Ice-hockey and skating is unlikely to be repeated this winter on Tervuren’s beautiful lakes. Long-term forecasts are now only giving Tervuren sub-zero mornings and slippery ice for the next two weeks. Day temperatures will prevent any significant ice formation.
The thickness of the ice needed to declare the lakes open for public use is a contentious issue. Some experts suggest at least 10 centimeters. That typically requires a week or more of sub-zero temperatures. With forecasts now only predicting a nightly lows of -1 Celsius in Tervuren, and above-zero day temperatures, that threshold is unlikely to be met this winter.
In Belgium, mayoral duties can involve dispatching police in freezing conditions to enforce the ban on walking, skating, or playing on ice surfaces. Despite the rule, when ice last graced Tervuren’s lakes, numerous prominent locals were seen flouting the mayor’s directives, turning the lakes into a clandestine playground.
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Undoubtedly, newly elected mayor, the youngest in the town’s history, Thomas Geyns, will not this year have to remind Tervurenaars of the long-standing local ordinance against ice activities. As the new head of Tervuren’s administrative police, Flemish liberal Geyns is now responsible for ensuring law and order across the municipality, including on frosty days.
Tervuren’s police code strictly prohibits any activity on the “ice of canals, ponds, streams, canals, water basins, and watercourses”. This includes the town’s beautiful lakes, fed by the life-giving Voer stream that runs beneath them.
Given liability and insurance issues, mayors are rightly reluctant to grant exemptions for ice activities, even during a prolonged freeze. Should the police intervene, individuals caught skating, cycling, walking their dogs, playing ice hockey, or even enjoying a hot drink on the ice, could face fines.
Cold weather, though, does bring another inconvenient: poor air quality thanks to cozy wood stoves. Small particulate matter in Tervuren currently hovers around four times World Health Organization PM2.5 guideline values, even on clear sunny Winter days.
For poor air quality, the advice for sensitive groups in Tervuren is to cut back or reschedule strenuous outdoor activities. If you’re suffering from a neighbor’s wood stove, there is currently no generally applicable legislation in Flanders to address the nuisance caused by wood stoves.
Tervurenaars’ cold weather obligations don’t end here. The same local by-laws mandate that residents adjacent to public roads must ensure the footpaths in front of their properties are “cleared sufficiently” for pedestrian traffic. This includes taking measures to prevent slippery conditions and keeping sewer grates and gutters clear. For residents in apartments, this task falls squarely on ground-floor occupants, with priority given to those facing the street.
Photos and article: Provided by Tervuren+, under Creative Commons Public Domain 4.
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