Luxembourg, addicted to the car despite the free public transport

Three years ago Luxembourg declared the gratuity of all his public transport to try to reduce traffic and pollution. However, the car is still king in this small and congested European country.

Traffic permitting, it takes barely an hour to cross the country from north to south, from Wieswampach, near the German and Belgian borders, to Dudelange, touching France.

With these dimensions, this wealthy country of 650,000 people seemed like a perfect place for a daring experiment: making the entire public network of trains, trams and buses free.

But even without long-distance highways, Luxembourg has one of the highest car ownership rates in the European Union, with 681 cars per 1,000 inhabitants, second only to Poland.

To these we must add the tens of thousands of vehicles belonging to cross-border workers that enter the country daily and those of long-distance drivers who stop in the Grand Duchy taking advantage of the low cost of gasoline.

“I often say that the Germans build cars and the Luxembourgers buy them”jokes Deputy Prime Minister François Bausch, in charge of mobility and public works.

Three years after making transport free, there is little sign that Luxembourgers have abandoned their cars for the tram, although Bausch claims to see a reduction in traffic in the capital.

Consulted by AFP, the Luxembourg authorities did not provide figures on a possible increase in the use of public transport since the free entry into force.

car culture

“The culture of the car is really dominant and it is still difficult to attract drivers to public transport”Mobility expert Merlin Gillard, from the LISER research institute, told AFP.

Like the rest of the European Union, Luxembourg is trying to become a carbon-neutral economy by adopting green technology in transport, energy, industry and farms.

The government of Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, a coalition of liberals, socialists and environmentalists, boasts of investing 800 million euros a year ($870 million) in public transport.

In fact, the country has the proportionally best-funded tram network in Europe, costing 500 euros ($544) per year per inhabitant.

“It is the country that invests the most in Europe”, Gillard admits. “But Luxembourg comes from a long way back. We are compensating for an investment that has been very low for years.” adds.

In Luxembourg’s eponymous capital, a modern financial services hub built around the historic Old Town on the banks of the Alzette River, passers-by appreciate the changes.

The central station is undergoing renovation, an ultra-modern funicular railway links the upper town to the riverfront, and bus and tram lanes have been created. And the most important and unique in Europe: the entire network is free.

This is the main reason that Edgar Bisenius, owner of a financial services business, has in mind to opt between the car and the bus. “And that it is very positive for the environment”said.

French teacher Ben Dratwicki cycles around town on personal business, but takes the funicular and train to work at a school 20 kilometers north of the city.

“Transportation is a basic right for residents”assures. “If we have the right to work, we should also have the right to be taken to work without paying more than necessary”exposes.

However, this teacher is a minority in the country, where traffic jams often block the main streets every day at rush hour.

cross-border workers

Part of this is explained by the around 220,000 cross-border workers, vital to the Luxembourg economy, who arrive daily from neighboring countries to enjoy higher wages at the cost of a longer commute.

The trains and buses that they can take in France, Belgium or Germany are not free until they arrive in Luxembourg, so many continue to use their cars.

Deputy Prime Minister Bausch wants to fix this by building parking lots on the French border and increasing the frequency of trains from there.

But experts like Gillard are skeptical, believing the problem is inherent in the Luxembourg economy.

According to him, French workers cannot afford to buy or rent a home in that small country, but end up spending much of the money saved on the congested and polluting commute to work.

Source: AFP