DH – 28-03-2024
Work on the Ring: an “unacceptable situation
Kraainem is experiencing an increase in traffic, as a result of work on the Ring road, say local authorities.
As a collateral effect of the consequent disruption to mobility at the Quatre-Bras and Léonard crossroads, traffic is being transferred to the streets of Kraainem to avoid the endless traffic jams on the Ring.“We’re in an unacceptable situation with underestimated nuisances,” denounces Mayor Bertrand Waucquez. “People are fed up. Some people take 45 minutes to walk a few metres”.deplores alderwoman Élisabeth de Foestraets-d’Ursel (MR). One street is particularly hard hit: avenue d’Huart, linking place Dumont to Quatre-Bras.
As a reminder, a new phase of renovation work on the Léonard crossroads was launched last week, with heavy disruption to traffic, particularly towards Waterloo. Before Quatre-Bras, a lane was removed, with queues backing up from Zaventem. The editors recently put this to the test: it took an hour to complete the 12 km stretch between Zaventem and Groenendael.
To reduce the nuisance, the mayor is asking the regional authorities (who are maneuvering the site) to work at night, and to free up a strip of Avenue d’Huart, i.e. to temporarily remove parking, to enable residents to get home without being stuck in queues. A request has also been made to relocate the temporary Stib bus stop at the Quatre-Bras crossroads.
“The mayor is not firm enough”.
The MR and Défi opposition is also calling for these measures… but feels they don’t go far enough. “The burgomaster is not firm enough. He does not make full use of his police powers. It needs to do more to defend its inhabitants, instead of getting lost in palaver. Too much traffic percolates through Kraainem”, criticizes Pierre Simon (Défi). For amaranth, the lane freed up on avenue d’Huart should be used by buses and emergency vehicles currently blocked. In his opinion, action should also be taken on the traffic lights at the Ring junction and on the exits.
This ‘y a qu’à’ stuff is easy,” retorts the mayor. “There’s no quick fix. Creating an additional lane on avenue d’Huart can’t be done in five minutes. Besides, we don’t have full powers and the burgomaster is not a sheriff.”
Bertrand Waucquez also indicated that he was in contact with other affected municipalities to make representations to the Flemish Minister for Mobility, Lydia Peeters (Open VLD).
