Teacher writes open letter to mayor: ‘Zero tolerance, now’

Thomas calls on the mayor to get irresponsible drivers off the street. He advocates zero tolerance. This is his open letter:

Dear mayor,

Dear Kris Declercq

In the night from Friday (24/06/2022) to Saturday (25/06/2022) I accompany a colleague on my bike from the center to Westlaan, this after a festive evening: a proclamation celebration at school and the start of ‘The Bats’.

Within a period of fifteen (!) minutes we are startled 3 times by irresponsible, antisocial and intimidating driving behavior in the central streets of our city. Crime scenes:

1) Patersstraat

2) Women’s Street – Sint-Michielsplein

3) Groenestraat

We are stunned to observe this reckless riotous behaviour, right in the heart of our city, and that on one of the busiest (family) evenings in Roeselare.

We have a conversation about this shocking street aggression – thinking of our students who have just graduated and will soon return home cheerfully by bicycle – and we argue that we cannot understand why there is no (!) control to be found here. After all, this pathological show-stopping behavior is not new at all. Everyone seems to notice it, by the way, and yet: these narcissistic antisocial road pirates can hardly be caught in the act. All very strange, because patsers don’t want to either seen become?

The next morning I wake up to a news flash. That flash shows that in the night from Friday to Saturday a 23-year-old girl, Marthe H., was killed on the Meensesteenweg in Roeselare. A statement from the public prosecutor’s office of West Flanders reads: ” […] and at least inappropriate speed was the cause of this accident […] the man turned out to be driving under the influence.” Witnesses talk about a car that drove off the roundabout with screeching tires at high speed.

Dear Mayor, I am outraged.

I’m upset.

I am angry.

I am furious.

I’m sad.

And I am powerless.

I am powerless, but you and your colleagues are not. That’s why this appeal: do everything (!) you can to get this totally irresponsible driving behavior off our streets. Zero tolerance, now. Trace the many speeders with the many cameras that are already hanging in the city. Stop issuing negligible alibi fines, but freeze the driver’s license for a considerable time, confiscate cars for a considerable time and jail street criminals because this driving behavior is murderous. Talk to your colleagues in politics because how is it possible that Belgium still does not work with a points driving license? Be not soft in punishment, but harsh and corresponding. Place checkpoints (manned and machined) in strategic places during our folk festivals, our weekends, our working days. Do not do this symbolically, but structurally and always unannounced. Ban cars as much as possible from the city center because a city belongs to the people, to cyclists, to walkers, not to screeching tires, exhaust fumes, bangers and murderous macho machines. Protect vulnerable road users by constructing our roads (such as traffic blockers) in such a way that cyclists and pedestrians are effectively protected and motorists are forced to drive slowly and responsibly. Continue to raise awareness and dare to act repressively. Protect your sons and daughters.

I can imagine how deeply affected you are by this dramatic event that has relegated our popular festival to a minor one. Our Bats turned red this year. Blood red. And will do that for a lot of people for a lifetime. You, as a person, can’t do anything about that, but you, as a policy maker, can change that. Sorry, there must you to change something.

And you seem to do that. Earlier this week there was a press release stating that a 27-year-old young man, who had been causing nuisance and complaints for months (!) was finally put aside. A “first for Roeselare”. His car has been impounded for 1 month and the man has lost his driver’s license for 15 days.

1 month. 15 days. Months of nuisance.

I am sure that you too realize how painful and incomprehensible these figures, even if they are ‘provisional’, sound. All the more after what happened this weekend in the Meensesteenweg. Fortunately, that press release also states that it is “ultimately the mayor himself who will decide when the man gets his car back and what fine he has to pay”.

Marthe has not been there since Saturday morning. Since Saturday morning, the lives of family, friends and acquaintances have been devastated and traumatized. Since Saturday morning, all parents in Roeselare have become more suspicious: will our son/daughter come home in one piece after an evening of fun? The impact is great, dear mayor. And this because of a reprehensible patsphenomenon that has been plaguing our streets for some time, of course not only in Roeselare, but also elsewhere.

So I repeat this appeal once again: do everything you can to avoid similar tragedies in the future, for Marthe’s death is avenging. Marthe’s death chronicles an announced criminal event.

I do not wish to receive a written response to this letter. I want to see bold policy and impactful decisiveness. I am convinced that you, as a concerned and concerned mayor that you are, will do so.

Thomas Ryon

25.06.2022