TOPIC: Flemish Waterway charges

Here is the English text from the Visuris English pages:

"PROHIBITION OF RECREATION AND MEASURES FOR WATER SPORTS
In accordance with the federal and Flemish Covid-19 measures, any form of recreational navigation (both in group and individual) is prohibited on all navigable and non-navigable waterways in Flanders. It is also not possible to practice water sports.

The date on which the new waterways permit will become applicable will be postponed from April 1 to a later (yet to be determined) date. As soon as possible, this page will provide more information about the new date and the associated measures for the waterway permits already purchased."

Balliol.

UPDATE 27 MARCH, 2020

The VWW website (VisuRIS.be) has a new paragraph on the page specific to the Corona pandemic situation (only in Dutch as of this writing)... In short: it’s states that the date on which the new waterway vignettes come into force will be postponed from 1 April to a later date (to be determined). More details to follow shortly..

The original Dutch text for those interested:

De datum waarop de nieuwe waterwegenvergunning van toepassing zal worden, zal uitgesteld worden van 1 april naar een latere (nog te bepalen) datum. Van zodra mogelijk, zal op deze pagina meer duiding gegeven worden over de nieuwe datum en de daarbij horende maatregelen voor de reeds aangekochte waterwegenvergunningen.

Balliol Fowden wrote: Yes, Chris, your figures are about right. You didn’t need to calculate: the application form does it for you.

As announced a few weeks ago, there is a quick calculator in the Knowledgebase* to tell you the charge before you plough through the very messy website

We were paying about 130 euros last year, discounted for some reason from 180,

The charge was raised in 2017 (?) from under €100 to €180 but there was such an outcry, a big discount was introduced, which has reduced a little year by year, to last year's €135 fee. Now the fee is trebled (for many) everyone seems stunned into compliance.

I haven’t juggled the figures for short term vignettes but I read a Dutchman complaining ( on the Waterkaart site) that it now costs the same for 7 days as it cost last year for two months (or was it three?)

Download the calculator and play to see how the charges vary with time-of-stay!

Pete

*Thanks to members, Tom & Liza!

Yes, Chris, your figures are about right. You didn’t need to calculate: the application form does it for you. I railed a bit about this a few weeks ago but coughed up after I settled down. We were paying about 130 euros last year, discounted for some reason from 180, but even at the new much higher figure it is not too bad, just unfortunate that the increase wasn’t phased and even more unfortunate since we may not be able to move all year.

I haven’t juggled the figures for short term vignettes but I read a Dutchman complaining ( on the Waterkaart site) that it now costs the same for 7 days as it cost last year for two months (or was it three?)

Balliol.

Wow Terry, that's gone up about three times last year. And the fine for not having one is 2 x the annual fee.

I calculate for a 365 day vignette it works out at €14.7226 / metre so:
15m €220
20m €294
25m €368
30m €441

It seems to be aimed at attracting short term users passing through who used to have to buy a six month and penalising those staying all year who used to pay €120 as I remember.

Terry Hawkes wrote: Yes it was a civil servant and as I used to collect and publish statistics for the Department of Transport I should have known better. Anyway I will pay the 309 euros as I think the movement ban will be in force for some time. Hey it could be worse cough, cough.....

Yes it was a civil servant and as I used to collect and publish statistics for the Department of Transport I should have known better. Anyway I will pay the 309 euros as I think the movement ban will be in force for some time. Hey it could be worse cough, cough.....

Terry


I doubt they 'see' this pandemic as a way to make more money.
You contacted a civil servant.......and being older now I hope you have realized that civil servants answer only the answers they have been programmed.
Just as civil servants comply with their #1 rule....... which says......do not look out of the window in the morning, otherwise you have nothing to do in the afternoon.

Pete Clark wrote: ....... and that in the end good sense will prevail.

That is funny! Another neighbour in Gent was actually in Holland when the Belgian movement restriction took effect and (illegally) travelled back. Now they have to pay, too. They are not very bright.

Pete

I have no knowledge of De Vlaamse Waterweg so can only guess (1) that no, they don't see all this as a means of making more money from those 'stranded' (and your plight applies to many boaters) and (2) that they probably just haven't caught up with reality themselves yet and that in the end good sense will prevail.

Pete Clark

Terry Hawkes wrote: They obviously see this as a way to make more money from those of us stranded in Flanders.

The rule is simple. If we are on VWW waters, we pay. My visiting neighbour in Gent lives in Willemdok (not VWW) but will have to pay if they cannot move before the end of March. We could all claim to be heading for Holland (or Willemdik) before the end of the month. It's really bad luck but not profiteering.

Now, if you were to mention VWW's exorbitant fee increase, that would be another matter. 300% for many of us.

Pete

Terry said 'They obviously see this as a way to make more money from those of us stranded in Flanders.'

No Terry, they have just not relaxed their rules - nor have EA or CRT in UK. On the water - need a permit, registration or a licence.

Bruges, Birmingham, Bourne End or Braunston - same rules - and now UK government have said 'stay in your primary home' so even if your boat is on a canal in Braunston you cannot use it (unless it is your primary residence)

(PS France (only when moving) , Wallonia, Germany and the Netherlands are different - but that hasn't changed with virus regulations)

I contacted De Vlaamse Waterweg asking them:

My leisure boat is currently on the Coupure in Brugge but with the closure of the waterways I can not move it. I was planning on leaving the Flemish waterways at the end of March when my vignette ends but now my boat has to remain in the Coupure. Do I need to purchase a waterway permit but I do not know when the waterways will reopen or how long the I will have to remain in Flanders?

Their reply was no you have to pay:

See www.visuris.be > pleasure boating> waterways permit This states that vessels that are stationary also need a WWV, with the exception of the waterways that are named.
As you can see there, you can also take a WWV per day / week / month and you can also extend this period each time.

They obviously see this as a way to make more money from those of us stranded in Flanders.