the transportation system of warsaw: sustainable

THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OF WARSAW:SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGYup to the year 2015 and successive years

SYNTHESIS

WARSAW 2010

CAPITAL CITY OF WARSAW

strategiaSYNTEZAoklDRUKENG:synteza 12/7/10 11:18 PM

THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OF WARSAW:SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY up to the year 2015 and successive years

including

THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PLANFOR WARSAW’S PUBLIC MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM

WARSAW 2010

CAPITAL CITY OF WARSAW

SYNTHESIS

Publication developed by theRoads and Public Transportation Department (BDiK)of the Capital City of Warsaw

Cover photo: Wojciech KryńskiGraphic design: Lena Maminajszwili / maszProof reading: Jolanta LewińskaSetup and printing: masz Advertising and Publishing Studio

Copyright by the Capital City of Warsaw

”The Transportation System of Warsaw: Sustainable Development Strat-egy up to the year 2015 and successive years, including the SustainableDevelopment Plan for Wars aw’s Public Mass Transit System” was passedby the City Council of the Capital City of Warsaw by way of ResolutionNo. LVIII/1749/2009 of July 9, 2009.

The presented publication is a synthesis of the above–cited documentswith an updated existing state.

“The Transportation System of Warsaw: Sustainable Development Strategy up tothe year 2015 and successive years” Development Team

Team of External ExpertsAndrzej BrzezińskiMagdalena Rezwow-MosakowskaMarek RoszkowskiWojciech Suchorzewski

Team of Experts of the Roads and Public Transportation Department (BDiK) of theCapital City of WarsawMaria PrzytulskaWłodzimierz RybarczykMonika Rybczyńska-Ejchorszt

Mieczysław Reksnis – Work coordination on the part of the Roads and Public TransportationDepartment (BDiK) of the Capital City of Warsaw

The authors used materials forwarded and developed by the:Roads and Public Transportation Department (BDiK) of the Capital City of WarsawArchitecture and City Planning Department (BAiPP) of the Capital City of Warsaw(formerly the Office of the Chief Architect of the Capital City of Warsaw)Municipal Spatial Planning and Development Strategy Bureau (MPPPiSR)Municipal Road Authority (ZDM)Public Transport Authority of Warsaw (ZTM)Warsaw Metro Company, Ltd. (MW)Warsaw Tramways, Ltd. (TW)Urban Rapid Rail, Ltd. (SKM)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. The Transportation System of Warsaw: Current Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51.1 Motorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51.2 Traffic Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51.3 Public Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Trams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7The Subway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Trains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Water Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Air Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12The Combined Ticket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

1.4 Road System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131.5 Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Paid Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Parking Facilities in the City Center and Other Areas of the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Parking in other Areas of the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Park and Ride (P+R) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

1.6 Traffic Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171.7 Bicycle Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191.8 Pedestrian Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211.9 Traffic Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Pedestrians on the Roadway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23High–Risk Spots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

2 SWOT Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Strengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Weaknesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Opportunities and Threats Facing Transportation System Development . . . . . . . . . . .27Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

3 The Capital City of Warsaw: Transportation Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293.1 Transportation Policy Alternatives for the Capital City of Warsaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293.2 Overall Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303.3 Main and Specific Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313.4 Transportation Policy Implementation Principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .324 The Warsaw Sustainable Public Transportation Development Plan . . . . . . . .344.1 Public Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344.2 Road Transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .434.3 Road Traffic Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .544.4 Cycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Principles of System Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

4.5 Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .644.6 Social Costs and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .654.7 Environmental Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

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T H E T R A N S P O R T A T I O N S Y S T E M O F W A R S A W : S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T S T R A T E G Y

THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OF WARSAW: CURRENT STATUS

1.1 MOTORIZATION

In the wake of the relative stability marking the late 1990s, the number of motor vehicles reg-istered in Warsaw has been growing. The number of automobiles registered in 2009 amountedto 914,524 (data source: Central Statistical Office). It is estimated that the coefficient of mo-torization, i.e. the number of vehicles per 1000 residents, has exceeded 5001, which meansthat motorization in Warsaw is higher than in many cities of Western Europe.

