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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: tunnie on 20 April 2009, 09:54:40

Title: Driving in Belgium
Post by: tunnie on 20 April 2009, 09:54:40
I have done it before and looks like i will be doing it again in the summer, but i have a question.

'Offically' Cruise Control is banned! I remember seeing the signs, but how can they tell if you have it enabled??

I can keep the same constant speed with my foot!
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Kevin Wood on 20 April 2009, 10:02:27
IME you won't get a chance to use cruise anyway, such is the quality of driving on offer there!

If it weren't for the fact that their beer has a very good numbing effect the place'd have nothing going for it.  ;)

Kevin
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: ians on 20 April 2009, 10:06:59
..chocolate isn't bad either..

but they are truly the worst drivers in Europe.  Fortunately their number plates are quite distinctive so you can see them coming when they are over here.
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Kevin Wood on 20 April 2009, 10:13:23
Quote
..chocolate isn't bad either..

but they are truly the worst drivers in Europe.  Fortunately their number plates are quite distinctive so you can see them coming when they are over here.

Forgot about the chocolate. Must have sampled too much of the beer. ::)

Kevin
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: tunnie on 20 April 2009, 10:16:26
i drove to Landgraaf in Holland, which involved a lot of Belgium roads, i found them ok, i had the cruise control on for ages!
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 20 April 2009, 11:10:59
Belgian roads are really shitely maintained!
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Tresvant on 20 April 2009, 11:17:18
I really liked the Belgium motorways, when i lived in Germany i used to drive through to get to Calais and Belgium was always the most enjoyable part of the journey. Except the strange workmen dummies that they have approaching roadworks that used to scare the crap out of me  :o

Steve
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: tunnie on 20 April 2009, 11:20:07
Quote
I really liked the Belgium motorways, when i lived in Germany i used to drive through to get to Calais and Belgium was always the most enjoyable part of the journey. Except the strange workmen dummies that they have approaching roadworks that used to scare the crap out of me  :o

Steve

I had that  ;D ;D

Was doing about 120mph at the time, and thought fook, plod!!

Slowed down and all of us were looking confused, as we all thought it was a fake workman  ;D
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: TheBoy on 20 April 2009, 11:23:03
I think USING cruise is not allowed.

The 'motorways' are fine, though last time I went to Leuven (yes, the Stella place ::)), the roadworks were a pain in the backside.  Get off the motorways, and the potholes and ruts in the road are awful.  And as Kevin Wood says, the drivers....   ....and that includes the Taxis, we got 1 lift in a taxi, I swear the mad tosspot was trying to kill us because we didn't want to go to a 'Gentlemen's club' where his missus worked (far to phished, needed to collapse and go to sleep - we'd be on a pub crawl since 10am, and this must have been midnight).
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: tunnie on 20 April 2009, 11:24:37
i found the motoways really smooth, much smoother than some of the UK ones. Drainage was rubbish a lot more spray, but otherwise good.
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: TheBoy on 20 April 2009, 11:26:07
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If it weren't for the fact that their beer has a very good numbing effect the place'd have nothing going for it.  ;)

Kevin
Thats unfair - Bruges much be one of the nicest places I've been in Northern europe (excluding scandanavia).  I mean, there must be a bar every 100yrds ::).

Boy am I glad it wasn't my turn to drive on that boys weekend away ;D
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Kevin Wood on 20 April 2009, 11:45:35
Quote
Quote
If it weren't for the fact that their beer has a very good numbing effect the place'd have nothing going for it.  ;)

Kevin
Thats unfair - Bruges much be one of the nicest places I've been in Northern europe (excluding scandanavia).  I mean, there must be a bar every 100yrds ::).

Boy am I glad it wasn't my turn to drive on that boys weekend away ;D

My comment was meant in jest - partially, at least. It's a great place to get mullered and a terrible place to drive through - how's that?

