Here in Belgium, you can tailgate someone, inches behind their rear bumper at 80 MPH, and no problem. You can do 100 MPH in a 55 MPH zone - also, no problem. As a motorcyclist, you can make your own "3rd lane," bobbing and weaving between the two "real" lanes of the highway - no problem once again. The bottom line: in 2 years here in Belgium I have never, ever seen any car pulled over by any police officer. Never. Once in awhile you can get caught by a speed camera but most of them function no better than the Belgian government.
Now, here's what you do if you're a real road criminal: park in a residential area with more than half of your car off the road (these streets are narrow!), up on the curb and partially on the sidewalk. This may sound odd, but it's quite common in many parts of Europe, especially where the roads are more like lanes. But evidently not so in Waterloo, Belgium.
Last Sunday we parked this way (exactly the same way two Belgian cars were parked), a block from a huge flea market in town. Imagine our surprise to return to find a parking ticket on the windshield. Apparently, a bit too much of the car was off the road.
So, what would be the appropriate penalty? Considering our license plates clearly identify us as non-Belgians, I'm thinking a warning might suffice. Dream on. OK - how about a fine of $25-30? Hey, you're in Belgium. The fine? $130! That's not a typo : $130. Because a pedestrian might not have a full 4 feet of sidewalk for his dog to poop on.
At least I'm not bitter about it...
No comments:
Post a Comment