Heat plan immediately causes queues and annoyance when you enter Knokke-Heist: « Isn’t it a weekend, is it? » (Knokke-Heist)
From the Maurice Lippensplein, or the ‘entrance gate’ to the center and Lippenslaan, to the Colruyt in the Natiënlaan of Knokke-Heist. Or a distance of approximately three kilometers. The traffic jam was to enter the coastal municipality on Thursday afternoon. The heat plan had started: a perimeter was set around the tourist center. Agents were also on other approach roads. « Hello sir or madam, where should you go? » Every driver was told. Based on the answer there were two options: left towards a peripheral parking, on the right gave access to the center.
Read too. Heat plan in Knokke-Heist in force: you have to take this into account (and you can park)
The last route was only reserved for local traffic. People who work, live or have a good reason to be in Knokke-Heist. Day trippers, often cars with a foreign license plate, were kindly requested to follow the road towards a designated peripheral parking. And those who could easily support that he or she really had to be in the center was often not put in the way of too much.
The heat plan has been creating a mix of understanding, annoyance and resignation in the mundane seaside resort for weeks. And that was no different on Thursday. « A heat plan? It is not a weekend, is you? You have to see us here, » an older driver was annoyed. He was allowed to continue. A few workers fell completely out of the air in their van. « The center closed? We know now, » they said smiling. « Of course all that sitting is annoying. But it must be necessary, right? »
Day tourists are referred to an (edge) parking. – © JVZ
The municipality of Knokke-Heist closes the center to prevent (traffic) nuisance on top days. When the mercury rises towards 28 degrees, things go. « Three days ago they had announced summer weather, so we are preparing for a heat plan. On the busiest days we simply cannot handle that influx of all day tourists as a coastal municipality, » said Mayor Cathy Coudyser (insight).
« Why calculated on a weekday? Because we want to be consistent. When the summer is predicted in the summer, we take action. The situation is monitored all afternoon. And when it is no longer necessary, the plan is also lifted. »
The mayor and police also realize that many administrators – both residents, employees and day trippers – swear on the system. And those kilometers long traffic jam? They will take it with them for the time being. « That is being monitored, » says Chief of Chief of Steve Desmet. « If the traffic jam is too long, we have to intervene for a while and let traffic flow. File on, for example, the A11, our nearby motorway, is never possible. That is dangerous. It remains a balance in which we continue to adjust. »
Chief of police Steve Desmet monitors the situation. « File on the motorway is absolutely out of the question. » – © JVE
In the meantime, Knokke-Heist continues to work on extra peripheral parking. Under Duinenwater, an underground parking with 350 cars was recently opened. It was already used on Thursday. A meadow from the municipality along the Knokkestraat will soon offer space for 200 cars. « We offer alternatives within walking distance, » Coudyser is committed. « But people have to get used to this clearly. Yes, there is traffic jam. But he works to drive to the center of Knokke next time. This will get established, because a heat plan is absolutely necessary for Knokke-Heist. »
Every driver is questioned about his or her destination. – © JVE
