The current network has 23 cycle routes (PC1 to PC23) which extend for nearly 630 km throughout the country and connect certain municipalities with each other. This network should cover 900 km by 2028.
In the next few years, Luxembourg wants to give priority to soft mobility and bicycles. In the capital, many initiatives have been put in place to facilitate urban traffic for bicycles and these include:
- the creation of cycle lanes reserved for bicycles;
- specific bycicle crossings ;
- advanced stop lines at traffic lights;
- bicycle boulevards : streets where bicycles have priority and the speed limit is 30km/h.
In the next few years, it should become increasingly easy to use a bicycle for short trips.
If you don’t own a bike, you can easily rent one for your occasional or even daily trips, thanks to self-service bikes. This scheme is currently available in the cities of Luxembourg and Esch-sur-Alzette, and the surrounding areas.
Vél'oH is the City of Luxembourg's bike-share service, introduced in 2008. It has 116 bike rental stations which extend as far as Mamer, Capellen, Leudelange, Hesperange and Niederanven. The first 30 minutes of every rental is always free.
This bicycle rental system is subscription-free and use of the bicycles is free for two hours. Vël'ok is available in the municipalities of Bettembourg, Differdange, Dudelange, Esch/Alzette, Kayl, Mondercange, Rumelange, Sanem, Schifflange.
Getting around by bike then becomes quite simple, since all you have to do is borrow the bike from a starting point, and drop it off at a terminal when you finish. These services are easy to use and information about bikes and access points is available in real time on the respective applications of the different systems.
Do you use a bike for part of your journey but then have to take the train? Do you travel by bike and want to park it safely? Luxembourg has set up a service of secure bicycle parking facilities: MBoxes which are secure bicycle stands located at public transport interchanges. There are close to 60 of them across the country.
Access to these secure car parks is free and they are accessible 24/7. All you need is an mKaart transport card, which can be ordered on-line free of charge and does not require a subscription.
You own a bike but don't know how to maintain or repair it. You can always look for a repair café in Luxembourg, which regularly organises events where you can learn how to maintain your bike.
A new start-up called ‘The Happy Cyclist‘ will also repair or maintain your bike on a subscription basis.
Finally, every year, at the beginning of July during the ‘We Ride‘ second-hand bike festival at the Rotondes, you can also use the services of a repair café.
If you are unconvinced about using a bicycle for short journeys, here are some arguments which might tip the balance in favour of the 'little queen':
- it’s faster on short journeys in traffic jams;
- it’s more economical: no petrol or parking costs;
- it’s easy to park: no more issues to find a place to park when you travel by bike;
- it's more ecological: even if the carbon footprint of a trip by bicycle is not neutral, it is much lower than that of an equivalent trip by car;
- it's good for your health: according to the WHO, an adult should take an average of 300 minutes of moderate activity per week; using your bike regularly will contribute to achieving this quota.