# Poor Belgian road surfaces



## mikebeaches (Oct 18, 2008)

I don't know if it was just bad luck on our part, but we travelled almost the whole of the length of Belgium yesterday to get to north Luxembourg, and found the vast majority of the Belgian road surfaces were in awful condition.

We were using the free autoroutes through the south of the country and found the roads bone-shakingly and spine-numbingly rough. Just worn out.

There was one section that had recently been re-built, which was fine, but it was only a small proportion of the total 160-odd miles we covered.

Were we just unlucky with the route we chose, or are all the roads in the country like that?

Oh, and the one motorway service area (Total) we stopped at was scruffy and had derelict cars in the parking area - wheels missing etc, and weeds growing up into the chassis!

Is it just us, or have others found the Belgian highways less than attractive? 

Everything changed the moment we crossed the border into Luxembourg. All so well cared for and the roads nearly as smooth as a baby's bum. A sharp contrast indeed.

Enjoying smashing weather here in Luxembourg, in any case.

Mike


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

no, it's not just you. Belgian roads are rubbish!


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Agree about the roads. We have found the country to be generally scruffy and unkempt, Alan.


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

No i agree 100%
The raod through to LUX is terrible in paces. So much so that one pothole I drove over popped the Heki out of its latch.

The side roads are better

Phill


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

I've never found them that bad - in places yes, but not consistently. I've not been put off going that way to Luxembourg yet.

However - I've driven on an autoroute in Eastern France that was as bad as anything in Belgium AND had to pay for the privilege.


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## Devonboy (Nov 19, 2009)

Agree, we travelled through France to Belgium in June & you really did not need the signs to tell you that you had entered Belgium. The roads were enough indication.

But on the positive side they do have an excellent selection of beers in their stores & returnable glass bottles.


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

Been there, got the same t-shirt.

Nice beer and chocolate but [email protected] roads.

BTW Han-sur-Lesse is well worth a visit and it has A Nice Aire


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## iconnor (Nov 27, 2007)

Yup all the roads are rubbish. I've been driving to Belgium many times over the passed 20 years on business and always slow down when I cross the border from France.


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## piinch (May 17, 2009)

we also found the roads in Belgium to be rough, it is a pleasure to cross in Holland, there roads are smooth


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## arh (Dec 8, 2007)

Nothing new there, been like that for 30 years to my knowledge, we used to say that it was our fault because we always went first to Lux for the diesel and tobacco. But all over Belgium the roads are not good. arh.


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## adonisito (Nov 6, 2009)

We had planned exactly the same trip back in July. The roads were poor, the aire we had planned to stay at was full of cars and the campsite at Mons was shut. Needless to stay I turned the van South and stayed in France, giving up on the plan! I'm sure some of Belgium is worth a visit but when compared to France or Germany its not somewhere I'll be planning to visit on our next trip.


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## Agilityman (Aug 17, 2009)

Yep the roads are crap.
And another thing, don't be tempted to take short cuts through the countryside. There are no, and I mean no, road signs at at, no finger posts no village name signs, nothing. You need a good map.


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## caulkhead (Jul 25, 2007)

Wimps the lot of you :lol: If you think the roads in Belgium are bad then try the roads over here on the Isle of Wight. They are without doubt the worst roads I have encountered anywhere-and I mean ANYWHERE!!!!. 

Caulkhead


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## mikebeaches (Oct 18, 2008)

caulkhead said:


> Wimps the lot of you :lol: If you think the roads in Belgium are bad then try the roads over here on the Isle of Wight. They are without doubt the worst roads I have encountered anywhere-and I mean ANYWHERE!!!!.
> 
> Caulkhead


Fair comment, but they're not supposed to be motorways on the Isle of Wight. 

Thanks everybody for your comments - glad it's not just us. Appears to be a general consensus that many roads in Belgium are in very poor condition.

Making our way towards Switzerland tomorrow, but stopping over in Germany en route..

Mike


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## vicdicdoc (May 14, 2005)

- If you think those roads are bad, try Italian roads !


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

Having travelled extensively all over Europe with work and Motor homing I can confirm all the OP's are saying

The roads are absolute crap! If you haven't got any rattles at the start of that segment of the journey you certainly will at the end of it.

Some parts of the old East Germany are not great either, some parts of Southern Island and the good old Isle of Wight.

Lets not forget these through Belgium are main transit routes and are worn out rubbish.

I also agree imho its is the worst maintained Country generally, that being said there are some lovely places also.


