Meeting of the municipal council of 6 May 2019

Question by Maurice Bauer

In a letter dated 20 March, you informed the members of the Comité de prévention communal (Municipal Prevention Committee) that the Minister of Internal Security (Ministre de la Sécurité intérieure), in response to our assessment, had designated a section of the Gare district (the Zone C extension), as well as the passageway for cyclists beneath Pont Adolphe, as security zones. The Minister also approved a CCTV system in the designated zones.
The decision comes as excellent news for the inhabitants of the Gare district, and especially those living near local primary schools, since it relates to a concern almost unanimously felt by local residents.
However, at its meeting of 27 November 2018, during which the Comité de prévention communal examined and approved the extension of CCTV surveillance to the Gare district (zone C), the Committee also unanimously approved a proposal to extend such surveillance to the Bonnevoie district (with only the "dei Gréng" representative voting against). That decision was taken with the aim of easing the daily concerns of the inhabitants of the residential district in Bonnevoie since the problems they experience in the district are still the same, despite the implementation of an array of measures as alternatives to CCTV surveillance.
The extension of CCTV surveillance to the Bonnevoie district was announced by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Internal Security – less than 6 months before the parliamentary elections – at a public meeting on 30 May 2018 on the topic of extending CCTV surveillance more widely in the Gare district. He even confirmed the decision in his response to parliamentary question no. 3919, posed by Claudine Konsbrück on 9 July 2018, concerning the streets that would be affected by these new extensions. The Minister replied: "It is also worth mentioning that there are plans to introduce other security zones, outside the Gare district, in the cycle passageway beneath Pont Adolphe and in Bonnevoie."

• Could you possibly remind us which streets are included in the extension that has been announced for zone C in the Gare district?
• Could you possibly remind us which streets in Bonnevoie have been designated, including those for which the Comité de prévention communal has requested an extension that has yet to be implemented?
• Have you been informed as to why the new Minister of Internal Security has not yet extended CCTV surveillance to Bonnevoie, despite the undertakings given by his predecessor and the persistent demands of Bonnevoie residents?
• Given the Comité de prévention communal's practically unanimous position on the matter and the justified discontent of the Bonnevoie residents, should not the college of aldermen remind the Minister of this decision and ask him to honour the undertakings given by his predecessor to extend CCTV surveillance to Bonnevoie?

Response by LYDIE POLFER

The Mayor and Chairwoman first of all asserted that she was satisfied with the decision to extend CCTV surveillance to the Gare district, the area in front of the train station, Place de la Gare, Rue de Strasbourg (between Rue Wilson and Avenue de la Liberté), Rue du Commerce (between Rue de Strasbourg and Rue du Fort Wedell), Rue du Fort Wedell, Place de Strasbourg, Rue Glesener, Rue 1900, Rue Adolphe Fischer (between Rue d'Anvers and Rue de Hollerich), Rue André Duchscher, Rue d'Anvers (between Place de Paris and Rue des Etats-Unis), Rue Wilson and Rue des Etats-Unis.

It is a step in the right direction, especially as this extension of CCTV surveillance is unanimously considered to be crucial, and moreover was requested by the vast majority of those present at the public meeting that was held in the Gare district.

Regarding Bonnevoie, detailed plans showing how CCTV surveillance would be extended were presented at the meeting: in and around Place Léon XIII, in Rue de Bonnevoie, Rue du Cimetière, Rue des Ardennes, Rue Sigismond, Rue de Hesperange and Rue du Dernier Sol, forming a triangle around the Bonnevoie cultural centre. The need is further underscored by the fact that the City receives complaints daily from residents of that district about their unbearable living conditions. The plan presented at this meeting has not required updating.

