Luxembourg City council approved the works estimate for the Boulevard Roosevelt cycle lane unanimously at its 6 July meeting, with construction due to begin in January 2027 after the Christmas market.

“It was important to us to treat this project as a priority,” mobility alderman Patrick Goldschmidt told councillors, after parties across the chamber welcomed the scheme while pressing the City on details still to be settled.

The project will create a bidirectional cycle lane physically separated from motor traffic and running at pavement level along Boulevard Roosevelt, the road passing the Gëlle Fra monument and Place de la Constitution above the Pétrusse valley. The works also include changes to pedestrian crossings, accessibility adaptations, green spaces, benches and a drinking-water fountain near Place de Bruxelles, where Boulevard Roosevelt meets Avenue Marie-Thérèse.

Goldschmidt said the plan would reduce the current zigzag for cyclists crossing from one side of the road to the other. Cyclists will still change side at Boulevard Prince-Henri, but will no longer have to cross again near Rue Chimay and Rue de l’Ancien Athénée, two streets leading into the old town.

“The advantage of the future project is that we will not then have to cross the road again at Rue Chimay and at the Hellepull,” Goldschmidt said. “We will only do that on one side.”

The alderman said one traffic lane would be removed over around 80 metres near Boulevard Prince-Henri to complete the link, while stressing that the Roosevelt works would not remove parking spaces.

A symbolic axis

The project drew broad support across the council, partly because it addresses a difficult section between the protected cycle lane on the Viaduct, the bridge linking the Gare district to the city centre, and the streets around Place de la Constitution.

Robert L. Philippart, for the DP, said the boulevard was both an important traffic axis and a symbolic space beside one of the capital’s best-known monuments. “On such a strongly used axis, this clear separation is especially important, so that all road users can move around safely and comfortably,” Philippart said.

Marie-Marthe Muller, for the LSAP, welcomed the involvement of Info-Handicap and ADAPTH in the design, particularly on surfacing choices for people with visual impairments. But she warned that the planned 2.25-metre pavement beside Place de la Constitution could still be too narrow when large tourist groups gather near the Gëlle Fra.

“The conflict potential between pedestrians and cyclists is not only in the air, but also the serious risk of an accident that could spill over onto the road,” Muller said.

Colette Mart, for the DP, said the project extended the logic of the protected cycle lane on the Viaduct, which opened in 2020. “That became a real highlight,” Mart said of the Viaduct route. “It contributed enormously to the attractiveness of our city.”

The Roosevelt lane, she said, was “an immense gain for the safety of cyclists” and showed how major traffic roads could be adapted to the times.

Opposition pressure

François Benoy, for Déi Gréng, supported the project but reminded the majority that his party had long called for this type of intervention. “It shows once again that, when you want to, something can be done,” Benoy said. “We would really like you to listen to us earlier in future.”

He pressed the City on whether the bidirectional lane would continue straight along Avenue Marie-Thérèse, the road leading from Boulevard Roosevelt towards the Adolphe Bridge and the western side of the capital, rather than forcing cyclists into another side change.

“It would simply be logical for the bidirectional cycle lane to continue straight on,” Benoy said, also asking about surfacing, possible flashing orange signals for cyclists, a turn into Rue Chimay and the unresolved layout near the British embassy.

Mayor Lydie Polfer rejected the idea of a red cycle surface through the protected central area, saying red markings were used mainly where roads are crossed or where there is a particular danger. “Here we are in a protected sector, and there is no question of marking it red,” Polfer said.

The Roosevelt surface would be in a beige tone, similar to other protected areas in the capital. Goldschmidt said the exact contrast between the pedestrian and cycle surfaces would be checked again.

Still waiting at the Gëlle Fra

Goldschmidt said the Avenue Marie-Thérèse and Boulevard Prince-Henri junction would be examined as part of the future reworking of Boulevard Prince-Henri, where a bidirectional cycle lane is also planned. On Rue Chimay, he said the current design directs cyclists via Rue de l’Ancien Athénée, but that the City would look again at whether a small adjustment was possible.

The alderman said the City could not fully calm Boulevard Roosevelt because the road remains important for buses. “That is why it is difficult to calm that axis completely,” he said.

He also said the square around the Gëlle Fra belongs to the government, not the City. A working group between the two sides is examining the future redesign of Place de la Constitution, but Goldschmidt said the City would ask for an update on what is planned in the coming years.

On the difficult stretch near the British embassy, Goldschmidt said everyone would like to see a better solution, but the constraints were high because the issue involves not only surface space but also underground networks.

“We would all be pleased if we could get a better situation there,” Goldschmidt said. “But the constraints are extremely high.”

The council approved the Roosevelt works unanimously.