24 May 2024

Question posed by Nathalie Oberweis

My question relates to road safety in Place Jeanne d'Arc. Many children walk that way en route to the preschool on Rue Nicolas Martha. As Place Jeanne d'Arc is used for parking, and also houses large recycling containers, numerous cars end up mounting the pavement where the children are walking. This could potentially lead to danger – for example, when children are running ahead of their parents.

One resident sent a letter to the municipal authorities about this issue, proposing that appropriate measures be taken. For example, a sign should be erected to alert motorists to the possibility of there being children walking nearby. Additionally, speed reduction tools should be installed in the vicinity of the car park. As far as I am aware, the resident in question has very recently received a response. If the City intends to take some corrective action, I would like to know when those plans are likely to be implemented. Would it be possible to install temporary hardware, in case it ends up being months before the planned measures are actually put in place?

Response provided by Patrick Goldschmidt

Councillor Benoy raised a question on this same matter in 2022. The Service Voirie (Department of Streets) has worked up a plan; the project will soon be presented to the College of Aldermen. Notably, the plan involves moving the recycling bins onto the east side of the square, and developing more green space along the pavement on the side of the street with the bus stop "Rue Nicolas Martha". It is also proposed to increase the visibility of the entrances to the car park in order to improve safety. We shall ensure that these measures are implemented as soon as possible. Right now, I cannot give an exact date, because depending on how costly the measures end up being, we may have to put out a call for tenders.

Question posed by Christa Brömmel

The Gasperich local interest group and local residents have been informed by letter that the planned renovation of Rue de Gasperich will be taking place in late 2024, and that a citizen consultation will be held on this subject.

The local interest group is highly concerned about the issue of through traffic, especially given that there are a school and a foyer scolaire (childcare centre) on Rue de Gasperich. Just a week before I raised this question, a child was struck by a vehicle at the "Bei der Auer" roundabout, at the top of Rue de Gasperich.

The local interest group proposes that Rue de Gasperich be turned into a shared space. In 2023, the local interest group organised a workshop, where many of the local residents discussed their concerns, and proposals were put forward as to how Rue de Gasperich might be redeveloped. Citizen engagement is of great importance to the College of Aldermen. However, in other cases such as that of Rue Gellé, despite the community outreach prior to work commencing, those residents whose ideas had ultimately not been implemented were dissatisfied.

• Where are things currently up to in relation to the redevelopment of Rue de Gasperich?
• What are the current plans for redevelopment, beyond the work on the underground infrastructure?
• Can we have details of the planned structural measures and traffic diversions?
• When is a citizen consultation due to be held?
• Will the College of Aldermen present the residents with a development plan, which is not yet set in stone, allowing the residents' suggestions still to be taken into account, if pertinent?
• In view of the extremely lengthy periods of time needed for the redevelopment works on Rue Benjamin Franklin and Rue Christoph W. Gluck, some residents are concerned, even at this early stage, that the works on Rue de Gasperich may be just as drawn out. What is the planned duration of these works? Can the College of Aldermen give assurance to residents that the work will be completed on schedule?

Response provided by Maurice Bauer

We will be holding a consultation with residents about this project on 4 June, in Gasperich. Alderwoman Beissel will give you a detailed explanation of what we intend to do to meet residents' requests.

Response provided by Simone Beissel

The SERCO's [Service Coordination des chantiers – Work Site Coordination Department] multi-year plan includes the redevelopment of Rue de Gasperich between 2024 and 2026. Our teams have worked hard to include as many as possible of the proposals put forward at the workshops organised by the local interest group in autumn 2023. When the project was presented to the College of Aldermen in January 2024, we proposed a number of further modifications – in particular, in relation to cycle paths, trees and parking spaces.

The updated project was approved by the Municipal Council. It provides for the replacement of the underground pipes (with the exception of sewerage pipes) and the superstructure. The number of parking spaces is being reduced from 32 to 18, while the number of trees is being increased from 22 to 34. Cycle paths will be laid on both sides of the street (from the junction with Route d'Esch to the junction with Rue Ludwig van Beethoven). The 30 km/h zone, which currently only covers the area around the school, will be extended to apply to the whole street. It has not been possible to implement the local interest group's proposal to turn Rue de Gasperich into a shared space. Indeed, the "give way to the right" rule applies everywhere, and there are traffic lights in one place. In addition, speed bumps will be installed to force vehicles to slow down. Where possible, the pavements will be widened. The parking spaces will be coloured "Luxembourg sandstone"; this colour scheme will eventually be rolled out across the entire city. The bus shelters will be replaced, and LED lighting will be installed at pedestrian crossings.

The works are scheduled to begin in November 2024. A big meeting for local residents will take place on 4 June. As we have already held the workshops mentioned earlier and we have managed to incorporate the majority of the proposals into the project, there will be no further citizen consultation. Generally speaking, we only carry out these "citizen engagement" programmes in the case of very large-scale projects, or very significant alterations.

The work is expected to take 432 working days, meaning that it should be finished by winter 2026, unless there are delays due to bad weather. Traffic will still be able to use Rue de Gasperich, but only in one direction. These works, costing over €9 million, will considerably improve the situation – particularly in terms of safety. In particular, we have received a communication from the Service Foyers scolaires (Childcare Department) applauding the implementation of the 30 km/h zone for the whole of the street (650 metres) and the installation of the speed bumps.

Question posed by Antonia Afonso

Every year, there are children attending foyers scolaires run by the City of Luxembourg who find themselves with reduced mobility as the result of an illness or accident. However, not all buildings are accessible for persons with reduced mobility, which causes a headache for these children and their families.

• What steps does the City of Luxembourg take in such cases?
• Are the City's childcare facilities regularly assessed?
• Is the City taking steps to improve the accessibility of its buildings?

Response provided by Paul Galles

This is a matter of great importance, and the City of Luxembourg is in a good position in relation to it. The question relates to the remit of three municipal departments: the Service Foyers scolaires, the Service Intégration et besoins spécifiques (Integration and Special Needs Department) and the Service Architecte-Bâtiments (Buildings Department).

All the City of Luxembourg's foyers scolaires hold a permit issued by the ITM (Inspection du travail et des mines – Labour Inspectorate) and accreditation from the Ministry of Education (Ministère de l'Éducation nationale). The accessibility of the buildings is among the criteria examined when applying for these permits.

All the City's foyers scolaires also have SEAI certification (structure d'éducation et d'accueil inclusif – inclusive educational and care establishment). In order to keep their certification, the centres must undergo regular assessments. If these inspections find areas in which improvements can be made, the changes are implemented immediately.

Foyers scolaires comply with all legal requirements in terms of accessibility. For instance, we can point to special desks that are provided for children with limited mobility, the provision of elevators, and collaboration with external partners on issues which it is not possible to resolve internally.

If it is not possible to install an elevator – for example, in modular buildings – the children in question will be accommodated on the ground floor. Of course, all new buildings are constructed in keeping with the current legislation.

The Service Intégration et besoins spécifiques is available to find a solution, in concert with the Service Architecte-Bâtiments if any unforeseen problems arise.