At the business parks Hazeldonk, Meer and Business Centre Treeport (BCT) along the E19 in Meer, a circulation plan will be introduced to prevent through traffic from ending up in traffic jams caused by fuel tourism. Many international drivers come to Belgium to purchase fuel, as prices there are significantly lower than in the Netherlands.

The influx of fuel tourists leads to queues extending onto the E19 and A58 motorways, which naturally poses a risk to road safety. Waiting queues within the transport zone itself also result in reduced traffic flow and dangerous situations. These conditions make it necessary to implement immediate temporary traffic measures to ensure road safety.

The Mayor of Hoogstraten, Tinne Rombouts, held consultations with the municipalities of Breda and Zundert to find solutions for the long traffic queues that arise as a result.

“Due to the differences in fuel prices, there has been a significant increase in heavy traffic in the transport zone in Meer. Therefore, an adjusted circulation route will be introduced, allowing us to separate waiting traffic for the fuel stations from through traffic heading towards the industrial areas,” says Tinne Rombouts.

These measures were developed in consultation with companies, the police (NL and BE), the involved city and municipal authorities, and the relevant mobility departments.

In practice
Specifically, all trucks coming from Antwerp that take exit 1A in Meer towards the transport zone will be directed straight ahead via the Netherlands. Beyond the connection with exit 14 of the A58, the parallel road Rietvelden will be designated as a one-way road. The left lane will be intended for through traffic, and the right lane for traffic heading to the fuel stations.