Ternat to tax filling stations to combat congestion!
The municipality of Ternat is eyeing a new tax intended to deter lorry drivers from filling up with diesel at filling stations in the municipality.
Ternat, as you will probably know, is handily located along the E40 motorway outside Brussels. As a result many are the lorry drivers who drive off the motorway here causing congestion on local roads as they head for cheaper, nearby filling stations.
Mayor Michel Vanderhasselt says the problem has been with us for a decade now: “Lorry drivers prepare their journey well and as filling up at motorway services is expensive they leave the motorway at Ternat and head onto local roads. Competition means it’s cheaper to fill up here!”
Lorries manoeuvring to get in and out of filling stations too slows the traffic. This and the congestion is bad for local business as long as you are not a filling station. Road works are also planned soon meaning the situation can only get worse. The mayor is now proposing a tax on filling stations and expects the stations to pass it on to customers dispatching a clear signal.
Cars too will be hit by the new tax but the mayor is confident the impact on car drivers will be minimal.