What can expats find on the provelo.lu website?
Provelo.lu is the main cycling association in Luxembourg, with around 2,000 members. Yet we observed favourably the rise of commune associations such as in Dudelange and Esch. [Through their website], the association presents the list and details of events for the year. We provide day-to-day tips such as finding the quickest way for someone to get to his office, or a list of leisure bikeways across the country. We offer day or multi-day tours in Luxembourg and neighbouring countries with overnight stays in hotels. Volunteer guides accompany cyclists, help with small repairs along the way, book hotels and organise guided visits to farms, village festivals, museums or natural reserves. Finally, we organise training and repair sessions.
What are the most attractive activities for expats organised by your association?
We set up stands at European institutions to inform employees during lunchtime on ‘mobility days.’ Offered over 10 days, two hours per day, our bike trainings are popular for people working at Amazon or the EIB. We normally organise every year a large bike event at Place de la Constitution with information stands, food trucks, music and a 6km bike ride in the [city] centre. The event is [in July]. Replacing the Mam Vëlo op d’Schaff, the GoGo Vëlo event in September will have games and rewards. Again, the goal is to motivate people to cycle for fun or to the office.
Which bike trail is probably the most attractive in Luxembourg?
The bikeways along the Moselle and the Sûre are attractive given the flat terrain. The Luxembourg-to-Echternach path going through Junglinster is one of the nicest bike trails in the country.
How do you support bike commuters heading to Luxembourg City?
We have regular discussions with local communities and the mobility ministry. We put pressure on them to develop new paths to avoid long detours such as the express bikeway from Esch to Luxembourg [City]. We’d also like to get express paths from the West, East and North to the capital.
Have e-bikes increased interest in cycling in Luxembourg?
We noticed an ever-increasing number of people using their bike following covid. The bike counts are exploding even when it rains. E-bikes have increased motivation for people living far from their destination, and also enable older citizens to ride for longer journeys. The bike sharing system has become a great success after they replaced the traditional bikes with e-bikes.
Will streets where bikes have priority over cars ever become more widespread?
The number of adapted streets has increased but just painting cycles on the pavement isn’t enough to change car driver habits. Infrastructure to slow down cars is missing, with very few police controls. The city’s solution isn’t comprehensive.