The Red Cross goes cycling

“The idea came about when the Tour de France passed through Esch-sur-Alzette. As some of our employees were unable to travel to their patients by car due to traffic diversions, they decided to use their own bicycles to visit patients,” explains Dominique Janasiewicz, coordinator and project manager at the Red Cross. Over time, the concept was further developed and led to the current nationwide test phase with around twenty bicycles.

The Luxembourg Red Cross has decided to replace the car with e-bikes in order to respond to various problems: Reducing the time lost looking for a parking space, increasing the well-being of employees and improving the CSR policy without jeopardising safety. “We have been paying attention to our ecological footprint for several years, for example by using electric vehicles or improving our CSR policy from year to year. After the sporting event in Esch, we started thinking about bicycles. Last year, four bicycles were used at two locations for the first time. This year, we want to go one step further with 20 bikes,” says Dominique Janasiewicz and adds: “We have leased the bikes from our partner Arval. With sizes S and M, 90% of our employees can use the bikes.”

Stress-free help

Using a bike is advantageous in many ways. For example, it reduces the time spent looking for a parking space, especially in the city. “We have to face facts: With a car, you sometimes have to spend 30 minutes looking for a parking space. A bike can be parked in the immediate vicinity of the patient’s home thanks to its stand and integrated lock. In addition to the top case attached to the bike, the employee has a rucksack for their work utensils. This saves us time and reduces stress,” confirms Dominique Janasiewicz. He also points out the health benefits of cycling. “Cycling keeps you fit! But of course this is all on a voluntary basis. We know that it will be difficult to use the bikes all year round due to the weather.”

If patient visits in particular are made by bike, a completely different organisation is required. It is also quite difficult to extend the concept to all areas in Luxembourg. “Of course, the journeys to the patients have to be adapted accordingly. We can’t ask our carers to use bicycles in very rural areas and for much longer journeys. We also need to provide them with a place where they can change and shower,” adds Dominique Janasiewicz.

Safety first

With this concept, it is also important that employees familiarise themselves with cycling. E-bikes are heavier and traffic in the city is sometimes very heavy. Caution is therefore required, especially in view of the latest traffic accident figures for 2023. 38 people on bicycles were seriously injured and two cyclists were killed in accidents. “We opted for the ACL’s bicycle training courses to protect our employees when riding an e-bike. You have to familiarise yourself with this type of bike, they are heavier and the brakes work differently. You also need to know how to behave in traffic when there is no cycle path available. How to overtake, what mistakes to avoid, what traffic rules apply to bicycles and, above all, how to share the road with other road users such as cars, buses, lorries and motorbikes,” explains the Red Cross coordinator. Around twenty people will be trained for two days at the ACL in Monnerich.

In the long term, the Red Cross will deploy bicycles in Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Alzette, Bettembourg and Schifflingen. “The list is not exhaustive. The Nordstad should also be mentioned. So far, we are focussing on ten Red Cross locations where two to four bicycles will be deployed. The main aim is to diversify our means of mobility. In addition to e-bikes, we are also considering the use of scooters,” Dominique Janasiewicz continues and concludes: “Our mission is to provide care services for patients. If we can do this in a responsible, environmentally friendly, mobile and fast way, that is of course even better.”

By Jérémy Zabatta