Moreover, Minister Bausch did not refuse to extend CCTV surveillance to the Bonnevoie district. He simply feels that a study of the impact of the extension in the Gare district should be carried out beforehand. Although the Mayor and Chairwoman approves of this decision-making process in principle, it must be acknowledged that the City maintains its position that the current situation in Bonnevoie wholly justifies the immediate approval of the extension, which was again emphasised at the meeting between the college of aldermen and Minister Bausch on 15 January 2019. In light of the photographs and videos that the City regularly receives, there is no doubt that the extension is needed.
Lastly, as the situation in that part of the district can be directly attributed to the high concentration of social welfare services in the area, which does not make life easier for local residents, the Minister has not actually refused to approve the extension but has simply postponed his decision. The Mayor and Chairwoman remains confident that a positive response will be soon forthcoming.

Question by Héloïse Bock

On 11 March 2019, the Belair-Merl local interest group (Syndicat d'intérêts locaux – SIL) requested an interview with the college of the mayor and aldermen to voice their concerns about the apparently urgent government project to replace one of the two level crossings on Rue des Celtes with an underpass including a road for motor vehicles, a pavement for pedestrians and a cycle lane.
Moreover, according to the information at our disposal, the project does not even provide for the construction of a proper cycle lane, but simply for markings on the ground with no appropriate safety measures.

In this context I would like to remind the college that the level crossing in question has been closed since 2012, and that several alternative routes are available to motorists travelling between Leudelange and Luxembourg City. I would also like to remind the college of the City's constant requests to the Government for the construction of a boulevard between Cessange and Merl that would reduce in-transit traffic in the residential districts to the west of Luxembourg City. I am referring, of course, to the very same project that has been mentioned in the college's declarations for many years but which has yet to see the light of day.

In its letter, the Belair-Merl SIL put forward a number of relevant arguments supporting the view that the reopening of this thoroughfare, in a residential district, should be restricted to active travel only.

As everyone knows, traffic on Rue de Merl is extremely heavy. Given the dense traffic that would be caused, the intersection of the two streets would most likely become not only heavily congested but dangerous as well. Furthermore, Rue des Celtes joins this street near a very busy primary school, and there is a foyer scolaire (childcare centre) some 300 metres away; children attending this centre are already forced to take a bus because of the danger posed by vehicular traffic.

In light of this, I would like to ask the following questions:

• Has the audience requested by the Belair-Merl SIL taken place?
• If so, what was the outcome?
• Would the college of aldermen be willing to approach the government to present the arguments put forward by the SIL and make a case for restricting the proposed underpass on Rue des Celtes to active travel?
• If such a restriction were to be accepted, would it not be wise to go one step further and redesignate Rue des Celtes as a "Spillstrooss", with a secure cycle lane that cyclists – adults and children alike – could use without fear for their safety?

Response by Patrick Goldschmidt

Alderman Goldschmidt confirmed that the Belair-Merl Local Interest Group had indeed sent a letter dated 11 March 2019, explaining the problem and detailing the arguments which, in their opinion, justify closing Rue des Celtes. He went on to remind the meeting that, even though an audience was not expressly requested in the letter, the college of aldermen arranges at least one audience a year with every local interest group. Accordingly, an interview with the Belair-Merl SIL was held in January 2018. The problem of Rue des Celtes was discussed at that meeting and the college of aldermen told the SIL that it would endeavour to keep the street closed, while also referring to the parliamentary question put to the Chamber of Deputies in 2017. The government was only recently able to commence the required works in Leudelange, as the legal proceedings in connection with the compulsory purchases planned by the government concluded only last year. As such, in theory, given its relative importance as a thoroughfare, Rue des Celtes could be reopened. However, the City is more inclined to take the view that reopening Rue des Celtes is not justified and will discuss the matter with the Minister at their next meeting. The City is of the view that since the closure of Rue des Celtes has not given rise to any major traffic problems, there is no reason not to close it permanently. Only a handful of residents and farmers would need to make a short detour via Rue du Bouillon.

Alderman Goldschmidt also reminded the meeting that the decision to reopen Rue des Celtes or keep it closed is not within the remit of the City authorities, but of the Ministry. He confirmed, however, that the City would ask the Minister to reconsider his decision to reopen Rue des Celtes to motor traffic.