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Stad Lëtzebuerg

Connect main cycling routes – now !

Quick, convenient, healthy, social and environmentally friendly. Bikes are the ideal mode of transport for most journeys in the city. 

 

Connect main cycling routes – now !

Luxembourg City needs a network of main cycling routes. The new bike infrastructure on Avenue de la Liberté is an important step in this regard, but much still remains to be done.

Now that the Rue du Fossé has finally been opened to cyclists in both directions, through traffic needs to be dealt with resolutely, for instance by putting in place bollards. 

A secured two-way cycling lane is also needed on Boulevard Prince Henri. By foregoing parking spaces on one side of the street, such a lane could be implemented easily and would additionally provide more safety for pedestrians in the adjoining city park. 

 

Connect main cycling routes to neighbourhoods

The different neighbourhoods of the city need to be connected to the main cycling axis of the centre via quality bike paths that provide a high level of safety. 

It has been more than a year since déi gréng Stad Lëtzebuerg suggested to calm motorised traffic in Avenue Pasteur, which would increase the appeal of cycling in Limpertsberg and connect the neighbourhood to the city centre.

The municipalities to the west of the capital could be connected to Belair via Val St. Croix or Allée Léopold Goebel. These streets lead to Place de l’Etoile and would hence provide a connection to the main cycling axis.

In Merl and Hollerich, the connection to the main axis could be established via Avenue Marie-Thérèse and Avenue Guillaume, in Gasperich and Cessange via Rue de Nassau, Rue Emile Lavandier or Pont BüchlerTo link Bonnevoie to the main axis, a connection could for instance lead through Rue des Gaulois

To connect the different neighbourhoods, safe bike paths can be created using different approaches, depending on the local specificities: using resolute traffic calming measures (i.e. Avenue Pasteur or Rue des Gaulois), repurposing existing traffic lanes (ie. Avenue Marie-Thérèse), or foregoing parking spaces on one side. 

 

Calm traffic in neighbourhoods and the centre

Experience has shown that if you want pedestrian- and bike-friendly neighbourhoods, it is not enough to simply put up 30 km/h signs. 

If we want to increase the wellbeing of inhabitants and the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, we have to remove superfluous through traffic from our neighbourhoods. This can be achieved by directing inner-city car traffic from one neighbourhood to the other via the main roads. Pedestrians and cyclists on the other hand can use the direct and fastest way through the neighbourhood or the city centre, while residents can still reach their homes with their car. 

Other cities have shown that traffic calming measures can be implemented quickly and at little cost using provisional urban furniture. This way, streets (a public space we currently allocate to cars exclusively) can be developed into true public space; a space that belongs to all and that responds to the needs of all. 

 

Political courage instead of more studies

The opening of the cycling path along the tram line was an important stepping stone in the creation of a coherent bike network in Luxembourg City. 

To complete this network, we don’t require further studies – we need political courage: linking main cycling routes and connecting these to the traffic-calmed neighbourhoods via new, safe cycling paths. Every single additional bike on a cycling path means one less car stuck in traffic. This leads to more wellbeing for everybody – including motorists and pedestrians.