I once went on a day trip to Ostende and it was nice - well, the bits we could see from the bar by the harbour. That's about as far as we got, and still had a nightmare making it back to the ferry. ::)

.. and we did go for a weekend in Brussels once. That looked good through the window of the microbrewery on the Grand Place but perhaps my enjoyment was was marred by it being the first (and last) time I experienced the ineptitude of Eurostar.  >:(

Kevin
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: cem_devecioglu on 20 April 2009, 11:47:30
Interesting point , if I dont use cruise control on long journeys its proven that I get a speeding ticket.. ;D as the road becomes boring ..

And I cant keep my feet up any more :P
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Andy B on 20 April 2009, 11:52:51
Quote
Interesting point , if I dont use cruise control on long journeys its proven that I get a speeding ticket.. ;D as the road becomes boring ..

And I cant keep my feet up any more :P

My last ticket was when I had cruise set at (indicated) 90 mph in a 70 mph limit  ::)  ::)
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: cem_devecioglu on 20 April 2009, 11:57:51
Quote
Quote
Interesting point , if I dont use cruise control on long journeys its proven that I get a speeding ticket.. ;D as the road becomes boring ..

And I cant keep my feet up any more :P

My last ticket was when I had cruise set at (indicated) 90 mph in a 70 mph limit  ::)  ::)


 ;D ;D   Hoping that those tickets are cheap  ;D :y



Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: TheBoy on 20 April 2009, 11:57:55
Quote
Quote
Quote
If it weren't for the fact that their beer has a very good numbing effect the place'd have nothing going for it.  ;)

Kevin
Thats unfair - Bruges much be one of the nicest places I've been in Northern europe (excluding scandanavia).  I mean, there must be a bar every 100yrds ::).

Boy am I glad it wasn't my turn to drive on that boys weekend away ;D

My comment was meant in jest - partially, at least. It's a great place to get mullered and a terrible place to drive through - how's that?

I once went on a day trip to Ostende and it was nice - well, the bits we could see from the bar by the harbour. That's about as far as we got, and still had a nightmare making it back to the ferry. ::)

.. and we did go for a weekend in Brussels once. That looked good through the window of the microbrewery on the Grand Place but perhaps my enjoyment was was marred by it being the first (and last) time I experienced the ineptitude of Eurostar.  >:(

Kevin
Apart from as a toddler, every time I've been to Belgium, I've ended up in a mucking fuddle.

And the best Stella I've ever tasted was the first of the day, in the bar just opposite the entrance to the stella factory...
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Kevin Wood on 20 April 2009, 12:03:38
Quote
Apart from as a toddler, every time I've been to Belgium, I've ended up in a mucking fuddle.

And the best Stella I've ever tasted was the first of the day, in the bar just opposite the entrance to the stella factory...

Yep, that about sums up my experiences. ;D

Wife beater is pretty good outside the UK. It was sprung on me by a bar owner in Aalborg once after several pints of very good real ale and I didn't object.

Kevin
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Mr Skrunts on 20 April 2009, 12:42:25
Quote
Belgian roads are really shitely maintained!

Same as the UK then.

I went into Sheffield for the 1st time in about 2 years last week and didnt recognise the place, but the bloody roads where still the same. :-/
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Ken T on 20 April 2009, 12:46:27
I'd always heard that Belgium had a strange way of serving beer.

(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t155/lapbits/beerservice.jpg)

Ken
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: TheBoy on 20 April 2009, 12:54:34
Quote
I'd always heard that Belgium had a strange way of serving beer.

(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t155/lapbits/beerservice.jpg)

Ken
Well, I'd give him a blow job...
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Martin_1962 on 20 April 2009, 13:58:40
Quote
Quote
Quote
Quote
If it weren't for the fact that their beer has a very good numbing effect the place'd have nothing going for it.  ;)

Kevin
Thats unfair - Bruges much be one of the nicest places I've been in Northern europe (excluding scandanavia).  I mean, there must be a bar every 100yrds ::).

