The Annual Smog Fundraising Event

I am delighted to announce that I was absent from the country when Belgium held it's annual Smog Fundraising Event.  Every year on the same day (I am making that bit up), the authorities decide that the weather conditions will be such that a nationwide restriction will apply to the motorway speed limits.  Normally the maximum speed limit is 120kph but this is reduced to 90kph in a bid to reduce the pollution (the official reason).  The real reason is to raise revenue from the numerous fixed and mobile speed cameras scattered every 15km along the main commuter routes.

Now to be fair they do announce this in advance and give plenty of warning, if you understand French and Dutch of course.  The road signs and electronic messages are set up to remind everyone of the speed limits and the announcements are made on the radio.  This year it would seem that the mobile and fixed cash machines caught a mere 14,000 motorists who, if they are lucky, will only pay a 50 Euro fine.  This is if you are doing slightly more than 10kph over the limit.  If you happen to be banging along at 120+ then you could be looking at maybe three times that much, which makes the bracket somewhere between 700,000 - 2,100,000 euros fleeced from motorists.  Of course you should not be speeding in the first place and the habits of the the commuters change dramatically when the annual event is on, the first time I got caught, yes I have been caught twice during the weather inspired tax raising exercise, I was zooming along past the rest of the unusually tame and steady commuters.  Hey presto, flashed by a small cash machine hidden on a slip road!  The second time was just plain annoying as I had held to the smog speed and had a lapse of concentration, mug!

The added bonus this year is that there is now a treaty between France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands by which they all pass their respective speeding tickets across the borders.  What this means is that being flashed on the way to the Eurotunnel means you can expect the French to post the ticket to you in Belgium.  Bargain, even more money from unsuspecting transient motorists.

Anyway, this year I was glad to be absent for this year's event.  One positive is that the roads seem to be safer this one time of year