EDITORIAL

This is the last part of our publication. Inside, we are presenting numerous examples from Poland and all over the world on how we can and should focus on traffic safety. This time, we would like to show you how to attract people's attention with these solutions.

Some of our ideas may not be interesting for an average city resident. It's natural, because not everybody is interested in brewing technologies when they want a good dring, not everyone has to be profiecient at baking when they want to eat good bread.

Such an approach is similar with people who want to get home, to school or to work safely. They do not need to know everything about traffic organisation methods. But it is good when they do. It's no rocket science that it is hard to sell a product nobody know about - from adverts. Therefore, in many countries, state organisations, small o big, aim at social campains that make average citizens aware of how to increase traffic safety.

This publication aims at providing numerous examples of social campains from Poland and abroad. Nowadays, social campains can be divided into two groups. Very often they show the safe problem but in a different way. Today, to attract viewers attention, one needs to address their emotions. Fear, sympathy, shock in comparison to distinction, appreciation, acknowledgement.

We're listing effective campains, but also those that should not be copied. We are hoping that there will come a time in our city when we will see a huge campain that will lead to wider awareness of traffic safety. We are waiting for it even more, as it is said, that our City Hall has been thinking of such a campaing for quite a while.

We encourage you to get acquainted with our publication "Inna droga - kampanie społeczne", available at ISSUU.COM

EDITORIAL

In our publications we have discussed many solutions increasing traffic safety implemented in Poland and abroad. Pictures, descriptions, rules and regulations and interviews with people responsible for increasing trafic safety. This time we decided to show other elements of our project - Łódź and the way we are trying to implement new ideas in our own neighbourhoods. It is not an easy job, and that is clear both from our publications and media coverage or Internet comments.

In our project Bezpieczne Miasto - Inna Droga (Safe City - a Different Way) we want to focus not only on the theory, but also on the engagement on the side of residents in order to implement changes in a particular area of the city. To proceed with such changes, we have chosen free model areas, each different and located on a different side of the city. They differ in location, but also residence structure. Julianów with its detached houses, Stare Polesie which mainly includes pre-war buildings, and Karolew - mainly full of blocks of flats with not many shorter buildings.

Karolew, an estate in the vicinity of Łódź Kaliska Station is surrounded by wide streets - Bandurskiego (from the North and West), Waltera-Janke (from the South), Maratońska (from the East). Each of those streets is wide and allows higher permissable speed. Such an arrangement allows any driver to drive past Karolew if it is not their final destination. That is the main aim of the project - discouraging drivers, especially of bigger vehicles, from entering the estate if it is not their purpose. 

The main beneficiaries of such approach are the estate residents. The aim is for the streets to serve the residents, those who attend schools, shops and cyclists for whom the surrounding streets are not to safe, but also motorist road users for whom it is easier to use the road when there are less cars on it. For them, we also wanted to create additional parking spaces, as their main compain was that there are never enough of those.

Thanks to co-operation with the road supervisor, we were able to put our ideas into practice. Mid-December 2015, first tempo-30 zone was introduced in Łódź - such a zone includes road engineering elements which aim at traffic calming. Of course it was not an entirely smooth ride. Media coverage focused mainly on a 5-metre long line which narrowed the road to such an extent that it made it impossible for more than one car to drive past it. The line was removed within 24 hours, but journalists were not interested in changes implemented in the whole area. 

Therefore, in this publication we are presenting a full manual on the whole process, from meetings with residents, through collecting their feedback up to cooperation with Road and Transportation Authorities, adding Community Council's comments, drafting the project and putting it all into practice. 

We encourage you to get acquainted with "Inna droga - tempo-30 na osiedlu", available at ISSUU.COM

Scenarios

Resident meeting scenarios of „Bezpieczne miasto – inna droga”.

• Methodology used in meetings:
• • multimedia presentations,
• • group discussion,
• • answering questions asked by participants,
• • workshops. Tools needed:
• • computer, overhead projector,
• • estate maps,
• • stationary (markers, crayons, pens etc.).

