Belgian road signs may soon be in English

Certain road signs in Brussels - and around the country - may soon include English translations. Yesterday, the Senate Commission for Home Affairs approved a bill allowing Belgian road signs to be in a language other than one of the three national languages (Dutch, French and German). The main argument for the bill, introduced by Guido De Padt (Open VLD), is to make sure that foreign truck drivers understand Belgian traffic signs as they pass through the country.

"Half of the lorries driving on Belgian roads are registered abroad," De Padt said. "Their drivers, also being mostly of foreign descent, are not versed in our official languages and therefore will not grasp what our road signs say."

If the bill passes, the different Belgian regions (Brussels-Capital, Flanders and Wallonia) would be allowed to determine if certain road signs should be in multiple languages, including English.

"Being able to announce road works in English, for example, would make driving safer and more efficient," added De Padt. "This is already commonplace in countries like France and the Netherlands.”

The bill’s approval did not come without conflict. Far-right Vlaams Belang and the Flemish Nationalists N-VA voted against the bill, arguing that the bill is in conflict with language legislation. Vlaams Belang promised to take the matter up with the Flemish Parliament.

“The purpose of the bill is not to challenge the Flemish-speaking character of Flanders,” aid De Padt. “The language legislation is there to be respected. Still, we cannot drift too far away from reality – and that is that Belgium, as a major transit country, has many foreign truck and car drivers passing through who are unable to understand our road signs.”

Photo courtesy of Flickr/Harry_nl