Taxi's blocking Brussels Airport after police shot driver

[luchtzak]

Just came home from work, luckily I came with my motorcycle as the entire Brussels Airport ringroad was completely blocked by taxi's!!

Apparently last night at 1900 police wanted to check a taxi driver operating at Brussels Airport after suspicion of not having the allowance working/operating at Zaventem airport, the police officer was taken by the taxi car on the hood from the airport to the bridge at the A201 road. The police officer shot twice, the taxi driver is injured.

When the news was spread that a taxi driver was shot (dead) about 200 taxi drivers blocked the main airport entrance, exits and roundabouts.

At 0000 I passed with my motorcycle and not a single car left the airport, and a big traffic jam was waiting to get to the airport for work or to pick up family/relatives/colleagues.

[luchtzak]

http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/regio ... m_schieten

http://www.gva.be/nieuws/binnenland/aid ... -neer.aspx

[Stij]

On De Redactie (http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/r ... chauffeurs, one can read it weren't the Zaventem taxi drivers who were blovking the road, but those from Brussels.

For the none Belgians: Because Brussels Airport is not located in Brussels, taxi's from Brussels can only drop of pax at the airport and vice versa, so all the taxi's driving between the airport and the city centre drive 50% of the time empty. This is the reason, the fares are so high and why (some) taxi drivers still try to get a get a client for the empty loss-making trip back.

Still, the law is the law and when a police officer asks you to stop, you stop, especially when he's on the hood.

And when a colleague gets cought for a violation he did on purpose and when ignored a police checkpoint and when he endangered the life of a human being, you shouldn't be blocking the highway for 8 hours... Idiots!

Cheers,

Stij

P.S. When taking a taxi in Brussels, always check that the meter is on, if not, ask to switch it on, if they don't, at the end of the ride, refuse to pay! No meter, no money!

[TCAS_climb]

So the taxi driver was illegally carrying a passenger from BRU airport to downtown or wherever, right ? Was it the cop on the hood or another person in the backseat ?

I can't imagine a taxi driver stupid/panicked enough to drive through a police control with a customer onboard. Same applies to the cop who opens fire on the car he's riding on, at the risk of shooting the passenger who's done nothing wrong.

But then if there was only the taxi driver onboard, where's the violation ?

Anyway it proves that despite mobile phones, smartphones, Facebook and Twitter communication hasn't really improved. And probably the contrary in this case.

[teddybAIR]

But then if there was only the taxi driver onboard, where's the violation ?

Euhm, ignoring a routine police checkpoint and driving 4km's with a policeman on your hood smells like a fairly severe violation for a - by the way professional - driver.

[jan_olieslagers]

But then if there was only the taxi driver onboard, where's the violation ?

AIUI the police were checking the documents of the cabs and their drivers. This one driver wanted to avoid being checked.

[9vsmu]

If you've nothing to hide, there is no need run and than it's just a waste of time.

Suggest all cabdrivers get checked.

[teddybAIR]

It seems to me that all the taxidrivers blocking the roads tonight should get fined for parking their vehicle on the public road. It is becoming a bad habbit that everybody decides to take matters in their own hands...certainly if the actions are based on erroneous information!

[sn26567]

To avoid such incidents in the future, it seems to me that Brussels Airport management should negotiate an agreement between the Flemish Region and the Brussels Region to allow taxis to pick up passengers in both directions.

It would save passengers a lot of money and prevent situations like we just have seen.

[BrightCedars]

About the taxi service at BRU, isn't it that the Zaventem taxis are not allowed to pickup customers in Brussels similarly to their Brussels counterparts not allowed to operate from the airport?

I understand you can book an airport taxi for pickup in Brussels but they may not load people on the streets.

There is no question of right or wrong here. The taxi is required to stop by an agent, and doesn't, whether there is a passenger, no passenger, taxes paid or not, he's at fault. He should consider himself lucky not to be in a worse condition or even dead.