We encourage you to get acquainted with "Inna droga - miejska rada BRD", available at ISSUU.COM

Specification

A tempo-30 zone was introduced to the whole Karolew estate. All intersections within the estate became uncontrolled intersections. 

We encourage you to get acquainted with "Inna droga - tempo-30 na osiedlu", available at ISSUU.COM

EDITORIAL

All our publications cover different issues with regards to traffic safety. One thing is to observe best practices all over the world, but later we need to clear all activities regarding those issues in our city. Therefore, the City Traffic Safety Programme was created.

Despite the fact that accident statistics are worrying and Łódź is considered to be the most dangerous city in Poland in terms of traffic where the biggest number of accidents per resident is the highest in Poland, any activites aiming at making the infrastructure better are implemented very slowly. Unfortunately, for a very long time Łódź couldn't count on the support of local politicians. But now it has changed.

This publication is fully about how Łódź implemented a City Traffic Safety Programme. Works on the programme took four years - it started with the resolution in 2011 with the last step on September 16, 2015, when the City Council agree to proceed with the idea. 

The initiator of the programme in Łódź was Tomasz Kacprzak, the head of the City Council in Łódź and the vice-president of the Voievodship Traffic Centre in Łódź. Therefore, we asked him to speak on the matter and get involved in consulting activities in Gdańsk (details on the consultations can be found in the 10th issue of our publication).

We also publish statements of the Road and Transportation Authorities President, Grzegorz Nita and the head of the city commision with regards to traffic in the City Council run by Bartosz Domaszewicz. Both men were present at the City Council meeting, were the project was agreed on.

We encourage you to get acquainted with "Inna droga - miejski program BRD", available at ISSUU.COM

EDITORIAL

The term 'temporary' might suggest something that appears for a moment, then disappears and does not bother us. Unfortunately, public space creators often forget that all work done in the city is very much like an 'open-heart surgery'. No street in the city can be renovated without taking into account all residents who are still using it on daily basis - people wanting to access their apartments or those for whom this space is the only way to access the place of their work or studies. Let's think about the situation when the city centre in Łódź is being renovated and the artery linking western and eastern parts of the city in being modernised. During that time at ul. Sienkiewicza the so-called 'temporary traffic arrangement' was implemented - Sienkiewicza became a two-way street. And now let's come back to the word 'temporary' - the new arrangement was implemented in 2013 and two years later it is still in place.

The whole investment regarding the W-Z Route is linked to such changes, where, temporarily - i.e. for an indefinite period of time, a number of obstacles, detours and difficulties is being implemented. All of those are announced during numerous press conferences. But what does it lead to? Once at a press conference the authorities ensured that pedestrian and cycling traffic will not be bothered and at that time, it seemed so. Unfortunately, declarations stayed declarations only, as the contractor closed bike routes and pedestrian crossings changed their location on a weekly basis, moreover they often lead through uneven pavements or sand which quickly changed into mud after rain. 

In this issue of 'Inna Droga' we invited Michał Dobrzyński to co-operate with us. He is a PhD candidate in the Intitute of Philosophy at the University of Łódź and The Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany and often publishes pieces on mobility on his website. 

Our expert points out that in order for a temporary traffic arrangement to be successful in needs to influence everyday usage of the infrastructure to the lowest extent possible. Users of such infrastructure need to be ensured that despite an extraordinary situation all was done in order to meet their needs as well. 

Since numerous road investments are being implemented in our city, I am sure that 'temporary traffic arrangements' awareness should become common not only to desperate road users, but especially to decision-makers, officials and contractors. Enjoy the read.

EDITORIAL

Public transport is mainly made by trams and buses. But it requires proper infrastructure, i.e. bus and tram stops and routes they can take. Is it possible to use this infrastructure to increase traffic safety and not only among passengers? We will try to answer this question in our new publication.

Here, we will find numerous examples how public transport should be used in order to increase traffic safety. Sounds unbelievable? But this is how it is done in many cities all over the world. All infrastructure and ways of letting public transport access routes where individual cars are banned makes using public transport more comfortable but also safer.

