Representatives from both the International School Michel Lucius (ISML) and the École Fondamentale de Limpertsberg have joined forces for the first time to demand immediate action from the Ville de Luxembourg to improve pedestrian safety.
Their joint appeal, sent to Mayor Lydie Polfer and the municipal council, follows a serious car accident on 14 March directly outside the Tramsschapp school. Although no pedestrians were injured, parents say the incident underscores long-standing risks and a lack of effective safety measures.
“Our children have the right to move safely in their own neighbourhood. Anything less is a failure of public responsibility,” said Ulrik Møller, President of the Parents Association International School Michel Lucius.
The parents’ letter proposes a detailed list of safety improvements, including clearer signage around schools, electronic speed displays, raised pedestrian crossings, speed bumps, and more municipal agents supervising school zones during peak hours. They also call for regular and random police speed checks and the installation of convex mirrors at blind intersections.
This call to action comes nearly a year after ISML parents took the step of organising their own traffic patrols. At the time, RTL reported on parents donning high-visibility vests to help children cross busy roads, after repeated requests to the city and other authorities went unanswered. Despite positive public feedback at the time, parents say little has changed.
Now, the frustration appears to have deepened – but it has also sparked broader mobilisation.
“It is a novum in Luxembourg to see a public and international school working together in this way,” said Anne-Gaëlle Schoenenberger of the Batty Weber parents committee.
According to the parent groups, official efforts so far have fallen far short. A previous safety assessment carried out by the municipality and national authorities is also being questioned, with Møller pointing out that the analysis was conducted on a day when half the student body was away on a school trip and weather conditions were unusually favourable. “We cannot base policy on blue skies and empty sidewalks,” he said.
In some cases, parents have stepped in to fill roles they believe should be handled by city officials. “When parents are forced to take over the basic responsibilities of municipal agents, it is clear that the system is failing,” Møller added.
The situation in Limpertsberg has long been a point of concern. In 2023, local residents petitioned for safer roads and better urban planning in the school-dense neighbourhood. With thousands of pupils commuting daily – many on foot – parents now hope that their unified stance will finally spur lasting change.
