Brussel Mobiliteit
First road salt, fountains put to sleep
Last night
the Brussels Mobility agency salted the roads for the first time this autumn to
keep drivers safe across the Brussels region.
Brussels
Mobility’s Inge Paemen explained the agency had been monitoring the weather
forecasts and stood ready 24 hours a day to intervene and slap road salt on road
surfaces as a precaution.
“Thanks to
our measuring equipment we are always au-fait with the exact situation of road
and cycle path surfaces”.
Brussels
Mobility will grit all regional roads if need be: main roads, big intersections,
tunnels, and viaducts.
“We’re
talking about 800 km of roads. We do 17
rounds plus a further 14 rounds on cycling paths. We want to ensure cyclists, who take the
trouble to bike it in this cold, can ride safely”.
Brussels
Mobility has sufficient reserves of road salt: “3,000 tons and this is a stock
that can easily be replenished” says Paemen.
Most of
Brussels’ fountains are also put to sleep for the winter. Brussels Mobility seizes the opportunity to
dismantle them and give them a thorough clean.
Seals and other equipment are replaced.
Four large
fountains remain operational through the winter: at Montgomery Circus, on the
King Albert II Avenue, at the Stefania Square and at Simonis. These fountains
are only taken out of service if temperatures fall below zero and there’s a
danger the water will freeze solid.
