The Nouvelle Avenue in the Gare district is slowly beginning to take shape. After the completion of the tram network, a new cycling lane has now been inaugurated. Officials hope that the infrastructure project will help improve the connection with the Luxembourg City centre, and that more people will chose to cycle in the future. The new cycling path has two wide lanes that are clearly separated from the rest of the road.
The new path goes up to Place de Paris, before turning towards Rue Jean Origer, and finally leading to the central station via Avenue de la Gare. It is in this exact area where business owners lament the lack of parking spots and the elevated number of construction sites.
Thierry Abondance, who owns an electrical supply store at Place de Paris, no longer knows where to send his delivery people: “There is another spot nearby in Rue Glesener, but that one is also under construction. It was set to be done by 5 March, and yet it remains unaccessible at the moment. Rue d’Anvers is further scheduled to be closed for two weeks at least, which leaves us with no spots at all.”
Other business owners report similar problems, most notably that their delivery drivers are fined when not stationing their vehicles correctly. Luxembourg City councilman and head of traffic Patrick Goldschmidt acknowledged the problem, but emphasised that analysis prior to construction had shown the new set-up to be saver for cyclists and better for the flow of the remaining traffic.
Once the Place de Paris is done, new delivery spots will be arranged. However, it could still take until June for the square to be finished. Until then, business owners have to figure out a way to get their deliveries.
Apparently, the government and municipal council were not on the same page when it came to inaugurating the cycling lane. The former was eager to get it done, while the council tried to align the date with that of other construction sites to help defuse the situation.
