verpoort hopes that the measures will suffice in the short term.
“It is a good start, because the speed reduction allows motorists to react better. I do hope that the separated cycle paths will be installed. It is safer and more comfortable to have your own separated space.”
Heidi Vervoort currently finds it extremely dangerous to cycle next to the Steenweg.Photo: Lieven Roux
When we cycle a little further, we meet student Xander Keller. He lives in a student room along the Steenweg.
“Every day I have to go to and from campus. When trucks or tractors drive past you, it feels very unsafe. So I think these are very good measures. They will have an impact.”
The student does think that plans for a complete reconstruction should remain reasonable.
“The safer it becomes for cyclists, the better. It should be possible. Wider cycle paths might force you to cut down trees. That’s a downside. By the time it happens, I’ll probably have graduated long ago.”
“I just experienced it. When a few buses pass you, you really have to watch out or you’ll get hit,”
Adds cycling tourist Jacques Jammaers. He comes from Sint-Lambrechts-Herk and cycles on the Steenweg 4 to 5 times a week.
“Buses, trucks and tractors simply don’t have much room on the road. They sometimes even drive on the white line because they have no other choice.”
Jammers welcome the short-term measures but also see the benefit of a double-cycle path on one side of the road.
“There needs to be more space. I don’t know if that’s possible, but that’s how you keep the cars at a distance. Now you can’t rule out that there will still be accidents.”
Bert Machiels is a truck driver and regularly drives on the Steenweg.
“It used to be 90 kilometers per hour. The accident is of course very regrettable, but I think it is a shame that these measures are being chosen. That accident had other causes. I think it is a bit exaggerated. We can hardly drive at those speeds everywhere.”
The speed limit is, therefore, not relevant according to the truck driver.
“Everyone knows what happened. If people are not drunk behind the wheel, behave sensibly and stick to 70 kilometers per hour, then such accidents do not happen. I do recognize that the cycle path is unsafe and that something needs to be done about it. A separate cycle path should be possible.”
Christel Hoevelinck lives in a side street of the Steenweg and, therefore comes there by bike and car.
“It used to be much safer with the passages over the railway. Something has to be done. The reduction to 50 kilometres per hour will certainly be an improvement. It is a long route, so I hope that everyone will adhere to it. That will not be easy. The measure itself is acceptable and the only feasible one at the moment.”
Hoevelinck would also like to see separate cycle paths but would then opt for cycle paths on both sides of the roadway.
“A double cycle path on one side can also be dangerous. If there is no other option, I would rather have it this way.”
What is the history of safety concerns regarding Steenweg in Diepenbeek?
Safety concerns about the Steenweg in Diepenbeek as a regional road between Diepenbeek and Hasselt have consistently targeted cyclists and pedestrians. The roadrunner speed limit of 70 km/h has witnessed numerous accidents, leading to a fatal case when a cyclist got hit by a drunk driver in November.
The tragic incident of a cyclist fatality led community members and students to create two petitions, which acquired 1,100 signatures for safer road features. The Steenweg’s narrow cycling paths, together with insufficient lighting, have drawn continuous criticism since users face dangerous conditions when using the road. The area experiences dense traffic from various vehicles, such as trucks, along with buses and tractors, which makes safety conditions even more challenging.
