The impact of the tram works on Avenue de la Liberté has been staggering: a number of businesses have already experienced large losses and fear having to ask for temporary lay-offs before Christmas.
In a move of exasperation and at the end of the line, retailers have bandied together to launch a petition addressed to the city's authorities in order to demand 'urgent financial intervention' and that the City of Luxembourg take responsibility. The petition underlines the 'immediate risk of bankruptcy', the 'sound pollution that employees are exposed to', and 'continuous bus stop changes disorientating public transport users'. Other issues highlighted are the lack of available parking spaces and reduced or absent pavements.
At an information meeting for residents of Rue de Strasbourg on Monday evening, the overriding concern surrounded where dealers had disappeared to. The dealers and drug users usually found in the Gare area, notably Avenue de la Gare, had vanished thanks to regular police patrols since November. With the reinforcement of 30 police officers, the drug dealers and users' presence has moved away from the Gare area to elsewhere in the city.
The issue is that nobody seems to want to know where they have moved to.
At the meeting, mayor Lydie Polfer said that these questions should be directed at the police, not the mayor. Municipal council member Bock (DP), who resides in the area ,said the situation had become more peaceful, showing that the reaction had occurred in response to residents defending their rights. Bock believes measures must become permanent though.
To date, there have been no other complaints concerning increased drug activity from residents in other areas.
