A lorry crash near a school and daycare in Bissen has sparked urgent calls from parents and local officials for stricter traffic measures after the vehicle demolished a wall and nearly hit a bus filled with children.
The images of a lorry driving through a low wall in Bissen made the headlines last week. There were no major injuries in Thursday's accident, but it could easily have turned tragic, as it happened just a few metres from a school and a daycare. Additionally, the lorry narrowly missed a bus parked nearby in which several schoolchildren were sitting at the time.
This has prompted a parents' association to call for a reaction from the authorities.
In an interview with RTL, Jean-François Ledesch explains that the situation is nothing new: "The problem has existed for years. I've lived on the Rue de Mersch for ten years now and I can confirm that the situation is getting worse. Traffic is increasing, and we're seeing more and more heavy goods vehicles using this road, and they don't belong here."
In fact, the road in question is closed to lorries over 3.5 tonnes, with the exception of deliveries.
Association member Pascale Engel, whose son was on the nearby bus when the accident happened, also spoke to RTL: "The Maison-Relais informed us of the accident. When we came to collect our children, we were horrified to see what had happened. The 40-tonne lorry was still there: we made ourselves sick thinking about what could have happened."
The association now wants decisions to be taken to avoid a possible tragedy. The parents want to ban heavy goods vehicles from the road altogether. Mayor David Viaggi is also concerned, as his children go to the same school in Bissen. He shares the views of the other parents, and says he is in contact with the police and the road authorities. Checks are planned in the area to ensure that the initial ban will be respected.
The Mayor noted: "As you can see, we have put up signs, but these days we might want to think about putting up digital signs. That way we could draw attention to the problem and make the public aware of it. And why not install cameras? It's an idea that could be tested to penalise HGVs that don't respect the traffic ban."
The exact circumstances of the accident that triggered the initiative remain to be determined at this stage. The latest reports do however suggest that the HGV's brakes might have failed.
