Residents respond to new circulation plan: “I wonder what is in the drinking water of the people of Ghent?” (Ghent)

“I have lived in Adolf Baeyensstraat for almost twenty years. Over the years, through traffic between Dendermondsesteenweg and Land van Waaslaan has only increased here. This causes road safety and very little quality of life. Doing nothing was simply not an option. I am absolutely satisfied and many neighbors are enthusiastic. We are slowly becoming a residential street again, where we can have a normal conversation. Adjustments are probably still needed, but I hope that people can look further than just ‘their’ street and see the broader picture.”

“I cycle to work in the center of Ghent every day from Oscar Colbrandtstraat, but occasionally I also use the car for shopping and to take the children. By car we can now approach from Victor Braeckmanlaan to within fifty meters of the street where we need to be. Unfortunately, we then have to cross a series of ‘quiet’ streets to cover those fifty meters. That’s crazy, isn’t it? I hope that this plan is discarded or at least revised.”

“My family and I live in Land Van Waaslaan. Since the plan was introduced on April 29, traffic jams here have increased significantly. As a result, traffic is often at a standstill until late at night. This obviously has a detrimental effect on the quality of life. Have the residents on the busier axes no right to road safety, evening peace or smooth traffic flow? Are we seen as second-class citizens who have to put up with the extra traffic for the few streets that can now experience a little more peace and safety?”

“I have lived in Gentbruggestraat for thirty years and am not dissatisfied. It is the first time that residents’ concerns have been taken seriously and the banlieue is seen as part of the city. Finally this is a neighborhood for residents, and not a battleground for motorized thieves. Of course that creates tensions. But the fact that there are streets that now have to swallow more traffic may be a case of this just redistribution. The fear is that political parties will now pit residents against each other in a deceptive, populist manner.”

“This plan completely misses its target and has major consequences for residents. To reach my doctor, I now have to go all the way via the Dampoort and then a few residential streets where I never had to go before. I can probably live with the fact that small residential streets would become one-way. But cutting the major veins of Sint-Amandsberg: I ​​don’t see the point of that at all. It is only a few cargo bike residents, without a car, who shout loudly that it is unsafe. It was safer back then traffic more dispersed used to be.”

“I am in favor of the plan, although I think a complete cut of Gentbruggebrug would have been better. The current plan is a bit too much the result of compromises. I also wonder what is in the drinking water of the people of Ghent that makes it so difficult for them to distance themselves from old habits. I knew the city in the late 1970s. Every square was a parking lot and every street was full of cars. Noise and stench of exhaust fumes everywhere. If you want to combat traffic jams, ensure livable cities. If you want livable cities, ban the car. In that respect it is Ghent is doing well.”

“I live in Gentbrugge. From now on we have to take a detour because posts have been placed in our street, at Gentbruggeplein. Many cars get stuck here and have to turn around. Not really safe. Was the square unsafe in the past? We have never experienced this. But yes, there were cars driving and that was probably the problem. There is only one solution for Gentbruggebrug: back as it used to be. Nobody had a problem with this. There were no traffic jams and no nuisance.”

“Since the start of the plan, we as residents of the beautiful Désiré Toeffaertstraat in Gentbrugge have noticed a sharp increase in traffic. Not surprising, given that all traffic from the neighborhood is sent through our street, instead of via the Oudebrusselseweg. Our street is a very narrow street, with cars parked on both sides. It is also a real living street. The current arrangement goes there completely against it. We very much hope that there will be a (rapid) adjustment.”

“There are still several shortcuts, which appears to have increased traffic in the streets involved. Despite the teething problems and possible necessary adjustments, I am strongly in favor of it. As a car owner and daily bicycle user, I am relieved that the plan has finally been able to get started, despite the many protests prompted by a personal view on business rather than the public interest.”

“We are avid cyclists and live with our family in Scheldestraat. We also use our car regularly. I don’t like the plan and would like to see it scaled back. There are at the Gentbruggebrug too many unnecessary crossings created and the vast majority of local residents have to drive unnecessary miles by car to get to their home. As a result, we have to wait in traffic during rush hour. Other measures such as bicycle streets and traffic plateaus offer better solutions.”

“I applaud the exclusion of through traffic as much as possible, but it makes it difficult for the residents of the neighborhoods. I often use the bicycle, but that is not always possible. When I take the car, I first drive around for fifteen minutes. Some people are of course happy with the plan and can enjoy the peace and quiet now. This goes at the expense of the residents in other streets, where it has suddenly become very busy. For me, that is not solving the problem, but moving the problem.”

“It is no longer possible to travel easily by car to Ghent from Destelbergen since the introduction of the plan. There is a long traffic jam on the Dendermondesteenweg every day. My husband cycles to Ghent every day, but there is no improvement there either. The Nijverheidskaai was given one-way traffic, but the cyclists are therefore average more careless and brutal become. There is no benefit to safety and there is also no benefit to the environment, because many motorists have to detour for kilometers to be a few hundred meters further.”