The return to the office has in turn lead to a notable increase of traffic jams during rush hours in the morning and evening, heading to and from the capital.
The situation varies according to the motorways, however, some routes, such as the A1 from Trier, and the A6 from Arlon are currently less choked with traffic. The situation has returned to its pre-pandemic level on other popular commuter stretches.
For example, in March 2021, 20,000 additional vehicles were logged on average compared to March 2020 on the A4. And in April 2021, there were twice as many vehicles on the Esch motorway as there were in April 2020.
One factor for this increase in traffic is a return to more regular office-based work, in Luxembourg, a little more than half of the employees have the possibility of teleworking. But not everyone is happy to work only from home.
A recent survey by the Randstad group highlighted that at the start of 2021, many employees were happy to return to the office.
800 employees had been interviewed and it emerged from the survey that 73% of them wanted to return to work in the office, whether part or full time.
The explanations given were the lack of contact with their co-workers, the difficulty in finding a balance between work and family life at home and a feeling of isolation.
The increase in road traffic could perhaps also be the result of lower user confidence in public transport.
It emerged from a survey conducted in the fall of 2020 by the Ministry of Transport with TNS Ilres, that mobility habits had changed during the health crisis, with a preference for travel on foot, by car or by bicycle. A change in behavior justified by the fear of being infected with the coronavirus.
Given the rambling up of vaccinations and the dropping in confirmed cases, that fear would be less now and numbers of public transport use are also on the rise.
On average, 40,000 users take the tram every day and it is forecast that this will be 80,000 by the end of the year.
The authorities are aware that in the coming years, Luxembourg will further grow by around 20% both economically and demographically, and this too will have an adverse effect on travel.
Le reportage en langue luxembourgeoise:
