Residents of the Brussels municipality of Evere are angry about night-time nuisance as a result of public transport company STIB working on the tram tracks during the extended autumn holidays.
STIB is replacing the tram tracks of lines 32 and 55 in the Rue Edouard Stuckens, near the Place de la Paix, before the schools open again, but a number of residents have complained about being kept awake due to the nuisance during the nights.
"We are used to a lot of nuisance and noise. We do not complain easily, but this beats everything," local resident Erhan Demirci said on social media, describing the noise "as if there was a war going on."
Iedereen die deze werken midden in de nacht heeft goedgekeurd en nu lekker liggen te slapen. Ik wens jullie allemaal géén oorontsteking toe! ?@davidcordonnier @RidouaneChahid @STIBMIVB @BRUZZbe @JasmijnPost #Lockdownparty pic.twitter.com/LP1wTIkR4Y
— Erhan hier slachtoffers vallen. (@erhan_dmrc) November 3, 2020
Translation: "Anyone who has approved these works in the middle of the night and is now asleep. I wish you all no ear infections."
"We took our hysterical children to their grandparents in Limburg for a few days to give them some rest," said Demirci, adding that he contacted the city council.
The mayor of Evere, Ridouane Chahid, reacted to Demirci's post on Twitter, saying that he understood the angry reactions and that he had already asked STIB to reduce the noise to a minimum.
However, the replacement of the tram tracks "necessary and urgent," according to Chahid, who said that the works were carried out at night to limit their duration, so the traders would not suffer any more economic damage.
STIB has agreed to only carry out works for two nights, instead of the three planned ones. "The contractor promised us not to carry out any more loud works during the night," STIB spokesperson François Ledune told Bruzz, adding that a rubber mat will also be laid out to absorb the tram noise.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
