Initially it will be a trial, but the bullet is through the church: the Lekdijk between Wijk bij Duurstede and Amerongen will be closed to motorcycles during the weekends next summer. The reason for the pilot is the lamentation of local residents.
Motorcycle sales may be at their highest level since 2008, the flip side of the coin is that more and more people are disturbed by the sound of roaring engines, which has resulted in a successful ban on motorcycles on more and more scenic steering roads.
This is also the case in Amerongen, where the Working Group Motor Nuisance Amerongen successfully complained to the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug. Last summer, during an awareness campaign by the KNMV in collaboration with the police, which was attended by the mayors of Wijk bij Duurstede and Utrechtse Heuvelrug, only one of the 150 engines in total produced too much noise.
Despite the positive comments, the decision has now been taken to close the Lekdijk for the coming summer. The Amerongen Motor Nuisance Working Group is happy with the trial. “We are pleased that the problems are being taken seriously and that the municipalities have now drawn up a plan to hold a pilot next summer or a closure will help against the nuisance,” says Joris Versteeg on behalf of the WMA.
The working group was established at the beginning of the corona pandemic. “Many people went for extra motorbike rides on the Lekdijk during the corona period. The dissatisfaction had been going on for years, but then it caught fire. At the beginning of this year we distributed a flyer in Amerongen to ask the population for statements of adhesion,” says Versteeg. .
According to Versteeg, this resulted in hundreds of responses. “Sometimes those were heartbreaking cries, often from people who are considering moving and who can no longer sit on their balcony. But also Amerongen Castle who complained about a permanent sound blanket over their garden. In short, life is strong in the village and we have understood that this is also the case in Wijk bij Duurstede.”
Before the test starts, a so-called zero measurement is performed. The municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug is doing this in collaboration with Wijk bij Duurstede. “We want to see what effect this has on the quality of life in the village of Amerongen, but also in the surrounding area, such as around the Amerongerwetering and the Langbroekerdijk,” says alderman Gerrit Boonzaadjer.
Versteeg is happy with the trial, although the closure is not the solution to all problems. “This closure will make tours across the village more difficult, but there are other roads that we will do our best to limit motor traffic there. Take the N225 straight through Amerongen, we can’t close down there, but we can argue for a maximum speed of 30 km/h,” said Versteeg.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.