Anyone hoping to visit Binsfeld, in the municipality of Weiswampach, will be forced to take a detour due to the numerous roadworks and network improvements taking place around the village. The situation is particularly difficult for people reliant on public transport. Since Tuesday, no RGTR buses have been stopping in the village, resulting in complaints among the residents.
73-year-old pensioner Ernest Antony does not have a driver's licence and usually relies on the bus to go shopping or to pick up prescriptions from the pharmacy. His wife still commutes to work in Luxembourg City, and also does not possess a driver's licence. As a result of the disruption, she rented a room in the capital for three weeks in order to get to work.
The council shared a leaflet with residents on 4 September explaining the village centre would be closed to traffic completely for around two weeks. But Antony says:
"The flyer didn't mention anything about alternatives, for people requiring a bus to get to the nearest train station, which is over 4 kilometres away [in Troisvierges]. At my age, or for my wife, who has asthma, it's not possible to go on a hike through the forest to catch the train."
The transport planning website mobilitéit.lu stated there would be no RGTR buses running to Binsfeld from 8 September until 25 September. Antony contacted the Roads and Bridges Administration, as well as the bus company, but was referred back to the municipal council. The council's technical department was unable to help him further. He says responsibility lies with local politics.
"I believe the elected officials have a responsibility towards the electorate, towards us, the voters. They're not just elected because of their name, they need to act in citizens' interests. That includes freedom of movement and if that isn't possible, then the mayor is committing an error, in my opinion."
RTL reached out to Weiswampach council to share these criticisms with the mayor, Néckel Polfer, but he said the responsibility lay elsewhere. The council was only informed on 7 September that the RGTR buses would not be stopping in Binsfeld, citing roadworks which launched in mid-June and will last until December. The Roads and Bridges Administration is changing the priority at the crossroads. But the disruption service believed the crossroads would be closed until the end of the project, so until the end of the year, but this is not actually the case:
"The road is technically open from Clervaux into Binsfeld. But this wasn't clear to the disruption service, as they did not receive clear communication. We had a telephone discussion yesterday to clarify whose role it is to publicise it, as normally this is something managed by the National Roads Administration."
Polfer said he did not want to point fingers, as they had found a solution to the issue. Starting 14 September, mini-buses will serve the village via country lanes or field paths, and will also be able to provide transport to the nearby villages of Holler and Breidfeld. But the central bus stop by the museum will not be open for some time. "The mini buses will have to travel around the outside of the village, along the perimeter, and they cannot access the museum stop while the roadworks are going on. We will have other bus stops though."
The roadworks in central Binsfeld, which are focusing on the renewal of the tapwater network and the sewage pipes, as well as the road surface, are unlikely to be completed until mid-December.