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## 281192ben (Feb 25, 2011)

Agree the roads in Belgium are bad , but they are free and thats the reason I go that way , this year we hit a massive storm while on there motorway and of course the locals don't slow down and there was several accidents , the police are very efficient at keeping the traffic flowing there main concern seemed to be clearing the road . 
On our return leg we were stopping at chateau gandspette camp site , and via sat nav cut across through a place called cassel , now if you want a rough ride give this place a try , when I stopped at the site I had to go through all my electrics because the plugs on the back of the Sargent control panel had shook loose . On a positive note , cassel is a beautiful little place . 
Ps I can also strongly recommend the chateau gandspette as a ferry stop over site , especially if you travel via Dunkirk , straight down the d300 and your there in about 20 mins


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

we always try to do Ypres on route back to Dunkerque or Calais and either stay on the moat road or jeugstadion depending on circumstance

I also fully agree the main priority for most European police forces seems to be clear the road and keep the vehicles/traffic flowing!

Our force is more concerned with leaving everything in the road spraying it and measuring the whole world

I guess its a way of creating and controlling tailbacks in a negative format! lol


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## marionandrob (May 14, 2005)

We must have just returned from a different Belgium then!

Left U.K on 21st August and visited Bruges, Han sur Lesse, Drove along the Semois River into France and the junction with the Meuse, then across to Tournai returning via Calais early on 1st September.

The aire at Bruges was expensive ( 22 euro a night with electrical hookup) and the service point was not working. Coach park guardian was however very friendly and helpful - he was filling water containers for those who needed drinking water (non drinking was available) and had organised and alternative dump point for grey water and toilets. Overnight parking for motorhomes has been extended to a secondary area across the road from the main aire.

Aire at Han sur Lesse (convenient for caves) is 10 euro a night also including electricity and mutiple fresh water points. Dump point for toilet and waste water provided. We enjoyed the cave visit but it's not for the unfit - a long walk with some steep ascents and descents!

Semois river - stayed at Bouillon. Parking is over an old narrow bridge down behind sports facilities. There are newly constructed motorhome spaces between the large car park and the river overlooking a football pitch and the river, a service point is under construction.

Montherme - actually in France at junction of Semois and Meuse. Old slightly grotty 'aire' with service point but there are newly contructed motorhome parking points (and newly constucted boat moorings) by the river - parking 3 euro per night + 20 centimes per person. Showers and washing machine available in Capitiniere.

Tournai - Free aire beside ring road next to sports fields and Maison Du Culture- part of a larger carpark. Free service point with fresh water supply , waste and toilet dumps.
Tournai Cathedral is currently undergoing major restoration and is vitually completely closed!

We didn't notice any particularly bad road surfaces, or have any major problems with road signs, even diversions were well signposted - did see a lot of resurfacing and road improvement work going on though.


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

We didn't notice any particularly bad road surfaces, or have any major problems with road signs, even diversions were well signposted - did see a lot of resurfacing and road improvement work going on though.[/quote]

Did you actually drive through Belgium then, because you must have gone to a different Belgium to the rest of us.

I travel through Belgium at least 3 to 4 times a year for the last many years and it doesn't get much better

Concrete section very bumpy rutted and very poor maintenance, maybe the hint is in your last sentence Lots of resurfacing going on!

Say no more!


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## pieterv (Feb 3, 2009)

We had the same experience. Very bad, lots of pot holes, and a ramp (if you can call it that), full width of the road, bad enough to make us wonder if it would have caused damage to the suspension.


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## Sideways86 (Feb 25, 2009)

I came off an off ramp/slip road which had been mauled by that redressing tarmac machine days before and actually turned to my wife and said I had made a mistake and driven into the roadworks area!

Only to be followed by all the cars etc leaving the motorway, every door in the camper rattled and banged lol

Surely 14 posters cant all be wrong?


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## MeFeinMcCabe (Mar 28, 2009)

The roads at the top end are fine, but we travelled up from Aachen to Ypres on Sunday and the roads were indeed shocking but no problem with the services. In fact they had free wifi as well


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

We came through Belgium last week and agree there are lots of bad roads, but it appears to be down to the fact that many of them are the responsibility of the local council and what the choose to spend their money on. There are others outside local districts which are maintained by a national organisation and these tend to be better.

Re Han-sur Lesse, we were there last Thursday and followed the Car Park signs to the MH section for a 10 min. shop, not realising the MH section was an Aire, so were surprised when an attendant arrived with his receipt book. We quickly exited and parked on the side of the river opposite the Camping Site.

If visiting Han for the night, and if not needing the Aire services, I would recommend that spot alongside the river.

Geoff


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## MrWez (Sep 25, 2011)

A couple of my colleagues have lived and worked in Belgium and they and my own experience of driving through Belgium away from the motorways agree with the OP.

The explanation given by Nicholsong for the state of local roads agrees with what my colleagues told me, the local roads are maintained by the local communities and their state depends on whether that community considers roads a priority.

One of them, a biker, testifies to almost coming off of his bike several times as the road surface changed from OK to Lunar surface as he rode around a bend as he crossed a community boundary.

We certainly noticed a difference as we crossed the border into France near Armentieres.

As for the roads on the Isle of Wight, having grown up there I have to agree, they're awful! My old man would always buy a car from the mainland than one of the same age from the Island with much lower mileage simply because the suspension, steering and brakes would be shot due to the bad roads.

MrWez


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