“We are in Europe and yet they are closing borders, it is shameful!” declared organiser Sandrine Mlodzieniak, who spoke to RTL Infos ahead of the demonstration on Friday. The Audun-le-Tiche resident is at the helm of the protest action, which will see demonstrators blocking part of the B40 between Belval and Audun-le-Tiche just outside of the French commune from around 4.30pm onwards.
“We are not going to create a filter barrier, as cross-border commuters already spend enough time on the roads as it is. Instead we are going to position ourselves at the zebra crossings where the road goes from two lanes to one, where cars automatically slow down, and we will distribute leaflets to interested drivers.”
The protest action was triggered by a project which plans to close a cross-border road linking Belvaux in Luxembourg to Rédange in France to all cross-border commuters. Luxembourg authorities will block cross-border workers from accessing the CR178 road using automatic retractable bollards which will only permit buses, cyclists and pedestrians to pass.
Luxembourg emphasises this plan is not a closure of the border, while Rédange has issued traffic restriction orders on the small, yet busy road.
The measures have been controversial, redirecting traffic via a Micheville-Belval route which is already hitting its limits. Mlodzieniak has also launched a petition titled “No to the closure of the road between Rédange and Belvaux”, which has already gathered over 2,000 signatures.
She has also installed a banner above a bridge spanning the Micheville road, just before the first Audun-le-Tiche roundabout, as the municipality risks suffering from the road closure. “There are 4,000 vehicles around Rédange, but when the road closes, they’ll go via Audun, automatically. Just like when there is traffic on the A31, drivers from Metz or Thionville descend upon Audun. Our town is always congested when there are problems elsewhere.”
The Audun-le-Tiche bypass with the Micheville-Belval road was supposed to relieve pressure on Audun, but Mlodzieniak disagrees. “The bypass was very poorly thought-out, over ten years ago. Maybe at the time it was the right solution, but these days it’s no longer the case. We’re told that Luxembourg is shutting roads to encourage people to use public transport, but this does not currently suit the needs of cross-border workers. Why don’t Luxembourg politicians ask cross-border commuters what they need? It’s all well and good to tell us to cycle or use scooters, that works when the commute is 5-10 kilometres, but not 30 or more!”
She adds: “I take the bypass. I get up at 4.30am every morning so I can arrive at work in Merl by 7am, and when they close the road there will be 4,000 more vehicles clogging up my commute. If I took the train or the bus I’d be adding an hour or more to my journey. Whereas if tomorrow they said, get a bus that leaves Audun and goes to the Park + Ride in Hollerich, I’d be the first to jump onboard. But this bus doesn’t exist.”
