The Green Party's local section held a press conference on Tuesday morning, presenting their suggestions for a safe bicycle network in Luxembourg City. Their suggestions include connecting the main traffic axes and introducing traffic-calming measures in the capital's neighbourhoods.
Green Party politician Claudie Reyland stated that the first lockdown in 2020 clearly showed that an increasing number of people are using bicycles to move around the city. In her eyes, this is a trend that is not being taken into account by the capital's municipal executive, consisting of a coalition between the Democratic Party (DP) and the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), at all. Reyland accuses the city's leadership of only half-heartedly working on an efficient network for cyclists.
She criticised that in the previous municipal council session alone, two of the Green Party's motions were rejected. One proposed the creation of a safe bicycle lane on Pont Bech in Kirchberg and the other the introduction of traffic-calming measures around Place de Nancy.
François Benoy from the Green Party stressed that while the bicycle network has been well developed on Kirchberg and in Quartier de la Gare, the connection between the two, i.e. the city centre, still required a lot of work. One of the Green Party's suggestions is to ban cycling in the municipal park in order to avoid conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians by better separating the two.
Cyclists needed a safe alternative, and for the Green Party this alternative can be found on Boulevard Prince Henri: By removing one of the parking lanes, the party suggests, a safe two-way bicycle lane could be established.
The different neighbourhoods also need to be connected to the city centre and the already existing lanes by additional bicycle lanes. In order to reduce traffic within the neighbourhoods, the through traffic needs to be reduced. Benoy cited Avenue Pasteur in Limpertsberg as an example, explaining that the situation could be vastly improved by allowing bicycles to drive in both directions and diverting cars in other directions. This could open up possibilities for an "urbanistic makeover", which according to the Green Party politician, would include more space for terraces and a safe street for cyclists.
Benoy stressed that for a safe bicycle network, all that is needed is "the will to do it, a good concept, and a schedule". In his eyes, a proper bicycle network would not just benefit cyclists, but pedestrians and motorists as well.
