It’s a scenario worthy of the hit saga Fast and Furious. This time it’s the carolo version. Cars skimming the houses at crazy speeds, it has become the daily life of Livia and her family. Shrill brake noises, accelerations and roar of engines, the inhabitants of the chaussée de Montigny in Gilly (Charleroi) are constantly afraid of being hit by a car. A source of constant stress, which prompted Livia to contact the editorial staff of RTL info via the orange button to warn regarding this area which has become highly accident-prone.
Day and night, cars fly by. However, we are not on a motorway, but indeed on the chaussée de Montigny, in Gilly (Charleroi). It is in this small village that Livia lives, accompanied by her husband and her two children. Coming to seek calm in the outskirts of Charleroi, it was ultimately a completely different atmosphere that they had to face. : “It feels like Spa-Francorchamps! It really feels like being on a racing circuit. Looks like people are taking this for a test track. We don’t even have time to see the color of the car it has already passed.”
Chases, races with friends, end of drunken evenings… As soon as night falls, the Chaussée de Montigny is transformed: “All day, we hear brakes and horns… It’s always on the verge of an accident. Even when you’re on foot, you go out with a lump in your stomach. There are times when even to cross, we are afraid because the cars have no visibility on certain pedestrian crossings.
When the cars come at full speed, it becomes an explosive cocktail
And for good reason, the intersection at rue des Auduins has become over time a dangerous accident zone: “It is a cross between 3 streets. In addition, the road is S-shaped, with all along the houses that directly overlook the roadway. When the cars arrive at full speed, it becomes an explosive cocktail. It’s really atrocious. On the other hand, we are just 100 m from Saint Joseph Hospital. At times, there are ambulances that are there too.“
The district evacuated in 2019
Speeding that has repercussions on the daily lives of Livia and her family: “In 2019, I remember a driver running from the police. He was going so fast that he ended up crashing into the front of a house.” In this crazy chase, the driver unfortunately hit a gas terminal, thus causing the evacuation of the whole neighborhood : “We had to go out in the middle of the night with our children who were scared. We didn’t really understand what was going on, it was as if we were waking up in the middle of a nightmare.” A nightmare, which lasted several hours this time, but which has been repeated tirelessly for several years.
Recurring accidents, which very often involve the parked vehicles of the inhabitants of the Chaussée de Montigny: “This is the third time in 3 years that my in-laws have no car, the second time for my sister-in-law, the umpteenth time for many neighbours. We can’t take it anymore. “Since these repeated incidents, Livia and her family have adopted certain precautions:”Personally, I no longer dare to park my car in front of my house, even if it is not practical. Each time, we hear a sudden brake and we say to ourselves: is my car going to be hit? I even feel guilty and tell myself that if I don’t park my car in front of my house to preserve it, it’s ultimately my facade that will suffer the impact..”
A new violent accident: some are thinking of moving
But a few weeks ago, a new accident occurs. A particularly violent shock, which shook the little family in the middle of the night: “It was 11:30 p.m., we were quietly in our house, when we heard a long braking. Unfortunately, the shrill noise was getting closer. We held our breath to see where the impact was going to be. Shortly following, we heard a boom in the door. Upset, Livia rushes out and sees four young people, still stunned by what had just happened: “We were lucky this time that they stayed, because 9 times out of 10 drivers leak. It is complicated to then take the steps with the insurance.”
A situation of constant stress which pushes many inhabitants to consider moving: “I know many people who no longer want to live here. My neighbor, who has twins, told me the last time that he no longer dared to leave his children in the car, if he had to go get something at home. We’re talking here regarding a two-minute time lapse, it’s still serious to get there! We leave home hoping it’s the right time. It’s a bit like playing the lottery. My nephews, who live opposite me, have their bedroom facing the roadway so it’s even more stressful for them. Every time they hear loud noises and they ask me what’s going on.”
A regional road
Since the last incident, the inhabitants of Gilly have decided to mobilize: “From the start, we tried to alert people to the situation. We made petitions, we talked regarding it around us. The inhabitants therefore gathered to make contact with the mayor. They are as yet unanswered.
Contacted by our editorial staff, the spokesperson for the alderman for transport and road safety told us that he had not yet had any feedback on this issue: “We meet every week with the traffic and mobility commission, where there are all the players in road safety. We then try to process all the requests we receive. Unfortunately, in the case of the Chaussée de Montigny, it is a regional road. So we don’t have control over all the security arrangements. Our role is to act as an intermediary to transmit to the region the problems which require special arrangements. But for the moment, we have not yet received any file.“In other words, to solve the problem of the Chaussée de Montigny, the development project must first be validated by the SPW Mobility and Infrastructures. Chicanes, speed bumps, or speed bumps can then be considered to reduce the risk of speeding.
In the meantime, Livia and the other inhabitants of the Chaussée de Montigny continue to live, fear in their stomachs: “We fear that next time it will not be a car or a facade, but lives that are at stake. The last time was really the last straw. We really hope that something is done.”