Rollers Parade Renewed

The Roller Parade Renewed Given the success of the rollerblade outings this summer, the experience will continue next summer and on five specific dates BRUSSELS - 1,600 people set off for the first edition. There were 4,500 people at the penultimate one. The final one took place this Friday at 9 p.m. In addition to the thousands of fans who felt obligated to attend the very last one, the organizers were expecting more famous visitors, such as Elio Di Rupo on a bicycle and a mayor... with his skates in his hand. In fact, Freddy Thielemans was visibly satisfied with this full-scale test of the summer rollerblade sessions: "Even if motorists were sometimes blocked for half an hour by the passage of the procession, we received no complaints. This event is clearly appreciated by everyone. We are therefore going to renew it next summer but, unfortunately, not every Friday of the year as in Paris." Indeed, 35 police officers (including 13 rollercops) supervised this event every Friday evening from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. However, the Brussels-Ixelles force has a deficit of 300 agents, and those remaining cannot exceed the quota of 60 nights worked per year (mammoth schedules). The operation will therefore be renewed on rain-free Fridays next summer. To keep inline addicts waiting, the city has scheduled five intermediate dates on its calendar. The parade will thus be organized on Friday, September 20 to mark the opening of Mobility Week, November 1 for Halloween, December 27 with a torchlight tour, February 14 for all lovers, and March 7 with a carnival parade (by the way, the rollercops are not yet wearing costumes...). The meeting point will still be set for 9 p.m. at Place Poelaert, at the foot of the Palace of Justice. P. D. V. [Image caption]: Rest assured, the roller parade organized every Friday evening during the summer is a far cry from the chaos depicted in this humorous drawing by Marc De Jong, a member of the organization. (DH)