Boy am I glad it wasn't my turn to drive on that boys weekend away ;D

My comment was meant in jest - partially, at least. It's a great place to get mullered and a terrible place to drive through - how's that?

I once went on a day trip to Ostende and it was nice - well, the bits we could see from the bar by the harbour. That's about as far as we got, and still had a nightmare making it back to the ferry. ::)

.. and we did go for a weekend in Brussels once. That looked good through the window of the microbrewery on the Grand Place but perhaps my enjoyment was was marred by it being the first (and last) time I experienced the ineptitude of Eurostar.  >:(

Kevin
Apart from as a toddler, every time I've been to Belgium, I've ended up in a mucking fuddle.

And the best Stella I've ever tasted was the first of the day, in the bar just opposite the entrance to the stella factory...


I have really gone off the UK brewed Stella.
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: LaserLance on 20 April 2009, 17:05:19
Quote
..chocolate isn't bad either..

but they are truly the worst drivers in Europe.  Fortunately their number plates are quite distinctive so you can see them coming when they are over here.
Sounds like you have not had the privilage off driving in Greece or either Portugal :o :o I can assure you having driven trucks in europe for 15 years, driving in either country is a scary proposition, yes ill agree with you the belgies are bad but compared to the other 2 countries they are almost german like  ;) ;) ;) ;)But then i bet most people not resident, hate driving over here espacilly the magic roundabout ( M25 ) ::) ::) ::) ::)  
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: TheBoy on 20 April 2009, 18:02:28
Quote
Quote
Quote
Quote
Quote
If it weren't for the fact that their beer has a very good numbing effect the place'd have nothing going for it.  ;)

Kevin
Thats unfair - Bruges much be one of the nicest places I've been in Northern europe (excluding scandanavia).  I mean, there must be a bar every 100yrds ::).

Boy am I glad it wasn't my turn to drive on that boys weekend away ;D

My comment was meant in jest - partially, at least. It's a great place to get mullered and a terrible place to drive through - how's that?

I once went on a day trip to Ostende and it was nice - well, the bits we could see from the bar by the harbour. That's about as far as we got, and still had a nightmare making it back to the ferry. ::)

.. and we did go for a weekend in Brussels once. That looked good through the window of the microbrewery on the Grand Place but perhaps my enjoyment was was marred by it being the first (and last) time I experienced the ineptitude of Eurostar.  >:(

Kevin
Apart from as a toddler, every time I've been to Belgium, I've ended up in a mucking fuddle.

And the best Stella I've ever tasted was the first of the day, in the bar just opposite the entrance to the stella factory...


I have really gone off the UK brewed Stella.
I'm fussy on draft Stella - so many pubs now manage to make it taste like bleach, so tend to stick to bottle.  I reckon the bottle taste much better than the tins as well.
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: Pitchfork on 21 April 2009, 09:46:23
I hear that they spread Mayonnaise on the roads as well as on their chips! :D
Title: Re: Driving in Belgium
Post by: ians on 21 April 2009, 12:55:55
Quote
Quote
..chocolate isn't bad either..

but they are truly the worst drivers in Europe.  Fortunately their number plates are quite distinctive so you can see them coming when they are over here.
Sounds like you have not had the privilage off driving in Greece or either Portugal :o :o I can assure you having driven trucks in europe for 15 years, driving in either country is a scary proposition, yes ill agree with you the belgies are bad but compared to the other 2 countries they are almost german like  ;) ;) ;) ;)But then i bet most people not resident, hate driving over here espacilly the magic roundabout ( M25 ) ::) ::) ::) ::)  

I was at university with a Greek guy.  He was a 'mature' student so always tended to drive rental vans for us as insurance was cheaper.  His standard driving mode was one hand on the steering wheel (most of the time), other hand on the horn (always...) ::)  The abuse he dished out to other roadusers was something else.