In Redange, Äerdschëff investigates mobility needs

In Redange-sur-Attert, Äerdschëff is putting an enclosed cargo bike to the test to examine everyday journeys. Through MOBILAB, the association wants usage and constraints to be the starting point for mobility choices.

In Redange-sur-Attert, the non-profit association Äerdschëff is using an enclosed cargo bike to ask a question that goes beyond the choice of vehicle: what kind of journey is needed, and under what conditions might another solution be suitable? The demonstrator is a way to investigate with its users, not an announcement that the car is to be replaced.

On 12 November, RTL reported on a 30-kilometre journey between Redange and the Lycée technique du Centre in Luxembourg City, made by Jérôme Leplang, the association’s technical and logistics manager. That morning, he was going there to present the project to a class before returning. For Äerdschëff, the Karbike is also useful because it brings to light the questions surrounding a journey: access, organisation, equipment and solutions available locally.

A vehicle as a starting point

The Karbike presented by RTL is a four-wheeled cargo bike, with a body and electric assistance. The manufacturer specifies that the assistance operates while pedalling and cuts out at 25 km/h. It is still possible to pedal beyond that speed. RTL’s report describes a rear bench seat designed for another adult or two children.

The bodywork provides protection from bad weather, an advantage noted in the report. This does not amount to an assessment of protection in the event of a collision. Questions of parking, repairs, cost and accessibility are just as practical as the vehicle’s design. Äerdschëff is therefore not presenting a model to buy, but an object that makes it possible to discuss the conditions of use.

Tarik Bouriachi, the association’s director, tells RTL that the vehicle is intended to help examine where an intermediate light vehicle might be useful and where it might be less so. The term refers to a family of vehicles that sit between bicycles and cars, but their forms and legal status are not all the same. The MOBILAB website, for the action-research initiative led by Äerdschëff, distinguishes in particular between the Karbike, described according to its manufacturer’s specifications as an electrically assisted bicycle, and other intermediate light vehicles.

Investigating before choosing

The method starts with a specific situation: a daily journey, a municipal task, a class or a practical difficulty. The next step is to understand who makes the journey, in what circumstances and with what constraints, and then compare the demonstrator with the options already available. This shifts the question: rather than immediately looking for a role for a new vehicle, it seeks to establish whether that vehicle meets a real need.

MOBILAB sets out the topics to be examined: costs, accessibility, energy and materials, as well as safety, maintenance, permits and cooperation. The comparison must cover the entire journey. For example, the idea of cycling to the station on a cargo bike, taking the train and then continuing by another vehicle is raised by Tarik Bouriachi in RTL’s report. It illustrates one possibility for intermodality—that is, combining several modes of transport; it does not describe a network of Karbikes already installed at stations.

Moving from an individual journey to a collective arrangement raises another set of questions. It is still necessary to examine where the vehicle would be available, who would maintain it, how it fits into its users’ day and what resources would be needed. An investigation could therefore lead to continuing, adapting, suspending or ending an experiment. MOBILAB explicitly presents these outcomes as open possibilities.

Local stakeholders, with steps still at the preparatory stage

Based in Redange-sur-Attert, Äerdschëff runs training activities and educational projects related to eco-citizenship. Under the MOBILAB initiative, residents, young people, associations, public services and researchers are invited to compare options before making a decision. The hands-on demonstration and work with participants play complementary roles here: getting to grips with the vehicle makes it possible to discuss a journey based on experience, and then to define the conditions more precisely.

The MOBILAB website describes several components at different stages. The territorial scoping programme, announced as running until December 2026, is intended to identify needs, bring stakeholders together and verify the conditions for any potential commitment. This phase does not constitute a municipality’s agreement or a decision to run an experiment. The educational strand, Transition Lab, is being prepared for 2027–2028, subject to agreements with the lycée, partners and funders. The Lycée technique du Centre is the proposed pilot institution. Young people are to investigate real-life situations, turn their findings into a board game and run sessions with their peers. A second cohort is conditional on the 2027 review.

The contact option offered by MOBILAB is a way to set out a need and discuss the possible role of a participant. The coordination team reviews proposals before any potential commitment; making contact therefore does not guarantee a trial or funding. Access to the work platform is then by invitation.

Success can mean a reasoned ‘no’

With this approach, a conclusion that the demonstrator is unsuitable can also be a useful result. If the Karbike is not suitable for a journey, the investigation can clarify why; if another option better meets the need, the comparison can bring that to light. This result avoids confusing a demonstration of an object with the validation of a mobility policy.

For a resident, association or municipality, the starting point is therefore less ‘which model should we choose?’ than ‘what situation do we want to address?’ From there, journeys, existing solutions and the necessary conditions can be compared. The demonstrator makes the discussion tangible; MOBILAB’s work, in turn, is intended to connect this experience with collective choices that still need to be examined.