“The parking lot, which has more than a thousand spaces, experienced difficulties on Monday, explains Gauthier Saelens, general director of the GHdC. But this Tuesday, we controlled the spaces better. At no time have we experienced a lack of space for our patients. However, Tuesday morning is the time of the week when the hospital is busiest, and there were still places available.”
The above-ground car park and the underground car park had been reserved entirely for patients. Staff taking their shift after 7:30 a.m. were invited to use the Saint-Joseph car park, less than 10 minutes away on foot. Finally, still departing from Saint-Joseph, a free shuttle service was set up on Monday by the Red Cross for patients who were unable to park in Viviers.
Mobility remained complicated Tuesday morning. The problem is structural and primarily concerns Wallonia, believes the director general. The mobility study linked to the new hospital led Wallonia to enlarge the two roundabouts which manage traffic between the R3 and the RN90. “But with an additional flow this is apparently not enough.” The main access to Les Viviers, attached to one of the roundabouts, largely explains the additional traffic.
For Gauthier Saelens, a priority problem arises at these roundabouts: most vehicles use their outer lane, which does not make it easy to enter them. Fluidity is reduced. “We need a solution to make it easier to enter the roundabout. With signage, or a light system, I am not a specialist. It is a problem that escapes us”within the purview of the SPW with which discussions have begun.
For the future, in the immediate future, the director is counting on several things. “A form of regulation will take place on the part of people who will go to the hospital which will have become familiar to them“, he thinks. He also puts forward another very interesting element: “We will promote access via the north entrance, until now frequented by construction vehicles. This will allow patients coming from Charleroi to avoid going all the way to the roundabout.” He also mentions the bus lines which use the Chaussée de Châtelet, very close to the site. And, later, the passage of the metro, in January 2027…
Hugues Bayet deplores and proposes
Mayor of Farciennes and federal deputy, Hugues Bayet did not fail to deplore “the chaos” caused by the opening of the hospital on the RN90, a key axis for the municipalities to the east of Charleroi, including his own. Expected chaos, says Bayet who was worried early on about the additional traffic generated on this section where the main access to the hospital was to be located. The Walloon administration did not then encounter any major difficulties… On the other hand, Bayet was opposed to the inclusion of a strip of the N90 provided for by the Charleroi Métropole Mobility Plan. Which fortunately did not happen, he said.
The mayor also believes that roundabouts pose a problem. When these have two or three traffic lanes, he says, the motorist who occupies the outer lane has priority, which causes traffic jams at the entrance to the roundabouts. However, the federal police recommend using the left access lanes if you only exit at the 3rd exit. Like in France. Pictograms could indicate the traffic lane to take depending on its exit, he says. An idea proposed to the Federal Minister of Mobility.
