Driving in Belgium & Brussels sites

[BurtonRob]

I am driving in Belgium for a change later this month. I read that traffic on roundabouts must give way to traffic from the right unless otherwise indicated. Anyone had any problems with this and can anyone tell me what the standard sign is to indicate this does not apply.

Can anyone reccomend a site close to Brussels that won't involve going too close to the city centre.

Many thanks

Rob

 

[Woody3]

The old 'priorite a droite' rule is now largely gone, and it applied mostly in France, much less anywhere else.

When it does apply it is not just on roundabouts, it is also sideroads both rural and urban. If there is a sign as you approach a junction with a thick vertical line (with pointed head) and a thin crossing line then you have priority. If it is just shown as a cross then it's anybody's guess. You develop a technique of looking at the end of the side road as you approach looking for a white (stop) line - or sometimes a line of triangles, not that the (french) locals take any notice!

As for somewhere to stay, a good place is Camping Blaarmeersen at Gent. It is a good site although access to some pitches with a long 'van can be a bit difficult in places. You may also need a long mains cable on some pitches. Facilities are excellent and spotless. There is a restaurant and takeaway on site, and a small but quite well equipped shop. Only down side is that it can be a little noisy sometimes as the city ring (road) passes close by.

Many find Gent more enticing than Brussels, but if you insist the St Peter Station in Gent is about 20-25 mins walk. The local bus service is about two minutes walk outside the site gates and will take you into the city centre where you can get a train to Brussels - don't drive there it's manic and parking is expensive, especially if you don't know your way around.

By road Brussels is about 40 mins to the centre, Brugges is about the same the other way, and Lille (France) is about 50 mins. The WW1 and WW2 battlefields are also within reasonable distances. Motorways are free in Belgium but it is illegal to use cruise control when travelling on them - although how the police would know baffles me.

 

[Lutz]

Traffic already on the roundabout has right of way in most countries, including Belgium. In some countries with the 'priorit

 

[Lutz]

ps: A peculiarity of Belgium, which was fortunately abolished on the 1st March 2007, was that if approaching a junction from the right too slowly, you automatically lost your right of way over traffic from the left.

 

[BurtonRob]

Thanks folks,

This is helpful and encouraging.

I will adopt my 'driving in France' tactics of being extra careful when in doubt.

Rob

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Woody,

"Motorways are free in Belgium but it is illegal to use cruise control when travelling on them - although how the police would know baffles me."

Not really - there may be signs around major cities - certainly before the Antwerpen ring motorway - to turn off cruise control.

These signs are explicitly intended for drivers of large goods vehicles - there's been some awful accidents with LGVs - but it's good advice for car drivers too.

Robert

 

[Robert_374242026]

Traffic already on the roundabout has right of way in most countries, including Belgium. In some countries with the 'priorit

 

[Robert_374242026]

Hi Woody,

"Motorways are free in Belgium but it is illegal to use cruise control when travelling on them - although how the police would know baffles me."

Not really - there may be signs around major cities - certainly before the Antwerpen ring motorway - to turn off cruise control.

These signs are explicitly intended for drivers of large goods vehicles - there's been some awful accidents with LGVs - but it's good advice for car drivers too.

Robert

Travelled several times in belgium but have never been aware of a sign about cruise control, so what does it look like?.I think i spend more time in C C than out of it.

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Robert,

The "No Cruise Control (for LGV)" signs are quite large - about 20ft by 6ft - certainly as big as a car and maybe even bigger - white background with the words "Cruise Control" overlaid with a red diagonal.

They are alongside lane 1 - about 5km before traffic hot-spots, and repeated at 2 km

Robert

 

[EvansofSprot]

Some funny Belgian roadsigns:

http://hdebruyne.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Belgium_Roadsigns

 

[rob_jax]

EoS - Thank you / Bedankt - I hadn't seen that collection before - Robert

 

[EvansofSprot]

I like this one in particular:

 

[EvansofSprot]

This is the correct address: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/Gordini100/oops1.jpg

 

[Robert_374242026]

Hi Robert,

The "No Cruise Control (for LGV)" signs are quite large - about 20ft by 6ft - certainly as big as a car and maybe even bigger - white background with the words "Cruise Control" overlaid with a red diagonal.

They are alongside lane 1 - about 5km before traffic hot-spots, and repeated at 2 km

Robert

Wow!, what a size and i still do not think i have seen them , but anyway thanks for info.

 

[rob_jax]

EoS,

I'll let you into a poorly kept secret, the Dutch view the Belgians as being "a bit behind the times" or worse

So I can understand the Dutch loving the "cattle" warning sign with "geese" written underneath, and of course the "Te Snel" warning in stationary traffic...

But as a frequent visitor to Belgium, I'm more tickled by the multi-lingual sings pointing in two directions - that says so much about the way Belgium works...

And my favourite is http://hdebruyne.multiply.com/photos/album/4/Belgium_Roadsigns#14

Robert

 

[Woody3]

One other thing I forgot. The Belgians do not sign every junction. If you come to a junction and there is no sign ofr where you are going just keep straight on, or as near as you can if the junction is an angled T.

Interesting that cruise controls only apply to HGV - that is not made too clear. I thought it was brought in after a chap in a car got his cruise stuck on a couple of years ago and couldn't stop until he crashed at speed - although it baffles me why he just didn't turn the ignition off.

 

[miley72]

I've been there, and cyclists always have the right of way. Everytime.

It's something you really need to be aware of, particarly in towns, where you see them, you know they've seen you, and after you have now dismissed then from your mind as in every other sane country they would have stopped, and you start to concentrate on the junction, they flash past the front of you as you start to move.

I found it was far easier just to let them all go, then worry about the rest of the traffic.