The canceled circulation plan in Curegem is causing a wave of GAS fines in the Anderlecht district. Residents denounce the unclear signage and are therefore calling for a collective remission. The city council prefers to look at it on a case-by-case basis.
The chaos peaked in November, resulting in more traffic violations, and those GAS fines (a rate of sixty euros) now end up in many mailboxes.
“Incomprehensible”, says Younes Haidar, a resident of Curegem. He started the new year with a double reprimand for standing still and parking in the wrong direction, each time in rue Brogniez. “The situation changed three times in the same amount of time, and some signs are still turned in the wrong direction.”
Haidar will not give up and will officially contest his reprimands, he tells BRUZZ. The reason: “The lack of clear signage, the late introduction of the adapted signage after the abolition of the new circulation plan and the traffic chaos caused by the municipal council as a result.”
Not an Isolated Case
The municipality of Anderlecht acknowledges that this is not an isolated case, and confirms that similar GAS fines have been issued more than usual in recent months. They continue to look at the disputes on a case-by-case basis. The victims have one month to challenge the fine; this is only possible with an official letter by post.
“This is not a new problem,” emphasizes Martin Vander Elst, initiator of the Non au Plan Good Move Committee. The opponents have been warning for some time about the collateral damage caused by the circulation plan. “Since the announcement of Good Move, it quickly became clear that the local residents had their doubts about the transformations. No one wanted to listen then, resulting in lasting chaos.”
A first request for a collective remission of the fines was completely ignored, says Vander Elst. “We therefore plan to raise the issue again at the next city council.” Committee Non au Plan Good Move therefore hopes to be able to restart the debate on Good Move. “Everyone wants clarity about the future plans for the circulation plan.”
This article is originally published bruzz.be
