Route controls are the most efficient method of maintaining speed. Since June 2022, four section checks in zone 30 have been operational in both directions in the village of Leest. To keep freight traffic out of Leest, a truck lock came into operation shortly afterwards in August 2022 between Juniorslaan and Pastoor de Heuckstraat (Zennebrug).
“The intention was to fine the speeders and also to keep heavy freight traffic out of the center. If I look at the figures, I think we can say that we have succeeded in this assignment with flying colors. In 2023, only 59 truck drivers were fined. That’s less than five per month,” says Somers. The mayor points out that 109 truck drivers have been fined in the last four months of 2022 (the start-up of the truck lock in Leest). That makes a big difference to the quality of life in the village.
“In 2023, only 59 truck drivers were fined. That’s less than five per month.”
Bart Somers (For Mechelen)
Mayor
Mayor Bart Somers in the Dorpstraat in Leest. “We cannot ban cars from driving through Leest. But the introduced section checks are a very efficient tool to help drivers do this in a disciplined manner.” — © Leo De Nijn
More cars through village
Freight transport, without a destination, has been banned from Leest-dorp. The mastodons have to go through traffic jams via the N16 towards Mechelen to the E19. To avoid traffic jams, especially during the morning and evening rush hours, more cars will enter the village of Leest. They do this via Koning Boudewijnlaan-Blaasveldstraat-Juniorslaan.
The number of vehicles that passed the section checks in Leest last year rose to almost one million, compared to 600,000 in 2022. A serious increase. “You can’t prevent that. You cannot prohibit drivers from driving through Leest. The only weapon we have at our disposal, and which we are using strongly, are the section checks 30. Here we can speak of a very positive report and note that the cars drive through Leest village in a disciplined manner,” the mayor continues.
In 2022 (since the start of section checks in April to December 2022), 11,300 drivers were fined (1.90 percent). Of the almost 1 million drivers, 8,330 drivers (0.83 percent) received a fine in 2023. It is striking that half of the 8,330 offenders in the Kouter (4,192 offenders) were flashed. The other offenders have been fined in Dorpstraat (1,886), Pastoor de Heuckstraat (1601) and Molenstraat (651).
The dotted lines represent the four section controls. The existing truck lock from Juniorslaan to Pastoor de Heuckstraat has also worked well. “But to also curb sneaking trucks, we want to activate a second lock, this one from Molenstraat to Kouter,” says Mayor Bart Somers. — © Gazet avn Antwerp.
Most fines
The worst students in the class remain the drivers on the Dorpstraat-Kouter route, with a deviating average of 2.86 percent, which is almost half less than in 2022. Yet most drivers continue to be caught out. During the summer holidays (May-August 2022), the police still noted 7.13 percent of passers-by who drove too fast.
Yves Bogaerts, Rivierenland police chief, says that section checks will only come into their own in the longer term. The police chief refers to neighboring Hombeek, where the number of ticketed car drivers has fallen by more than half in the last three years.
“The conclusion of the section zones in Leest is that there is a very low violation rate compared to streets in the city of Mechelen without section controls. There we often note between 8 and 15 percent of offenders (or more) depending on the speed regime. This is the effect of automated speed enforcement 24/7,” says Mayor Somers.
Kris De Laet, resident of Molenstraat: “I think the second truck lock can be built.” — © Leo De Nijn
Second truck lock
The mayor is currently investigating whether a second lock should be installed after the Juniorslaan-Pastoor de Heuckstraat truck lock. “Our police services receive quite a few complaints about increasing freight traffic from residents of Molenstraat. They may be sneakers. We also want to eliminate this by putting a second Molenstraat-Kouter truck lock into operation. We want to get rid of freight traffic that should not be in our villages for loading or unloading.”
“I think the second truck lock can be built,” says Kris De Laet, a resident of Molenstraat. “We hear the roar of some trucks right into our house. Even the glasses sometimes dance in the cupboard. Our neighbors Lucienne and Jos have cracks in the walls. But prove that freight traffic has something to do with that. We often see trucks that do not need to be here and that is why this extra lock should be added.”
That is also the opinion of Godelieve Lamberts, who has lived in Molenstraat for more than half a century. “Since section checks were introduced, there are fewer trucks here, but they are still there. If they have to deliver here, fine, but we’d rather get rid of those who drive through,” Godelieve concludes.
We now have to wait for the final decision of the council of aldermen.
Godelieve has lived in Molenstraat for half a century: “We’d rather get rid of trucks passing through.” — © Leo De Nijn
Tags: million passenger cars pass section controls Leest HGV traffic driven village Mechelen
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