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 Mike Zenari/archive

Petition 1225 calls for the introduction of toll charges for cars entering the capital from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

“Over the past 10 years, the morning and evening rush hour has been intolerable. Some parts of the city are paralysed by thousands of cars waiting in long queues,” the petitioner writes.

They also call for the creation of larger car parks on the borders and close to motorways used by cross-border workers, with better public transport connections between these car parks and the city centre.

“Public transport linking these car parks to the city should be free (an incentive) and be financed by toll charges levied on those who decide to travel to the city,” the author writes. The toll could be paid through purchasing a windscreen sticker or “vignette” from a petrol station or other point of sale. People with mobility issues would be exempt from the toll.

“Cross-border residents will benefit from faster, safer and cheaper transport to the city, and will still have the possibility to travel to the city if they have to. Everyone, city residents and visitors alike, will benefit from the reduction in traffic,” the petitioner writes, adding: “Although the objective of the petition is to reduce car traffic in the city of Luxembourg, it also contributes to reducing traffic, accidents and noise, to improving air quality, throughout the country and therefore falls within the competence of the State.”

The petition is open for signature until 30 April. If it gets 4,500 signatures or more by then, it will be debated in parliament. Anyone may sign a petition in Luxembourg provided they are aged 15 or over and have a social security card for Luxembourg.

It is not the first time such a proposal has been suggested in a petition. In 2014, a man petitioned for a congestion charge to be levied on non-residents driving through the capital. He proposed a €4 fee, similar to what is charged in Milan. In London, UK, which introduced a congestion charge in 2003, the fee is £11.50 (€13.38) per day.

The Luxembourg State has already introduced a number of measures to reduce private car use in the capital, including construction of the tram and further train stations in Howald and Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg. In March 2020, all public transport in Luxembourg will be made free of charge to passengers as part of this strategy.