1.2 TRAFFIC VOLUME

The number of journeys in Warsaw per 24–hour period amounts to approximately 2,640,000.Automobiles constitute nearly 60% of all traffic within Warsaw’s borders (approximately545,000 journeys). A total of 21.6% of all journeys are made on foot, 22.6% by automobile,54.6% by public transportation, and 1.2% by other modes of transportation.

About 60% of journeys on Warsaw’s access roads are by automobile (approximately 545,000).

The traffic volume on Warsaw’s access roads amounts to 50,000–75,000 vehicles daily, bothways. It reaches capacity limits during the rush hour. The highest volume is recorded onKrakowska Avenue (approximately 74,000 vehicles daily), Czecha Street (approximately 61,000vehicles daily), Puławska Street (approximately 59,000 vehicles daily), Pułkowa Street (approxi-mately 58,000 vehicles daily), and Jerozolimskie Avenue (approximately 58,000 vehicles daily).

The Warsaw center limits are crossed by nearly 1 million automobiles each day, both ways. Dur-ing the morning rush hour (7:00 – 8:00 am), the traffic intensity within this area amounts toapproximately 165,000, which constitutes 39% of all journeys in this section.

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C U R R E N T S T A T U S

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1 The level of the motorization coefficient is not reliable due to difficulties connected with defining the actualnumber of automobiles registered and used on Warsaw’s roads. The inaccuracy of the official registers suggeststhat this coefficient of motorization is, in fact, overestimated.

Number of automobiles registered in Warsaw in 1995–2009.

Automobile traffic intensity on Warsaw’s bridges exceeds 516,000 vehicles daily in both direc-tions. The highest intensity occurs on the Grota–Roweckiego Bridge (140,000 vehicles daily,both ways) and on the Łazienkowski Bridge (120,000 vehicles daily, both ways). Both bridgescarry a total of 68% of all traffic across the Vistula River.

Other roads showing the highest values for traffic intensity include Prymasa Tysiąclecia Avenue(approximately 110,000 vehicles daily/intersection), Stanów Zjednoczonych Avenue (approxi-mately 94,000 vehicles daily/intersection), the Armii Krajowej Route (approximately 92,000 ve-hicles daily/intersection), the Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie Street (approximately 86,000 vehiclesdaily/intersection), and the Wybrzeże Gdyńskie Street (approximately 82,000 vehicles daily/in-tersection).

1.3 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

TRAMS

Tram communication in Warsaw is operated exclusively by Tramwaje Warszawskie [WarsawTramways, Ltd.], a municipal company. Trams account for a considerable number of passengerjourneys by public transportation. Based on the Warsaw Traffic Survey 2005, trams are esti-mated to account for 22%–24% of all public transportation journeys in the city center duringthe morning rush hour, and for 24%–30% during the afternoon rush hour. By the end of 2009,the average daily number (yearly average) of people using tram communication on a daily basisamounted to 616,000.

The tram network is made up of 124.1 km of tramlines, operated along 27 permanent tramroutes with a total length exceeding 400 km. A tram route length averages 15 km, and the dis-tance between tram stops averages 444 m. The average commuting speed on a weekday is18.4 km/h, while average operating speed on a weekday is 14.6 km/h.

The number of tram tracks coupled with roadways is insignificant and amounts to approximately10.5%. Tram prioritization with respect to the traffic lights system occurs to a small extent.

Tram routes are being constantly modernized. Modernization work entails tram track and powersupply repairs, adapting tram stops to meet the needs of the disabled, and the introduction ofdynamic passenger information systems as well as tram prioritization by the traffic lights system(Jerozolimskie Avenue along the Gocławek – Banacha section and on the route from the Cmentarz

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A joint tram and bus trackon the newly–modernizedW-Z Route

Wolski Terminus to WarszawaWileńska Railroad Station). Theconstruction of a new tram routeconnecting Tarchomin with theMłociny transfer hub is now inprogress.

