EUCG welcomes the appointment, for the second time in his career, of Meneer Pascal Smet as mobility and transport minister in the newly constituted government of the Brussels region. Rifling deep into the darkest recesses of our email archives, we were thrilled to discover that back in 2003 and 2004 we wrote to him brief Smet 2004-10-04 and others: Lettre au Ministre Chabert  eucg 2nd letter dit Loi 2004-01-11) in his first stint in office. We asked for action to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians on Rue de la Loi, like the lack of proper markings on the bike paths, and the dangers of crossing the side streets: all problems which 10 years on have now been consigned to history.

Or may be not.

We’d respectfully encourage the minister to take another look as he settles back into the job.