Reason

The Bekelaar is an important access road for the Mierlo core. It is the connection between Mierlo and Lierop/Someren, used daily by a lot of through traffic. The lane consists of two lanes with a separate bike path on both sides. In the past several measures have been taken on the Bekelaar to reduce the excessive speed. The construction of these measures have not proved adequate and there is still a lot of speeding on a daily basis.

Redesign

The section of the Bekelaar within the built-up area will be redesigned and major maintenance will take place on the road section outside the built-up area up to the municipal boundary with Someren. On this last road section only the asphalt will be replaced and the markings will be adjusted.

A lane curvature will be installed at the bowl border and a traffic ramp will be constructed in it. These measures should lead to a reduction in speed at the city limit. At the intersection with the Goorsedijk we plan to install a traffic island so that slow traffic can cross more safely in two stages. This will make the intersection where a lot of bicycle traffic crosses to the sports park and building school safer. An additional lane deflection will be installed halfway between this intersection and the bowl boundary to further reduce traffic speeds. As on the other 50 km/h area access roads within the built-up area, the carriageway will also be enclosed by raised RWS tires. This leads to a visual narrowing of the roadway which will also have an effect on the speed of traffic.

Involvement

The plan was available for public inspection from Friday, July 15, through Thursday, August 25, and within this period several views were received. These views led to some adjustments to the plan, after which the plan was finally adopted by the municipal executive committee on November 29. 

Follow-up implementation procedure

Now that the design has been finalized, further preparation will take place. In 2023, the specifications preparation and tendering will take place and the utility companies will start moving the cables and pipes. Also in 2023, some trees will be cut down that are in the way of realizing the new design.

Actual implementation of the work will eventually take place in 2024. A final schedule is not yet known. Further information will be posted on the website by then.