No, you’re not watching a weird stop-smoking educational video (the smoke you see is a digital effect), but a protest video to stop the planned Antwerp “Lange Wapper” killer bridge that will turn large parts of Antwerp-city into a polluted and noisy danger-zone (check endangered zone: half of downtown Antwerp), a heavily polluted town where thousands of children will inhale toxic particles and diesel fumes, just by living near a planned new bridge that could easily have been replaced by a tunnel.
Historic Antwerp cathedral dwarfed by the planned nearby huge traffic viaduct, an insane concept
[Video and discussion in English]. “Yes We Can” stop that noisy killer bridge, inspired by corporate greed and bent politicians. [Protest website in Dutch]. How would you react if some money-grabbing politicians endangered the health of your children?
[Update 18 Oct 2009: during a city referendum today 60% of Antwerp voters rejected the "Lange Wapper" overpass/bridge (the threshold being 50%). What happens next will be decided by the government in Brussels.]
This blog is not affiliated with or endorsed by the city of Antwerp, Belgium.
There’s a non binding referendum in october, but the building preparations have already started…
There is so much sheer corruption in BelgiuM: what can we do?
Great video though. If I would live under or anywhere near that planned killer bridge I would move with my family asap.
[Blog author: "The blatant political disregard for the public health of all those citizens unfortunate enough not to live in rich Antwerp suburbia is stunning Brabo. Half of Europe's trucks pass through this city - apart from a few cute historic parts much of the Antwerp area is a poisonous traffic nightmare. Let's just hope this bridge never gets built. "]
Comment by Brabo — September 5, 2009 @ 3:32 pm |
ordinary citizens no match for big money, hé?
just have to learn to live with that, i suppose. the design (what i’ve seen of it anyway in papers) looked like an eyesore as well.
antwerp is already getting uglier by the day, old beautiful buildings being razed to the ground, eyesores appearing in their places.
prime example, the foreground of berchem station, absoulute crap, but then that’s only my humble opinion, isn’t it? the urban planners always know better.
[Blog author: "Indeed. And it becomes really unacceptable when politicians expect us to swallow their blatant disregard for the public health of all those citizens unfortunate enough to live in Antwerp. Imagine 16 lanes of truck-traffic passing 24/7 suspended in the air: the noise and pollution (only 2 km from Antwerp cathedral) will affect many of us. Check out what 200,000 Antwerp inhabitants will experience when this viaduct (it's not a bridge across the river) would get built: Google animation. "]
Comment by i.b — September 7, 2009 @ 7:42 pm |
Even if the referendum isn’t binding I’m still going to vote… I just hope enough people will exercise their right regardless of what their opinion is. I would like to see this particular project buried (as in a tunnel instead of that monstrosity – both visual and medical!)
[Blog author: "Much like yourself and numerous Antwerp citizens, let's somehow hope this project gets buried. Building a suspended highway/overpass for noisy 24/7 trans-European truck traffic only steps away from Antwerp cathedral borders on the insane. Trust me, I will vote too. "]
Comment by Sven — September 10, 2009 @ 7:51 pm |
People finally woke up, even some hard-core VLD members admitted the tunnel alternative is far better than the BAM killer bridge, but so much money has already been paid to money-grabbing VLD hot-shots like Noel Slangen & other corrupt politicians.
What is best for Antwerp plays no roll: even on Facebook people are outraged!! (“Stick that polluting noise bridge up your ass, Dirk Van Mechelen (VLD)” one Facebook group is called). This is stinking, corrupt Flemish politics at work.
The majority knows that the tunnel is the only solution to save Antwerp-city from an environmental disaster but is afraid of losing their connections with the building mafia. It’s a stinking shame for Antwerp but the only thing that stinks is the “Lange Wapper” viaduct!
[Blog author: "Thanks for this very clear and outspoken comment from Belsele near Antwerp. Guess Antwerp-city citizens are finally realizing some of their politicians are corrupt and have blatantly lied to them. "]
Comment by Jean — September 26, 2009 @ 1:47 am |