The outdated tram stock is alsobeing replaced successively. A totalof 186 new low–floor single–spaceSWING trams shall be delivered bythe year 2013.

BUSSES

Bus transportation plays a domi-nant role in Warsaw public trans-portation. Warsaw’s busses serveover 42 million passengers each month. Additional bus services are provided by other carrierswho are not commissioned by the Public Transport Authority of Warsaw (ZTM). They accountfor 1% of all transportation within the city center. Approximately 45% of all people traveling inthe city center during rush hour travel by public transit bus.

Bus transportation supervised by the Public Transport Authority of Warsaw (ZTM) operates ap-proximately 204 urban and suburban daytime routes, and 40 nighttime routes. The averagelength of a daytime bus route amounts to approximately 17.7 km, whereas that of a nighttimebus route is approximately 19.3 km. The distance between bus stops averages approximately510–522 m for regular routes, approximately 790–822 m for fast routes, approximately 1,194m for express routes, and approximately 641–691 m for suburban routes.

Bus lanes are isolated in order to increasethe efficiency of bus transportation. Thelongest lanes are found along ModlińskaStreet (a segment with a length of 3,500 m), along Solidarności Avenue /Radzymińska Street (two segments with atotal length of 3,550 m), along theŁazienkowska Route (a segments with alength of 6,980), along Jerozolimskie Av-enue (a length of 3,500 m), and alongJana Sobieskiego Street (a length of1,100 m). The total length of all bus lanesamounts to 34 km (with each traffic di-rection considered separately).

A bus prioritization solution has beenimplemented on the W-Z Route by es-tablishing separate tram and bus lanesas well as on Nowy Świat and Kra-kowskie Przedmieście streets by consid-erably limiting automobile traffic.

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A modern tram belonging to Warsaw Tramways, Ltd.

Busses used by Warsaw public transportation

Recent years have seen a decided improvement in bus rolling stock standards. A total of 73%of busses are now low–floor busses. The procurement of 660 new busses equipped in air–con-ditioning and monitoring systems is planned by the year 2017.

THE SUBWAYWarsaw has one subway line of a length of 23 km served by 21 stations located at an averagedistance of 1.1 km from one another. The end stations are Młociny in the north and Kabaty inthe south, which also provides a technical and parking station as well as line maintenance.

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Streets with priority treatment for bus transportation

The subway serves over 553,000 people daily. Over the whole of 2009, the number of passen-gers reached 135 million. On average, the subway runs every three minutes during the rushhours on weekdays and every four to eight minutes off–peak, depending on the time of the day.On Saturdays, the subway runs every five–six minutes during the rush hour, and every eight–nineminutes off–peak. The average travel speed on weekdays is 37.5 km/h, while the operatingspeed reaches 30.9 km/h.


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Diagram of Line I (existing) and Line II (under construction)

The construction of Line II of the subway was launched in 2010. The project includes: Construction of a tunnel of a length of 6.5 km, which will run beneath the Line I tunnel andunder the Vistula riverbed,Construction of seven stations (Rondo Daszyńskiego, Rondo ONZ, Świętokrzyska, NowyŚwiat, Powiśle, Stadion, and Dworzec Wileński Railroad Station), andConstruction of an underground junction for Line I and Line II, making it possible for sub-way cars to get from the Kabaty parking station to the Line II subway line.

TRAINS

Total railroad length used in passenger transportation in the Warsaw area amounts to 93 kilo-meters. The entire network consists of eight train stations and 40 stops. The major passengerstations include Warszawa Centralna, Warszawa Zachodnia, Warszawa Wschodnia, WarszawaŚródmieście, Warszawa Gdańska, and Warszawa Wileńska. All lines are electrified and two–track (except for the four–track segment from Grodzisk Mazowiecki to Rembertów, where sub-urban traffic is separated from the long–distance traffic).

