2023-09-10 17:00:00
On several occasions, the subject had been raised at the municipal council, notably at the initiative of Patrice Bougenies (Liste Athoise). What is it about ? The difficult coexistence between traffic, the parking needs of local residents and the circulation of low-volume users (cyclists in particular), and this along avenue Jouret (between rue de l’Abbaye and rue des Primevères) . On Thursday, the municipal college presented a solution which provoked hostile reactions on the benches of the minority (Athoise List).
The following system has been adopted: move to one-way traffic with a single lane of at least 3 meters width, the part of the avenue located between rue de l’Abbaye and the crossroads formed by rue Coupi and Chemin des Primevères, the authorized direction being the outgoing direction (i.e. towards the N7 roundabout); reopen the cycle path removed in 2012 in the direction of rue de l’Abbaye towards the N7 roundabout; create a parking lane parallel to the reopened cycle path with a buffer zone between these two elements; create a second marked cycle path 1.30 m wide allowing the circulation of bicycles in the N7 roundabout towards rue de l’Abbaye.
“We thus provide a solution to various problems” underlines Ronny Balcaen, alderman in charge of soft mobility (Ecolo). “We calm traffic, we provide parking to local residents and ensure the safety of cyclists. There were complaints in particular about the passage of heavy goods vehicles in the morning. This solution was reached in consultation with local residents.”
A deleted “entry”
“It’s pretty incredible!” reacts Pascale Nouls (Athoise List). “We are thus eliminating an entry into the city. I would like to know who among you, living outside the city, must enter there to work or drop off children in the morning at 8 a.m.! They would then understand the struggle of these people. Poor people citizens of Lanquesaint and Isières who lose their royal road to enter the city…” She insists on the transfer of significant traffic to already saturated roads, in particular rue Maria Thomée via rue des Primevères. She reviews the different options available to users, each time with difficulties (probably in the same time slot).
“Cycling is good. But we still have to use the car. And why create two cycle paths? Do you have statistics on the number of cyclists using the section in question? There were other possible solutions , I think…”
Alderman Ronny Balcaen does not deny the existence of a general mobility problem. “But there were also nuisances for local residents here; we weighed the different alternatives; there is no miracle solution. Currently, Avenue Jouret is considered a fast route to the city.”
“We’re going to move the cars” remarks Ms. Nouls. “And further on avenue Jouret?”
“We move forward as best we can” explains Ronny Balcaen. “If anyone has miracle solutions for mobility, come and present them to us.” He recalls that the college has taken up the cycle-pedestrian plan established more than ten years ago and that it has started to implement certain elements.
Patrice Bougenies (Liste Athoise) insists on the fact that the cycle path is not wider along the Route de Lessines than that on Avenue Jouret; which does not prevent cyclists from traveling there, in both directions.
The debate ends in a rather tense manner, between alderman Ronny Balcaen and Patrice Bougenies.
Test and heavyweights
Unsurprisingly, the Athoise List expresses a negative vote in relation to a project whose results and consequences will be appreciated within a few weeks. Wouldn’t a testing phase be interesting? And a subsidiary question: if heavy goods vehicles are reported in the street, shouldn’t we first go through a phase of control and repression? Traffic is in fact prohibited for vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes.
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#Ath #oneway #street #clog #city