For sake of the environment, it would probably be a good idea to review this situation that causes a lot more cars running empty on the roads than necessary.

[TCAS_climb]

Ok, it's much clearer now, thanks.

What looks like a loose-loose situation from here probably isn't, in particular for the suitably-approved taxi companies and the guys who issue the golden ticket. Otherwise, why bother ? People respond to incentives.

Other airports have limited access to their facilities to a certain number of bus/shuttle/taxi operators because in a "free market" they were so many that they clogged the roads and it became a royal pain for everyone. So some form of selection is probably required at BRU... but definitely not the insane system currently in place !

[Outsync]

Do we have anymore details about the driver?

[SpottairBRU]

Do we have anymore details about the driver?

From what I could read in the press, the 28 year old driver was lightly wounded at the shoulder, has been brought the hospital and was interrogated this morning, before being placed under arrest.

[hvs89]

According to lalibre.be, the bullet only scratched the arm of the driver.

The policeman fired twice in the instrument panel while the car was riding. After 2km the car stopped and a fight took place between the driver and the policeman. At this time, the policeman fired on the driver's arm.

Two links (in french) :
http://www.lalibre.be/actu/belgique/art ... ximan.html
http://www.lalibre.be/actu/belgique/art ... ffeur.html

Edit : SpotairBRU you replied faster than me

[9vsmu]

Accoding to HLN, more actions comming up. Cabdrivers seem to be heading to a201 again.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Belgie/art ... A201.dhtml

[andorra-airport]

So the taxi driver was illegally carrying a passenger from BRU airport to downtown or wherever, right ? Was it the cop on the hood or another person in the backseat ?

The policeman fired twice in the instrument panel while the car was riding. After 2km the car stopped and a fight took place between the driver and the policeman. At this time, the policeman fired on the driver's arm.

According to the general director of "Taxi Blue" , the driver took illagaly a passenger from Zaventem, was stopped by police, but drove away. The police then jumped on the car, the car stopped after a few metres, not 2 kilometers.

(So yes, I guess this means that the police fired , while a passenger was in the taxi).

Police controls every vehicle at the moment on all the acces-ways towards the airport. Airport advices to come with public transport.

http://standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx ... 110511_106
http://standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx ... 110511_125

[Boavida]

To avoid such incidents in the future, it seems to me that Brussels Airport management should negotiate an agreement between the Flemish Region and the Brussels Region to allow taxis to pick up passengers in both directions.

It would save passengers a lot of money and prevent situations like we just have seen.

I don't agree. The vast majority of Brussels taxi drivers don't speak a word of Dutch and the airport (Zaventem) is in Flanders.

[SN_fan]

It seems to me that all the taxidrivers blocking the roads tonight should get fined for parking their vehicle on the public road. It is becoming a bad habbit that everybody decides to take matters in their own hands...certainly if the actions are based on erroneous information!

It a difference in culture that is finding more and more it's way into Belgium.

[sn26567]

To avoid such incidents in the future, it seems to me that Brussels Airport management should negotiate an agreement between the Flemish Region and the Brussels Region to allow taxis to pick up passengers in both directions.

It would save passengers a lot of money and prevent situations like we just have seen.

I don't agree. The vast majority of Brussels taxi drivers don't speak a word of Dutch and the airport (Zaventem) is in Flanders.

So you prefer to pay more because taxis have to return empty to their region? Up to you, but I think a large majority of passengers will prefer a cheaper rate to a Dutch- (or French- or German-)speaking cab driver.

Brussels Airport in the National Airport of Belgium. If regions cannot agreee, the Federal Government should intervene and impose such an agreement.

[hvs89]

I don't agree. The vast majority of Brussels taxi drivers don't speak a word of Dutch and the airport (Zaventem) is in Flanders.

Don't forget that the airport name is Brussels National... So Flanders or not, it doesn't matter...