Governor: “Driving slower, screen all villages and help from technology for smoother mobility”

Like other provinces, West Flanders is also striving for a larger share of bicycles in our transport, by, among other things, expanding and promoting the networks of bicycle highways.

But there are also other possibilities, says Decaluwé. “I note that there is still room for growth in our province for foot traffic, to upgrade footpaths. We can use old tram beds and abandoned rail beds to achieve quick wins.” The governor cites the example of Lombardsijde: space is becoming available there because they are moving the tram track there. They will make the space that will be freed up attractive for pedestrians and cyclists, and will also provide some water buffering.

Faster technology adoption

In his speech, the governor argued for a rapid roll-out of, among other things, 5G, which is super-fast internet to connect means of transport and traffic signalling. He also cites the example of the A19/N8 file as an example in which priorities are shifting: “There are still voices in favor of extending the A19, but studies show that the mobility problem can be dealt with by converting the N8. It has fewer ambitions in terms of capacity than the extension, but it does offer a number of other opportunities, for example around bicycle connections.

Governor Decaluwé also wants to make us more aware of the environmental impact on mobility. “We should also dare to ask ourselves whether the current infrastructure is still geared to the needs in all places. The expansion of the last stretch of E40 in Ostend could offer opportunities to bring more greenery into the city.” Spreading freight traffic, such as between Messines and Heuvelland, also yielded important results.

Less rapidly

At the same time, the governor is advocating that we also drive slower. “On municipal roads, the use of GAS fines is a possible way out to also get the section checks funded on municipal roads,” says the governor. “In addition, more needs to be invested in automation to handle the administration.”

Screen all villages

In order to map out all the problems, and especially to come up with good solutions, Decaluwé advocates screening the entire province. “Screen all 250 West Flemish villages, and keep a finger on the pulse. Only in this way can we as governments know how people move, where they look for shops or work, whether there is a regional shortage of general practitioners or ATMs. .” And we also need ‘smart solutions possible,’ concludes the governor: “Much more is possible than a physical location where permanence is assured, from collection points to flexible workplaces.”