The agglomeration railroad system makes use of seven electrified radial lines (with a networkvoltage of 3 kV DC) that come together in the center of Warsaw. The Warszawa Zachodnia Rail-road Station is connected to the Warszawa Wschodnia Railroad Station by a cross–city line. It con-sists of two separate two–track segments (Warszawa Zachodnia – Warszawa Centralna – WarszawaWschodnia and Warszawa Zachodnia – Warszawa Śródmieście – Warszawa Wschodnia) with alength of approximately 9 km, adapted to serve trains running at a maximum speed of Vmax = 60km/h. Agglomeration trains operate from the following directions: Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Le-gionowo, Wołomin, Sulejówek, Otwock, Piaseczno, Grodzisk Mazowiecki and Sochaczew.

The separate Warsaw Suburban Railway (WKD), with its 600 V DC network, also plays a crucialrole in providing access for traffic to Warsaw. WKD trains run from Grodzisk/Milanówek toWarszawa Śródmieście Station and serve Michałowice, Pruszków, Brwinów, Podkowa Leśna,Grodzisk Mazowiecki, and Milanówek boroughs, as well as Warsaw’s Włochy, Ochota, andŚródmieście districts. The length of the Warsaw – Grodzisk line is approximately 30 km, whilethe length of its branch line to Milanówek is 3 km. The WKD line has 28 stops. Train frequencyranges from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of the day.

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Trains owned by SKM Sp. z o.o.

Rail transportation is provided by two carriers. One is the Koleje Mazowieckie Sp. z o.o. [Ma-zovian Rail, Ltd.], whose daily 263 train pairs serve the following routes: Warszawa WschodniaRailroad station – Skierniewice, Warszawa Wschodnia Railroad station – Łowicz, Warszawa Za-chodnia Railroad station – Siedlce, Warszawa Wschodnia Railroad station – Radom, Warszawa Za-chodnia Railroad station – Pilawa, Warszawa Wileńska Railroad station – Zielonka – Tłuszcz,Warszawa Zachodnia Railroad station – Zielonka – Tłuszcz, and Warszawa Gdańska Railroad sta-tion – Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki – Nasielsk. The urban Szybka Kolej Miejska Sp. z o.o. [UrbanRapid Rail, Ltd.] operates three fast urban lines: S1: Otwock – Warszawa Wschodnia Railroadstation, S2: Pruszków – Sulejówek, and S9: Legionowo (Wieliszew) – Warszawa Gdańska Railroadstation. Data collected at the end of 2009 reveal that in average annual terms the SKM is used by845,000 people daily.

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Routes and stops operated by agglomeration rail services

The participation of rail transportation in total passenger transportation in the city center is in-significant, amounting to 6%–8% during the morning rush hour and 2%–3% during the after-noon one. However, rail services ensure principal connections to Warsaw within theagglomeration and the region as a whole.

WATER TRANSPORTATIONAfter many years of suspended operations, passenger water transportation is once again in useas of 2005. Currently, the water tram carries passengers from June to September on the fol-lowing route: Cytadela – Gdański Bridge – Zamek Królewski – Poniatowskiego Bridge –Łazienkowski Bridge. It served a total of 21,094 passengers in the year 2009.

There are also three ferry lines operating in Warsaw: Płyta Czerniakowska – Saska Kępa, Podzam-cze – Ogród Zoologiczny, and Łomianki – Białołęka. The number of passengers is on the rise,having reached 29,481 people in 2009.

AIR TRANSPORTATION The Fryderyk Chopin (Warsaw–Okęcie) Airport is the most important air travel hub in Poland. In2008, the Fryderyk Chopin Airport served more than 9.4 million passengers. In 2009 the num-ber of passengers dropped by approximately 12%. The participation of Fryderyk Chopin Airportin serving all passenger air traffic in Poland amounted to 45.7% in 2009.

The Warsaw–Babice airport is Warsaw’s second airport. It serves light airplanes. There are alsoseveral civilian airports outside of Warsaw operating in the Voivodeship of Mazovia: Radom–Piastów, Płock, Nasielsk, Przasnysz, Góraszka, Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą, and Modlin (releasedfrom military supervision in 2005). The latter, upon its modernization, will become available asan airport for Warsaw.

