New ways of mobility and how to reduce stress whilst commuting

We spoke to Christophe Reuter, “Premier Conseiller de Gouvernement” at the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works, who provided insight as well as useful tips on how to relax during traffic jams.

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1. Luxembourg is a small country but feels like the one with the longest traffic jams. What do statistics say?

Once you’re in it, every traffic jam feels like the longest. The question is whether you have to or choose to be in it. International statistics on traffic jams are typically published by private companies that have an interest in the automotive sector. They do not consider whether the city in question offers attractive alternatives to commuting by car or not. The fact is that, as in any dynamic economy, there are daily traffic jams in Luxembourg. The government’s focus is to offer appealing options for as many journeys as possible, so that those that only can only be made by car or truck can take place under ideal circumstances.

2. What measures are being undertaken to shorten the traffic jams in Luxembourg?

Even a highway that is fully congested in terms of vehicles, is at least 75 % empty in terms of seating. In 2017, the average occupancy rate of cars commuting to work was 1,16 residents per car and 1,22 cross-border commuters per car. Every morning, 250 000 empty car seats (assuming 4 seats per car) are driven into the City of Luxembourg and left there to be parked. If there were 2 people in each car, there would be no traffic jams as of tomorrow morning.

Hence, one of the measures the government is taking is to adapt major highways, starting with the most congested of all, the A3, so that one lane can be reserved for carpooling. At chronically congested sections on regular roads, facilities for buses are being planned, so that commuting by bus becomes faster than commuting by car. A bus seating 54 people replaces 45 cars, which, depending on the speed of traffic, shortens the traffic jam by 500 to 700 metres per bus.

3. On a global level, what are the most transformational trends in mobility?

Initially, most of the phishing attacks were occurring through email, and "Spear-phishing" was one of them. The main characteristics of "Spear-phishing" is not the communication channel it is using but it's the nature of the target that is defining it. It is indeed targeted at a given individual, or a category of individuals, in a given organization. In a company, a spear-phishing attack may for example be directed at the accounting department, with the purpose of luring at least one of the accountants into providing credentials that can be later used for triggering fraudulent bank transfers. As any targeted attack, spear-phishing requires reconnaissance work before the actual attack, in order to identify the people who could be targeted, what are their interests, their possible motivation or any other personal information that will help to build trust and manipulate them.

4. Taking a peek into the future. What will mobility look like in Luxembourg in fifteen years from now?

Vehicles won't appear all that different in 15 years from how they look today. In terms of individual mobility, there will be a significant increase in cycling, particularly in densely populated regions. As far as public transport is concerned, there will be not just one line – but a tram network, including a line that goes all the way to Belval. There will be corridors for electric buses, lanes for carpooling, longer trains and more reliable connections. Although it is natural for start-ups to promote new technologies as disruptive gamechangers, there is no silver bullet in mobility. www.pnm2035.lu also comments on that topic.

5. Sitting in a traffic jam is annoying. What are your five most useful tips for stressed drivers who want to enjoy time and relax during traffic jams?

Five useful tips:

Driving comfort: favour a cleaned car, comfortable seats and ample leg room.
Use time wisely, for example by consuming media (news).
Check the “mobiliteit.lu” app to get a real-time estimate of bus arrival times.
Take advantage of multimodality by combining different transport modes in order to reduce car use.
Whenever possible, use the bike for short journeys. This not only improves the physical health, but helps reducing the stress level as well.

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