This time, we invited our local expert and NGO activist, Tomasz Bużałek. He spoke on numerous occassions with regards to public transport in Łódź. This time he points out that in addition to street renovation we need to take into account the possible increase in safety among all road users. 

'The image of a street that has been renovated should turn around the hierarchy in which the morotist road users were dominant 'clients' of the streets. It is important to focus on detailed activities, as it is a lot easier to meet social approval, when the changes are implemented simultaneously. In Poland, such approach is still not popular. More often than not, when a new tram track is built, the width of the road next to is is increased. And it is done despite the grants given by the EU for public transport. Building over-the-top, multi-storey road solutionsand trams show a complete misunderstanding of mobility management in cities'.

In his study, he mentions numerous solutions from all over the world which can easily inspire us in renovating streets in our city. When we are talking about investments worth tens of millions of zlotys, safety should not be a problem. Let's try using others' experience instead of copying their mistakes.

EDITORIAL

When we discuss how pavements, pedestrian crossings or other elements of the city where we travel on foot should look like, very often one word comes up: they should be even. But what is even for one person might not be even enough for someone with disabilities experiencing mobility problems. Any of us can become such a person!

Universal design is all about everybody's needs. It seems that people are more and more aware of the need to create public space adjusted to people with disabilities or parents pushing strollers. On the other hand, we can still think that those cases are not to be applied to ourselves. It is not our problem, it won't be our problem and even if it is, we can still deal with it.

But what I mean here is not necessarily a person on a wheelchair or a person with crutches, because any of us can experience a serious injury. What I mean is that even when we are carrying a heavy suitcase we are experiencing particular mobility issues. In such a situation even the wheels on our suitcase work to our disadvantage.

Therefore, we are happy to present an elaboration whose author is dr hab. inż. arch. Marek Wysocki from the Centre of Univesal Design at the Technical University of Gdańsk. He discusses an issue that is very often forgotten: space that meets the needs of the disabled becomes space which is user-friendly for everyone.

Our expert lists examples of proper planning, but he also suggests what should proper planning start from in order to create space suitable for everybody. He points out that local government strategies should include raising awareness of the office workers, residents and investors working in a particular area in terms of the needs of the users of the area.

I strongly encourage you to read it, get acquainted with good practices and get hooked on how important universal design is. Thanks to it we will live a better and safer life. 

EDITORIAL

It is already the tenth issue of our publication. This time we are covering a topic which often leads to heated discussions and as with anything that is new, some people may dread it. There is no need for it. Traffic calming, tempo-30 zones, speed bumps - those and other solutions are mentioned by our expert - Tomasz Wawrzonek from City Hall in Gdańsk.

This issue of our publication is pretty special. It is a lot broader than the previous ones and all solutions described are already used in Poland - in Gdańsk, to be specific. Moreover, the text is written by a person with broad knowledge but who is also a practitioner who introduces those solutions in his city. Our expert is Tomasz Wawrzonek, the head of the Department of Traffic Engineering in Gdańsk.

A unique project realised by Tomasz Wawrzonek is 'Less does not mean worse'. Traffic sign verification enabled Gdańsk to get rid of around 9000 redundant traffic signs. That is unique for Poland. Such a solution proves that multiplying traffic signs is not necessarily the best way of improving traffic safety in our country. 

The department supervised by Tomasz Wawrzonek realises project which are unique for Poland. One of them is the City Board for Traffic Safety which gathers institutions dealing with traffic safety in Gdańsk. It is one of few such structures in Poland. A Traffic Calming Programme based on tempo-30 zones supervised by Tomasz Wawrzonek is inextricably linked with this initiative. Thanks to such solutions the number of casualties on streets in Gdańsk dropped by 55% on only four years. The number of accidents dropped by 20%. Moreover, such initiatives enable other types of commuting in the city. Developing areas beneficial for cyclists is one of the key elements thanks to which Gdańsk is considered to be the cycling capital of Poland. Gdańsk has been awarded by a monthly magazine 'Rowertour' as the most bike-friendly city in Poland.

~Hubert Barański

EDITORIAL

The new issue of our publishing house is devoted to cycling infrastructure. As we were able to see in the previous issue, in Gdańsk such infrastructure is treated as a way to improve traffic safety for all road users. 

