The first Namur Roller Parade took place on tuesday A bit long but very beautiful

If last week the first edition of the Namur Roller Parade was cancelled due to overly capricious weather, roller skating enthusiasts had no reason to be disappointed on Tuesday evening. For the second major "first" was a great success. Shortly before 9 p.m., at the time of departure, the first participants arrived at the Place du Palais de Justice in the center of Namur. The grand premiere was being prepared and discussions were going well. A quick look at the neighbor's pair of skates, another at the equipment. The atmosphere kept building up. Then came the important moment to perfect one's protection: elbow pads, knee pads, helmet... Enough to avoid the worst in case of a bad fall. Some loops may be removed Then came the moment of the grand departure. There were just over 200 forming the main group. "It is a great success regarding turnout," exclaimed the organizers and city officials in unison. "In Mons, there were only about a hundred." Thus, with broad smiles, the group, escorted by the Rollers Cops (see below), set off for this first summer outing. And quickly, one phrase was on everyone's lips: "What a pleasant route..." An observation that grew stronger as the kilometers went by, even if the distance sometimes felt very long. In fact, police and organizers stated that the route might need to be shortened. "The police will analyze all of this with the organizers," declared the Alderman for Sports Frédéric Laloux. "It is possible that certain loops, such as the one passing through Astrid Park in Jambes, might even be removed." To find out, the appointment has already been made for next Tuesday, same place, same time, with, this time, the presence of the Alderman for Sports who promised to put on a pair of roller skates. From a practical point of view, the compact group, after leaving the Place du Palais de Justice, headed towards Rue de Bruxelles and Rue Godefroid before passing in front of the station and taking the tunnel towards Salzinnes and Avenue Cardinal Mercier. On Place Wiertz, the skaters rolled along Avenue Reine Astrid to reach the Casino. The ride continued towards La Plante and its park to arrive in Wépion where the group finally crossed the Meuse. Finally, the return route, scheduled through Dave and Jambes, carried the crowd, composed of many children, towards the Ardennes bridge. It was around midnight, after a final loop in the city center, that the last skaters finished their route. True roller fans or simple amateurs, everyone agreed on one point. They even shouted it out loud: "What a splendid route." Applause was even heard in certain places of the Walloon capital. One more reason not to miss the next gathering scheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m. If, obviously, the weather permits... The Rollers Cops Like clockwork Trained exclusively to supervise roller outings, twenty police officers from Namur made up part of the group on Tuesday evening. For the latter, now nicknamed the "Rollers Cops", this premiere was also a great success, even though it should be noted that a couple of falls resulted in concussions which they attended to. The other downside of the picture: the presence of many children, which somewhat slowed down the cruising speed of certain participants. The solution will certainly not be to prevent young people from taking part. But, according to the police, reducing the route might be an interesting solution. The other important topic in the eyes of law enforcement: traffic disruptions caused by the parade. Here too, satisfaction was in order, as they were minimal. Needless to say, this can only be beneficial for this event. Reason enough to hope for even more skaters next Tuesday on the occasion of the second outing. One thing is certain: the Rollers Cops, highly competent according to the organizers, will once again be present to ensure everyone's safety.