Local residents are fed up with street racers: “On weekends it is exactly Francorchamps here” (Temse)

The residents of Boodtsstraat and surrounding streets in Temse are fed up with the street racers who make the neighborhood unsafe every weekend. “Last weekend was unprecedented. It was right here the Formula 1 circuit of Francorchamps. A week later, the rubber is still on the road,” says local resident Jürgen Van Acker.

“Every weekend there are more and more of them,” says Jürgen, who lives in Boodtsstraat. That street is part of a quiet neighborhood behind the station. According to local residents, this peace is invariably disturbed at weekends by owners of expensive and especially fast cars who appropriate the streets and transform them into a race circuit.

“It has never been as bad as last weekend,” says Jürgen. “It started around 4pm on Friday and didn’t stop until Sunday evening. They start in Philemon Haumanstraat and then drive around the block via Boodtsstraat, Sint-Sebastiaanstraat and Vlietdam. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people reach speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour with their Ferrari or Lamborghini.” (Continue reading below the video)

© TV Oost

Pieces of rubber

This all happens in built-up areas, with very narrow streets. The street racers are not visible during the day, but the traces they left behind are even more noticeable. “There is a tire track of twelve meters long in Philemon Haumanstraat. The pieces of rubber are still there from last week. It was exactly the Francorchamps circuit here. They even stand on the sidewalk with their chronometer to measure the fastest time,” says Jürgen. “They can just go about their business here. There is a total lack of enforcement because we don’t see the police here.” (Read more below the photo)

Ghetto

According to the neighborhood, the problem is due to their “isolation”. “We are completely isolated due to the various diversions in Temse,” says Jürgen. “They can do their thing freely here. Urgent action is needed before this becomes a ghetto. Unfortunately, the municipality is putting the approach to this neighborhood on hold.”

Municipal councilor Alec Lamberts (Tesamen) stands up for the neighborhood and puts the problem on the agenda of the next municipal council. “Street racing with tuned cars puts unnecessary pressure on the quality of life in our center due to noise and traffic pollution,” he says. “The police must take stricter action here and take measures to discourage the racers by, for example, confiscating their cars and imposing high fines.”