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Follow on Google News | Belgium: A Small Country Thinks Big About Transportation SafetyEpisode 168 of “Perils for Pedestrians” takes viewers off the beaten tourist path in Belgium, literally. Belgian community activists show how they have updated historic rural and urban trails by reclaiming pedestrian and bicycle paths.
By: Perils For Pedestrians Television · Program host John Z. Wetmore brings his cameras to a medieval country footpath that winds past a picturesque church in Flanders. Joining him is Geert van Waeg of johanna.be, an advocacy organization that helps activists and local government officials work together to improve their communities. Using old maps and other historical documents, van Waeg describes how citizens reclaimed this part of the trail which had fallen away from public use and restored a “missing link” in a network of footpaths for the enjoyment of pedestrians and bicyclists. · From the countryside in Flanders, Wetmore takes viewers to the Belgian capital, Brussels. Van Waeg explains how his organization supported the local community in maintaining the public right of way on an urban footpath blocked by a shopping mall expansion. Through the use of historical records, johanna.be assisted local people and their government in coming up with a unique solution that the merchants could accept. You've got to see it to appreciate it! · The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official residence of the King of Belgium. It is situated on a wide street across from the Royal Park. A historical landmark of which Belgians are justly proud, the palace and its location are also a source of concern for some citizens who want to make the traffic infrastructure safer for natives and tourists. Wetmore interviews Michel van Roye who, together with van Waeg and johanna.be, are advocating for pedestrian crossings between the palace and the park. · Until World War II, Belgium had the most extensive railway network in Europe. As some of these railways fell into disuse, activists like Gilbert Perrin, president of the European Greenways Association, saw an opportunity to turn these former railway corridors into safe trails for pedestrians, bicycles and other non-motorized transport. He and others are also applying this concept to create footpaths along canals and rivers. "Perils For Pedestrians" # # # "Perils For Pedestrians" End
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