THE COMBINED TICKETThanks to the initiative of the Capital City of Warsaw, the Warsaw agglomeration introduced acombined public transportation ticket. The combined ticket offers a special tariff option, whereholders of selected ZTM tickets are entitled to travel by suburban trains throughout the Warsaw areaand neighboring boroughs. The combined ZTM–KM–WKD ticket is valid in the trains operated by:

Koleje Mazowieckie – KM Sp. z o.o.Warszawska Kolej Dojazdowa Sp. z o.o.Przewozy Regionalne Sp. z o.o. (selected trains)

Ticket integration has also been making progress in transportation from the suburban boroughsto Warsaw. A combined ZTM ticket is valid on eleven local lines, i.e. L–1, L–2, L–3, L–4, L–5, L–9, L10, L–12, L–13, Ł, and Ł–BIS.

1.4 ROAD SYSTEM

Warsaw’s public road network has a length of 1,927 km. The Municipal Road Authority (ZDM)oversees 42% of this public road network, including powiat [county level] roads, voivodeship,and 106 km of national roads, while the borough roads are the responsibility of the city’s dis-trict offices.

Around 90% of public roads are single carriageways with two traffic lanes (1/2 cross–section). Dualcarriageways, i.e. roads with two traffic lanes in each direction (1/4 and 2/2 cross–sections), account

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for 4.4% of the public network (a total length of 125 km). Roads with three traffic lanes in each di-rection (1/6 and 2/3 cross–sections) constitute 5.6% of the public network (and have a total lengthof 159 km). Warsaw has seven road bridges currently in use (Siekierkowski Bridge, ŁazienkowskiBridge, Poniatowskiego Bridge, Świętokrzyski Bridge, Śląsko–Dąbrowski Bridge, Gdański Bridge, andGrota–Roweckiego Bridge). An eighth one, Północny Bridge, is presently under construction.

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The combined ZTM–KM–WKD ticket: Area of validity

The Poniatowskiego Bridge

THE COMBINED ZTM–KM–WKD TICKET

Zone 1Zone 2

The lack of fully–developed ringroad system is responsible forexcessive transit traffic as well asinter–district journeys in theroad corridors leading to thecity center. This contributes tothe overcrowding of the roadsystem and increases risks re-lated to traffic safety. This is oneof the most basic problems con-nected with the transportationsystem functioning in Warsaw.

Transit of the heaviest freight isnot permitted through Warsawand vehicles entering the citymust observe time, tonnage,and route–related restrictions,which are different for variouszones of the city.

In Zone C5 and Zone C10, thereis a ban on vehicles whose grossweight exceeds five and tentons, respectively. Vehicleswhose gross weight exceeds 16tons may not enter Zone C16from 7:00 to 10:00 am andfrom 4:00 to 8:00 pm. For a ve-hicle to enter these zones in vio-lation of restrictions, it must

hold adequate identification, i.e. a permit to enter the given zone issued by the Municipal RoadAuthority (ZDM).

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The share of particular road grades in the Warsaw road network

The share of particular road categories in the Warsaw road network

The Śląsko–Dąbrowski BridgeThe Północny Bridge under construction

1.5 PARKING

PAID PARKING

Warsaw has a Pay and Display Parking Zone that was established in July 1999 (Area 1) and then ex-tended, after ten years of operation in July of 2009 to cover additional regions of the city (Area 2).

Currently the Pay and Display Parking Zone covers two areas defined by the following streets:

Area I: Jerozolimskie Avenue from Grzymały–Sokołowskiego Street, Żelazna Street, SolidarnościAvenue, and Andersa, Muranowska, Bonifraterska, and Słomińskiego steets to the left bank of the

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Freight traffic organization

Restricted traffic of trucks with a gross weight in excessof 16 tons fro 7:00 to 10:00 am and from 4:00 to 8:00pm, except for vehicles holding a C16 identification cer-tificate

