Voka West Flanders reacts cautiously positively to the decision of the Flemish Government to construct rush-hour lanes on parts of the E403 between Roeselare and Bruges. The business organization calls it a step in the right direction, but does not consider the measure to be sufficient as a long-term solution.
The Flemish Government previously decided to build rush-hour lanes on busy parts of the E403 to improve traffic flow and limit traffic jams. According to Voka, this may be the most feasible solution in the short term, but not the most sustainable.
Bert Mons calls the measure “a solution for the bleeding”. “A rush-hour lane on certain parts of the E403 unfortunately appears to be the most feasible option at the moment to achieve better traffic flow in the short term. But the most robust and sustainable solution remains a full third lane over the entire length and in both directions.”
According to Mons, previous projects on other highways show that rush hour lanes quickly reach their limits. Because the emergency lane is temporarily used as an extra lane, capacity can quickly disappear in the event of an incident or breakdown.
“In the event of an emergency or a vehicle breakdown, the rush-hour lane immediately becomes a hard shoulder again. The extra capacity then immediately disappears and we return to today’s situation,” says Mons. “You cannot call that a robust or sustainable solution.”
