The municipality of Vaals is not allowed to close roads to motorbikes. The court decided on Thursday. The municipality wanted, among other things, to close the Epenerbaan, which is part of the Mergelland route, to motorcycles at the weekend.
During the corona pandemic, motorcycling was one of the few things you could still do with good decency and where you would never break the one and a half meter rule, but unfortunately not everyone always did it neatly, making the call for road closures for motorcyclists increasingly louder.
This is also the case in the Limburg Hills landscape, where the municipalities of Vaals, Gulpen-Wittem and Eijsden-Margraten decided to work together to spread ‘day-trip traffic’ in the region.
Despite all good intentions, the municipality of Vaals opted for an ‘own people first’ strategy and last month took the decision to close several roads for motorcycles and motor vehicles, including the Epenerbaan, which was voted the most beautiful road in the world a few years ago. The Netherlands.
The municipality of Vaals hoped that the trial would improve road safety and protect nature. The trial would last from August 1 to October 1 and only apply on weekends.
The neighboring municipality of Gulpen-Wittem did not accept this and decided to take the neighboring municipality to court. Gulpen-Wittem said he was afraid that the closure of roads in the municipality of Vaals would make the crowds too great in her own municipality, such as in Epen.
The court has now ruled in favor of the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem and has put an end to the trial. Gulpen-Wittem is happy with the judge’s decision. According to the mayor of Gulpen-Wittem Nicole Ramaekers, cooperation between the municipalities is necessary to maintain the quality of life, while the area remains attractive for tourists.
Moreover, according to Ramaekers, an earlier trial by the municipality of Vaals had not had the intended effect. Due to the road closures, the nuisance had moved to other villages. Gulpen-Wittem had sent the Municipal Executive of Vaals a letter with the request to reconsider the decision, but the city council of Vaals indicated that it did not want to do so.
Ramaekers then decided to request a preliminary injunction from the court to protect the residents and entrepreneurs of Gulpen-Wittem against the expected nuisance. The municipality was afraid that the nuisance in Epen and the surrounding area would become great, if, for example, engines had to turn because roads were closed.
The judge has now ruled in favor of the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem.
Mayor Ramaekers hopes that going to court will not be a reason to stop working together in the future. “It makes no sense to operate as a loner in this, it has cross-border effects,” said Ramaekers. “We are also looking with the neighboring municipalities in Belgium to see if we can work together. What applies to water and climate also applies to tourists. They do not stop at the border.”
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.