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A ride with a beer bike in Knokke-Heist? That is no longer allowed from this week. The coastal municipality has included a general ban in the police regulations, subject to GAS fines of up to 500 euros. Striking: in Ghent they found such a ban legally unenforceable.

You know them: a group of cheerful revelers who push a large beer cart forward, while music plays and beers from the tap are consumed. It happens, among other things, during bachelor parties, but the phenomenon is not appreciated everywhere. More and more local authorities are trying to keep them out.

In Ghent, after a few complaints, a ban was briefly considered last summer, but that ultimately did not happen. “That appears not to be legally possible and does not seem proportionate,” Mayor Mathias De Clercq (Open VLD) said at the time. But in Knokke-Heist they think differently. The municipal police ordinance was recently amended there. Beer bicycles are now banned throughout the country. And that on penalty of a GAS fine.

“We have already received a number of complaints about the phenomenon in the past,” says Mayor Jan Morbee (Municipal Interests). “To be clear: we have nothing against atmosphere and ambiance. Having fun is allowed and even necessary. But those beer bikes often cause a nuisance. That is why we have decided to ban them.”

“Perfectly enforceable”

By placing the ban in the local police ordinance, it is perfectly enforceable, Morbee says. “We made that choice consciously. And it is based on certain arguments. Firstly, we prefer that visitors to our coastal municipality consume something at the local catering industry,” says Morbee. “Go cycling, and then have a beer or a coffee on a terrace. On the other hand, we also think that beer bikes do not fit the image of a coastal municipality. Many families come here. It simply does not belong in our street scene.”

There is also the safety aspect. “A beer bike like this often involves excessive alcohol consumption,” Morbee continues. “You are still on public roads. There will be checks and violators risk a fine.” This can amount to 500 euros, because the maximum amount was increased in the same police regulations. “That is the legal maximum,” Morbee explains.

The new police ordinance has now been voted on and approved in the February city council. “And there was no protest against the ban on beer bicycles,” Morbee adds.