Drivers in Brussels could face fines from day 1 of the new 30 km/h speed limit in the region following the announcement that there will be no transition period into the new rules.
As soon as the generalised zone 30 for drivers in the Brussels-Capital Region goes into force on 1 January, the six police zones will start carrying out checks and enforcing the new rules, according to the latest information on the plan.
"It is, of course, not the aim to start penalising drivers going 32 km/h right away, but rather those driving 60 or 70 km/h," said Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt during a press conference.
The different Brussels police zones have drawn up a coordinated policy to enforce the maximum speed limit of 30 km/h in almost the entire Region. How high a fine for going over the speed limit is, depends on how fast the car was driving, as it is right now.
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Additionally, the fact that checks will be carried out as soon as the measure comes into force, means that there will be no transition period for drivers during which a certain speed will still be tolerated, according to her.
Over the next three years, 60 additional speed cameras will be installed across the Region, on top of the 90 ones that are already in place. In addition to these fixed cameras, the police also have mobile and semi-mobile speed cameras (Lidars).
The focus will be on those areas where most accidents occur, according to Van den Brandt, stressing that the aim is to improve road safety in Brussels, not to increase the number of fines being written out.
Police checks will target the areas that have the most issues, at the times of day when it is most important, according to Frédéric Dauphin, Chief of Police of the Brussels North zone, mainly referring to school zones in the morning and between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
Which actions police will take will depend on the situation, he stressed, going from general awareness-raising to writing up fines.
"In case of repeat offenders and people who are a true danger to their surrounding, we can confiscate their cars for a few days," Dauphin said. "But that is only in the very worst-case scenario."
Tim de Wolf of the Brussels' Public Prosecutor's Office stressed that they will be coordinating their approach to the followup of offenders with the police zones, and will start of judicial proceedings if necessary.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
Update: This story was initially published on 9 December but has been brought back as the measure goes into force from today.
