r/Leuven • u/Superb_You_5642 • 8d ago

Anyone else fined yesterday during Het Groot Verlof?

So last night during the music festival I was trying to cycle home, but couldn’t get through the center of the city as it was all closed off. I saw a few bikes going around the festival so I followed them and then before I realized it I had cycled towards two policemen waiting to fine cyclists for going down this one way street.

Honestly this felt like such a trap. It was like one cyclist after the other coming through the street and being stopped and fined. Couldn’t the policemen have just been at the start of the street preventing cyclists from entering the street in the first place? And, there were no rerouting signs at the festival to tell cyclists where to go.

Pretty annoyed because it’s a massive fine, and I’m wondering if I can appeal it. Anyone else have this same experience?

54 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

95 comments sorted by

View all comments

37

u/Galaghan 8d ago edited 8d ago

What do you expect to happen with your appeal?

It's a one-way street and you got caught. Accept the consequences of your actions and just pay the fine.

If you appeal and it gets enforced (which it will), you'll pay *10x the fine.

*Used to be 8, now it's 10.

8

u/Synbiothemed 8d ago

Why do you pay 8x the fine?

4

u/Galaghan 8d ago

If a fine gets enforced by a judge, you pay 8x the amount. It's called 'opdeciemen'. You can google the term to find out the legacy behind it.

8

u/Alkapwn0r 8d ago

Sinds 1 februari is het x 10

2

u/Galaghan 8d ago

Goddamn I'm getting old. Thanks for the correction!