The truth about rue des Seringas

Rue des Seringas: “This is the “Kraainem-Unie” street, where they even display their ridiculous flag. Waucquez (our mayor) and his wife bought there … so the street had to be beautiful in order to maximize their investments … moreover, as good Flemings, they are crazy about cycling so too bad for the others”?

An MR local councillor (under the pseudonym Clover Denys, but also under her own name) writes regularly on Facebook on this subject. In so doing, she accuses the mayor of having a conflict of interest. 

 

Fact checking:

The facts:

  • Burgomaster Bertrand Waucquez has always abstained when decisions had to be taken concerning the Rue de Seringas (both at the College of Burgomasters and Aldermen and at the Local Council), precisely to avoid a conflict of interest because he lives there.
  • Rue de Seringas has been completely renovated as a residential zone to discourage through-traffic.This decision was taken after consultation with the street’s residents during the previous 2012-2018 legislature (when Kraainem-Unie was in opposition), and the work, planned during the previous legislature, was not carried out until 2020.
  • The next step was the renovation of Rue des Tulipes (parallel to Rue de Seringas), where there was also a consultation among residents during the previous mandate (much lower turnout, but a petition was subsequently circulated), where explicitly no choice was made for a residential area.However, a test phase took place in Rue des Tulipes in 2020, during which part of the street became one-way (Astridlaan side).
  • In 2015, the principals had already decided that if traffic measures were taken on Rue des Seringas or Rue Tulipes, simultaneous measures should also be taken on the other street to prevent transit traffic from one street to the other. In 2020, the residents of Rue des Tulipes expressed their desire for local traffic, so there is also local traffic in Rue de Seringas.
  • At the town council meeting of 12/15/2020, a debate took place on rue de Seringas (redeveloped) and rue des Tulipes (redeveloped).Johan Forton (alderman for public works and mobility) advises following the advice of the services concerning rue des Tulipes (i.e. respecting the initial choice of the residents, i.e. no residential zone in rue des Tulipes).Véronique Caprasse (Défi) disagrees and insinuates that mayor Bertrand Waucquez, who lives in rue de Seringas, may have influenced the departments in the choice that was made.Burgomaster Bertrand Waucquez protests against these false allegations, against which he may lodge a complaint.Johan Forton confirms that Bertrand Waucquez has always abstained at the college when rue de Seringas was mentioned, precisely to avoid a conflict of interest.