Bike-lovers, join us for a ride between the Grund and Fentange (11km one way). The ride is on the “Piste cyclable du Centre” (PC1). In Fentange or back in the Grund we will stop for a drink or a nice ice cream. The ride will take 1.5-2h max.

Date: Saturday, March 15, 2014

Time: 10h30m

Meeting point: Neumünster Abbey cafe, 28 rue Münster, 2160 Grund, Luxembourg

The event could be cancelled in case of (heavy) rain, ice or snow:
– Bike with lights is advisable
– We don’t assume any responsibility in case of accident
– If you arrive by car, don’t worry, we will return to the starting point.
– No need for a mountain bike as all the way is on asphalt or concrete.
– There are only 1-2 small hills. The terrain is 99.9% flat

Pont Adolphe, the grand old bridge across the Petrusse Valley that links the centre of Luxembourg city with the Gare district, is currently undergoing major renovations, including widening to accommodate the future tram line. The bridge has never had any dedicated cycle lanes, but even with this opportunity to reconfigure it, no cycling infrastructure has been planned. The future bridge will accommodate cars, buses, a tram, pedestrians…but not bikes.

Unsurprisingly, the temporary blue bridge that will replace the Pont Adolphe during the renovation work is also lacking any cycling infrastructure. This leaves cyclists with no practical option to cross the bridge other than riding in between the cars and (dangerously fast) buses on the road, or take a 1.6km detour across the other bridge, the Al Bréck – this from a state which publicly positions itself as pro ‘soft mobility’. Ironically, the city has just painted a new cycle lane on the sidewalk along Avenue de la Liberté, beginning just after the bridge.

To take a stand, the LVI organized a protest on the afternoon of Monday, February 24th.  More than 250 cyclists took part, occupying a lane of the bridge while ringing their bells and wielding signs demanding “Space for bikes on the new bridge!” in German, Luxembourgish and French.

Photo from Wort.lu

François Bausch, the Minister for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, who is himself a regular cyclist, attended the protest. Speaking to the crowd through a megaphone, he agreed that something had to be done to improve the situation for bikes. He suggested three solutions:

-widening the planned pavement on the Adolphe bridge to accommodate cyclists

-widening the Al Bréck bridge to create a shared pedestrian-bike passage (the current bike lane is due to be replaced with a bus lane once the tram is in service)

-building a new bridge exclusively for pedestrians and cyclists, at a cost of somewhere between 4 and 7 million euros

It remains to be seen what will be decided, but the fact that the Minister is publicly suggesting solutions shows that the protest was a success, and that the voice of cyclists is being heard. The LVI will meet with the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure on March 17th for a new round of discussions.

Read more in the following articles on Wort.lu:

‘Space for cyclists on Pont d’Adolphe’ more than 250 protestors demand

Pas de piste cyclable sur le Pont Adolphe: “Ça fait un détour de 1,6 km!”

Plus de 250 cyclistes manifestent à Luxembourg: François Bausch vient avec des ‘solutions‘

and from Le Quotidien:

Luxembourg: Les cyclistes haussent le ton

Take a look at some more photos of the protest below and on the LVI’s website.

If you’ve recently been between the main Luxembourg City train station (Gare Centrale) and the multistory parking complex you may have noticed an empty cage with bike racks within it. It’s been around for the last six months (Summer 2013) or so – but empty. Last week it finally opened and I dropped by to take some pictures. This new secured bike cage provides a new way for cycling to become part of the daily commute.

I visited the Mobilitéitszentral office at the train station in December to ask about the protected bicycle racks. Getting a membership/access card to M-Box is free. With a 20 euro refundable deposit you receive a card to open the gate and access the bike racks. To get a card you must register at the Mobilitéitszentral ticket counter at the train station. You can visit the M-box website and download the form to complete at home ahead of time, but you still need to visit the ticket counter. Download the brochure for more info.

This bike cage can provide some nice alternatives to those who prefer to ride their own bicycles over using the city’s Vél’oh! bicycle sharing system. Using the protected bike racks allows you to leave your bicycle overnight at the station without too much fear of vandalism or theft. Commuters from outside the city could transfer from the train to their personal bicycle without worrying about Vel’oh! availability or waiting for the bus. Conversely, people living within the city who take the train to work could leave their bicycle in the gated area during the day with the same peace of mind. A second M-Box will also be installed at Mersch train station this spring.

There are many other bike racks currently available directly outside the gated area in case you do find the cage full. The number of bike racks on both sides of the train station has recently increased and is being well utilized. Once word spreads about this new addition I suspect it will fill up as well.

There is no question that providing one more option for commuters is a great thing. I do, however, find it unfortunate that the protected racks are not closer to the station or more directly accessible. But interestingly, the current location of the cage also makes cycling an accessible option for car commuters.

In addition to the new enclosure, a very welcome foot-powered air pump, the M-Pump, has been installed nearby.

Check out a more pictures of the bike cage and pump on our Flickr page.

Mikael Colville-Andersen, the founder of the Copenhagenize.com and CopenhagenCycleChic.com websites, as well as the Copenhagenize Design Company, spoke at the Mobility and Progress Conference (Fortbewegung Fortschritt) in Luxembourg on September 20, 2013.  Held at the European Conference and Congress Centre in Luxembourg’s Kirchberg quarter, and organised by Verkéiersverbond, the conference presented three alternatives to the current car-centric urban situation in Luxembourg.

Watch his talk in the videos below, and be sure to read Mike Gordon’s comprehensive summary “Cycling as a key to creating more livable cities: Copenhagenize style“.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3: