A cyclist named Dragos Buzea wrote to RTL on Thursday morning, identifying himself as one of the cyclists stopped by police Wednesday morning on Avenue de la Gare—the only one who did not accept the fine imposed by police—and expressed his point of view.

[You can read our earlier story on what happened in the links box below.]

Buzea said that the officer who stopped him was polite when he refused to pay and made a report on his view that "is totally unsafe for cyclists to go on the roadway." The report will be sent to a judge, and how Buzea will have to present himself in court to explain himself to a local judge, who will decide on whether he must pay up.

Most were foreigners

He said that from what he saw, "most of the the guys who were stopped yesterday were foreigners and it could be that no-one had a clear understanding of the cycling laws in Luxembourg."

The cyclist decried the fact that "there is no active communication process regarding the rules mentioned by police concerning bikes". Buzea also said he thought that since the city is encouraging people to cycle, "we should see some effort put into communicating clear rules about this."

Not well known

For example, he said, the fact that cyclists are not permitted to wear headphones, "is not well known or communicated properly to the cycling community in Luxembourg."

Buzea points out that for the cyclist "there is no legal way to get from the Gare to Paris Zitha using a bike." He stated that there is no cycle lane and cyclists are not allowed to use the pavement. As for the roadway? "Considering the morning traffic in the area this is extremely unsafe for bikes," he added.

Alternate route exists

There is also an indirect cycling deviation via Rue de Fort Neipperg, Rue de Bonnevoie and Rue Jean Origer. It takes longer, but allows cyclists to leave the train station area and get to Place de Paris without using the main road.

Buzea said he was not aware of this option, and did not see any indication. "It might work as a good alternative for cyclists but someone needs to work on this and provide that kind of visibility for people cycling and helping out the morning traffic."

© Franz Fayot (Facebook)

Response from ministry

Following the cyclist’s complaint about the traffic checks on cyclists which occurred on Wednesday, RTL reached out to the Transport Ministry for a comment. According to a representative the police officers simply did their job, which is to ensure that people respect the law.

RTL asked if there were plans to create more cycling lanes, to which the representative responded that the ministry was aware of the situation. However the decision lies with Luxembourg City’s authorities (Ville de Luxembourg), who would be responsible for any new lanes. Patrick Goldschmidt, at councillor at the City of Luxembourg’s has told RTL that there is a plan to build cycle lanes along Ave de la Gare when it is remodelled to serve as a bus route. He said cyclists will likely have to wait about two years for the project to be completed and the bike lanes opened.

The ministry representative also provided RTL with further information about cycling lanes. Once the passage under the Pont Adolphe bridge in Luxembourg City re-opens after it is resurfaced, the authorities will begin construction on the Viaduct bridge, which will affect the cycling track which runs over it. The bridge needs to be made wider in order to have space for buses to drive in both directions, but the authorities would ensure that the cycling track remains intact. The municipal authorities will organise a detour.