The members of the Belgian Federation of ‘Angry Motorcyclists’ (FBMC) have tagged hundreds of holes and ruts on Walloon roads on Tuesday as part of a broad awareness campaign on the dangers of the deteriorated road infrastructure for vulnerable road users. Divided into six groups, about a hundred motorcyclists literally highlighted the hazards found on the roads leading away from Charleroi, Brussels, Wavre, La Louvière, Mons and Namur. They all finished together by spray painting ruts on the Nivelles bypass.
"We spray painted hundreds and hundreds of holes on Tuesday. They are ruts that, unless they are quickly repaired to avoid accidents, are immediately dangerous. The first rule of road safety is that each user guarantees their own safety. This is not possible on roads in such a state of disrepair as these: currently, in Belgium, out of 100 serious or fatal accidents involving motorcyclists, six are due to a faulty infrastructure," said Joe Vereecke, president of the FBMC.
According to the FBMC, the 6% in question represent the 70 or so motorcyclists who have died over the last ten years. The association is liaising with the Walloon Region for the implementation of Road Plan II; renovation of regional roads is programmed to start in 2017. In the meantime, the FBMC hopes for a regional collaboration in fixing the spots that present imminent danger across Wallonia.
(Source: Belga)
