Vëlosummer 2024, New Regional Cycling Signage Details Unveiled

As part of World Bicycle Day on Monday 3 June 2024, Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg's Minister for Mobility and Public Works, and Lex Delles, Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism, presented three themes relating to cycling in Luxembourg.

As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Mobility and Public Works and the Ministry of the Economy, the two ministers unveiled Vëlosummer 2024 and presented the new regional cycling signage as well as the next steps in relation to the national cycling network.

In 2018, the United Nations designated 3 June as World Bicycle Day with the aim of encouraging member states to offer the bicycle a major role in policies and to organise actions around its practice and development.

According to a survey carried out in autumn 2023 (by the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works and Ilres), 50% of residents aged six and over in Luxembourg had cycled at least once in the previous year; the majority said they wanted to cycle more. Among the 50% of residents who had not cycled, more than a third expressed the desire to take up cycling.

According to the ministries, in order to promote the use of bicycles in the long term, it is essential to respond to the needs and expectations of the population, focused on three main aspects: cycling infrastructure separated from motorised vehicles, cycle routes without dangerous or missing segments, and better marked cycle routes.

Given the ambition to increase the number of bicycle journeys by 2035 in Luxembourg, the ministries emphasised the need to integrate cycling into all planning. The objective is to make cycling a full-fledged individual mode of transport. The ministries added that the government is committed to investing in the development of cycling infrastructure in order to create a continuous national network of cycle paths.

As part of the celebration of the seventh edition of World Bicycle Day, Minister Backes noted: "It is essential to meet the growing demand of the cycling community and invest more in cycling infrastructure. In order to promote a real choice of modes of transport, it will be necessary to consider cycling as a political priority and continue to develop secure, continuous, attractive and fluid routes. Regular use of the bicycle is not only beneficial for health, it also enlivens our localities and contributes to reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality."

Vëlosummer 2024 - six new circuits to discover

Vëlosummer 2023 saw the participation of 24,000 cyclists, and the various municipalities involved received positive feedback, recalled the ministries. Minister Delles has now announced that a fifth edition will be held from 27 July to 25 August 2024. This summer, a total of thirteen cycle-tourist circuits crossing 67 municipalities, including two in France, and covering more than 500 km of cycle routes, were selected. The new edition will also offer 82 km of roads reserved for cyclists (apart from access for local residents), 98% of which will be exclusively for one or two weekends. Practical information will also be available on the map and the website www.velosummer.lu, as well as via the VisitLuxembourg application.

New regional cycling signs

Minister Delles also emphasised that the regional cycling network is a key element in the growing popularity of cycling tourism and that it constitutes an important part of cycling infrastructure. For this reason, it was decided to implement consistent signage for the regional cycling network in order to further improve the cyclist experience and to integrate existing cycle paths into the new network. The pilot project for this new signage is being implemented in the Mullerthal region, where 750 signs will be installed and 200 km of additional cycle paths will be signposted. The work in Mullerthal is expected to be completed in summer 2024. The new signage is expected to be completed across the entire regional cycling network in 2028 and to create a tourism offering that appeals to different cycling tourism target groups. The ministries added that the development of the regional cycling network is being carried out in close consultation with the municipalities.

Minister Delles commented: "The success of 'Vëlosummer' over the last four years illustrates the growing attractiveness of cycling tourism in Luxembourg. We want to continue to encourage this trend, in particular by launching a new edition of 'Vëlosummer' and by introducing new coherent signage for the regional cycling network. Our aim is to connect cycle paths, create new connections and thus expand the size and appeal of the entire cycle network. In this way, we encourage residents, cross-border workers and tourists to discover our varied and untouched nature as well as our tourist attractions by bike."

National cycling network - next steps

Minister Backes announced the launch of several construction projects and the commissioning of six new cycling infrastructures, planned for 2024 and 2025.

Groundbreaking / sod-cutting:

PC3 - Bollendorf-Pont: implementation of own site along the Sûre
PC3 - between Hëttermillen and Ehnen: implementation of own site along the Moselle
PC22 - between Groësteen and Niklosbierg/Fouhren: dedicated site along the CR322
PC2 - between Lauterborn and Echternach: permanent dedicated site along the N11
PC7b - Clervaux cycling connection to the Clervaux crossroads (CR339)
PC32 - cycle path between Strassen and Bambësch

Commissioning:

PC27 - cycle path between Cents and the "Irrgärtchen" roundabout
PC1 - cycle path between Cloche d'Or and Howald (cycle path along the tramline)
PC7b - cycle connection to the Clervaux crossroads at the northern entrance to Clervaux
PC8 - cycle link between the "Vëlodukt" and Esch/Centre via Boulevard Prince Henri
PC3 - Bollendorf-Pont: implementation of own site along the Sûre
PC22 - cycle path between Groësteen and Niklosbierg/Fouhren: implementation of own site along the CR322

Moreover, Minister Backes presented the project for red coating of cycle lanes and suggestive lanes with the aim of informing cyclists and motorists in a more intuitive way. A recent survey (Ilres 2023) revealed that 80% of cyclists and 71% of motorists would be in favour of a red coating on surfaces dedicated to bicycle traffic, in order to distinguish them from those dedicated to motorised traffic. This type of development, which has been successful in the Netherlands since the 1980s, is currently being studied by the National Roads Administration in Luxembourg to determine the first concrete locations for this project, concluded the ministries.