One of the reinforcements of prolonged confinement for many Luxembourgish residents appears to be a rediscovering love for the bicycle. Will this result in additional accidents involving cars and cyclists? Or has cycling become an established and respected practice on our roads?
After the presentation of the Cycling Summer 2020 project, Minister of Transport François Bausch commented on the rising popularity: “Bikes have found their way back into the mainstream. We are talking of thousands of people that use this environmentally friendly method of transportation on a daily basis, which is why they deserve to be respected.” Apart from the planned 650 km of new cycling roads, another 55 km of country roads have been designated for bike rides during a four week period in August.
Read: Government doubles the financial support for electric bikes
The prioritisation of bikes over cars has sparked some negative feedback from the public over the last 24 hours in RTL’s comment section. Nonetheless, the renaissance of bikes in Luxembourg is undeniable. Bike salesman Larry Conklin notes: “We have been in the business for 30 years, but what we are experiencing right now is unprecedented. The storm of people that came to our store as soon as we were allowed to reopen was immense. We have sold over 200 bikes in only two weeks.”
Especially the demand for e-bikes appears to be great, with experts estimating that stocks in Europe will be sold end before the end of summer. It follows that more and more cyclists can be encountered on our streets.
The purchase of bicycles is currently being subsidised by up to €600. Minister Bausch praises the success of the initiative: “People are getting back on their bikes!”
