Rush-hour lanes to ease traffic congestion

Motorists on the E40 between Brussels and Leuven should be looking forward to less congestion during rush hours, thanks to the decision by Flemish mobility minister Hilde Crevits to open up the shoulder emergency lane to commuters on the motorway starting this week. The same will happen with the shoulder lane on the E34 between Antwerp and the Noorderkempen exit.

The first such lane was opened last autumn between the Antwerp Ring and Ranst in the direction of Hasselt and has cut 30 to 50 minutes off journey times. In the next three years, more shoulders will be opened up during rush hour, including on the E19 from Antwerp to Sint-Job and another between Sterrebeek and Holsbeek in Flemish Brabant.

(June 20, 2012)