Son of deceased motorist blames Stib: the Ixelles community implicated

On Monday, Guido Savi denounced the rule that trams have top priority stating that it encourages the drivers to travel at maximum speed. Guido Savi is the son of Mario Savi, who died at the age of 74 after a car accident with a tram that took place on June 5th at the intersection of Rue Guillaume Gilbert and Avenue du Pesage in Ixelles. A criminal investigation is underway to determine the liability of the relevant parties in this accident

Françoise Ledune admitted that this intersection is known for having many accidents involving the trains and cars, 49 fatalities since 2004 " L'avenue du Pesage ,where the tram runs is not a priority. Since 2010, Stib has been asking the city to make it a priority street. We even drew up ​​a plan that we submitted to the municipality. "It justifies the right of way due to the fact that for trams the "braking distances are longer than for other vehicles, due to its weight and the possibility of slipping. The wheels on the trams run on iron rails. They do not have the same grip on the road as tires do. A tram 3,000 for example needs 30 to 40 meters to stop. "

Guido Savi stated that from a legal standpoint, the right of way does not exist. "To accelerate the average speed of public transport, the drivers were instructed to travel at the maximum speed limits. Despite the frequency of accidents at this intersection, the Stib did not take special precautions in order to reduce speed.  The deck of a nearby restaurant remains unused because of daily emergency braking."

(Source: Belga)


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