After three weeks break, we are back with Local Matters. I was on vacation, and the first thing that made me come back to earth, was traffic. The trains from Esch to Luxembourg: temporarily out of order. The traffic on the motorway was dense already before 6 a.m.. Welcome back to Luxembourg.

In April, the Greens Mobility Minister François Bausch presented the ministry’s national mobility strategy – not the solution for today’s traffic problems, but for tomorrow’s. “We need data in order to not run behind anymore with various issues, but rather be in anticipation.” The “National Mobility Strategy 2035” has been developed based on a projection of the national statistics office Statec: Until 2035, Statec predicts, there will be 40 percent more movements in Luxembourg, due to the growth of the economy and the population. Managing this increase, according to the ministry, is only possible if people less often use the individual car, but other means of transport instead. New railway hubs in Differdange and Hollerich shall decentralize traffic. One of the main goals is the reduction of through traffic in Luxembourg-City. The combination of different means of transport shall facilitate the use of public transport without terrible delays in comparison to the car. Taking the bus and the train shall become more attractive.

For details, click “play” on top of the site. On Local Matters this week, we will have a further look at the country’s future mobility and issues that already today, make us desperate sometimes.

Sources:

Audiobits and translation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWOE65YSCgQ

Images: RettungsgasseJETZTde from Pixabay; SIP Etat