In this issue we look closer at solutions beneficial for traffic safety with particular emphasis put on cyclists. The number of bicycles in Poland is growing - according to the Central Statistical Office over 70% of Poles owns a bike. It is visible on city streets as well, as a growing number of residents uses bikes as an everyday means of transport.

Such an increase in cycling, however, calls for traffic safety improvements in the form of cycling infrastructure. it is a common misconception that the above is achieved by builing new, separate bicycle lines. In fact, in a lot of European cities the cycling infrastructure is being developed and improved, very often without creating new, separate routes.

Taki wzrost ruchu rowerowego wymusza jednak zwiększenie bezpieczeństwa ruchu poprzez tworzenie infrastruktury rowerowej. W przekonaniu wielu osób dla rowerzystów buduje się jedynie drogi dla rowerów, popularnie nazywane ścieżkami. Choćby w tym zwrocie kryje się już mniej poważne traktowanie tego środka transportu. A jest to błąd. W wielu miastach Europy i coraz częściej w metropoliach świata tworzy się wciąż większą sieć infrastruktury rowerowej. Niejednokrotnie wcale nie budując separowanych dróg dla rowerów.

While creating separated bike routes, we need to remember that a lot of streets are too narrow for it. The solution is quite simple and common in many civilised cities of the world. Bike routes painted on streets, advanced stop lines at intersections and special counter-traffic lanes enable a bike to ride toward traffic on one-way streets.

~Hubert Barański

EDITORIAL

In the series of our publications we cover numerous topics regarding traffic safety. This time we are covering a topic which seems totally unrelated to traffic. Public car racer statements regarding 'killer roadside trees' can work as the only connection between the two.

ROADSIDE GREENERY

I invite you to read another issue of our series. This time we are discussing roadside greenery and different ways of using it to ensure safety on the road. Once again different European cities work as examples of treating roadside greenery as an integral part of the road which should be properly used and governed. 

POLAND vs FRANCE

While in Poland the aim is rather to plant trees at a patricular distance from the road, French traffic calming zones designers do exactly the opposite. Why? Research has shown that when the greenery is closer to the road it creates an illusion of the street being narrower and therefore it reduces driver confidence on the road. In Poland we ask ourselves a question 'what if a child runs runs in the street from behind a tree out of the blue?'. French designers think of such a situation as well, but the difference is that they know that reducing driver confidence is a more efficient way of handling the problem. When a driver is less confident, he reduces speed and is more careful on the road.

Moreover, roadside greenery can become a part of traffic safety tools. It is certainly more aesthetic than concrete posts and fences. It can be used to separate tracks and as aesthetic barriers next to scarps. 

HOW CAN WE GREEN THE CITY OURSELVES?

In the second part of the publication we present ways in which we, the city residents, can influence city greening. We list detailed methods used in financing greenery from public budget.

We continuously encourage you to get inspiration from those examples in order to ensure traffic safety.

~Hubert Barański

EDITORIAL

On our publications we covered several topics with regards to traffic safety. This time, we are discussing one that only seems to be static, i.e. parking.

PARKING AND SAFETY

Parking is an essential issue. It is true that a parked car is hardly ever involved in an accident and parking itself constitutes roughly 95% of our time as car owners. However, skillful placement of parking places and an efficient parking policy can improve safety on streets.

PARKING POLICY

This issue is also devoted to parking policy whose main aim is to force rotation among drivers so that a new parking place is available once in a while. Parking policy includes also efficient removal of improperly parked cars, therefore those which limit visibility for other road users. 

In the issue, we answer a few questions - What would happen if parking in the city centre was free of charge? And, apparently, it was! In December 2003 no parking fees were charged in Polish cities for a few weeks. This unplanned experiment was studied by the Technical University of Warsaw and we are just refreshing your memory on the subject. In addition, we mention different solutions for parking space placement, we make it clear what 'Mickey Mouse Ears' are and what diagonal parking is. As always, we provide photographs from Poland and all over the world to prove that what we are writing about is up and running and researched in numerous cities.

~Hubert Barański