Restricted traffic of trucks with a gross weight in excessof ten tons

Restricted traffic of trucks with a gross weight in excessof five tons

Vistula River, and farther along the left bank to Wilanowska Street and farther on via Solec, Czer-niakowska, 29 Listopada, Szwoleżerów, and Myśliwiecka streets, Armii Ludowej Avenue, Ujaz-dowskie Avenue, and Belwederska, Spacerowa, Słoneczna, Dworkowa, Smetany, Belgijska,Puławska, and Racławicka streets to Bałuckiego Street, then via Bałuckiego Street (from WiktorskaStreet), and Różana, Grażyny, Olesińska, Sandomierska, Olszewska, Puławska, and Waryńskiegostreets, Armii Ludowej Avenue, Niepodległości Avenue, and Koszykowa, Raszyńska, Filtrowa, Aka-demicka, Grójecka, Kopińska, and Grzymały–Sokołowskiego streets, inclusive;

Area II: Solidarności Avenue from Sierakowskiego Street, Targowa Street tothe railroad overpass, and farther alongthe railroad embankment to ZamoyskiegoStreet, then Zamoyskiego Street from therailway overpass, and Jagiellońska, Kępna,Wrzesińska, Okrzei, and Sierakowskiegostreets, inclusive.

As of July 1, 2009, the Pay and DisplayParking Zone offers 27,930 parkingspaces operated by 1,533 Pay and DisplayParking machines, with an average of18.2 parking spaces per one Pay and Dis-play Parking machine. A total of 304 park-ing spaces within the Pay and DisplayParking Zone on national, voivodeship,and district roads have been reserved forthe disabled (1% of all parking spaces, notincluding the ones on borough roads).Such spaces are set aside upon direct re-quest by the party concerned.

Parking rates within the Pay and DisplayParking Zone are in force on weekdays,from Monday through Friday, from 8:00am to 6:00 pm. The amount due is uni-form for the entire zone, and is definedby Resolution No. XLVII/1455/2009 aspassed by the City Council of the CapitalCity of Warsaw on January 15, 2009,

amending Resolution No. XXXVI/1077/2008 of June 26, 2008. The current rates have been inforce as of September 1, 2008 and are as follows:

First hour – PLN 3.00,Second hour – PLN 3.60,Third hour – PLN 4.20,Each successive hour – PLN 3.00.

As demonstrated above, charges for the initial three hours of parking grow progressively, thusdiscouraging drivers from leaving their automobiles for extended periods. Following the thirdhour, the charges become fixed at PLN 3.00. The cost of daily parking (8:00 am to 6:00 pm)

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The Pay and Display Parking Zone by implementation phase

amounts to PLN 31.80. Permitted parking time depends on the amount actually paid, where theminimum parking charge amounts to PLN 0.50.

Fees may be paid by cash through the Pay and Display Parking machine (coins only and nochange is given), or through funds available on a Warsaw City Card, or via SMS.

AUTOMOBILE PARKING FACILITIES IN THE CITY CENTER AND OTHER AREAS OF THE CITYSupervised paid grade–level automobile parking facilities that offer approximately 165,000 park-ing spaces as well as multi–storey automobile parking facilities with approximately 7,000 park-ing spaces are available in the area of the seven central districts of Warsaw—Śródmieście,Mokotów, Ochota, Praga Południe, Praga Północ, Wola, and Żoliborz.

PARKING IN OTHER AREAS OF THE CITYThere are around 90 multi–storey automobile parking facilities in Warsaw (not including the fa-cilities operated as a part of the Park and Ride system) with a total number of parking spacesof nearly 23,000. Most of these are automobile parking facilities serving public buildings, of-fice buildings, hotels, and commercial centers, but they are also available for parking (some ofthem paid) for other purposes. The vast majority of these facilities is located in Zone One, wherethey are concentrated between Emilii Plater Street – Świętokrzyska Street – Marszałkowska Street– Jerozolimskie Avenue (eight automobile parking facilities with approximately 2,500 parkingspaces) as well as along Jana Pawła II Avenue, between Elektoralna and Świętokrzyska streets(fifteen automobile parking facilities with approximately 3,500 parking spaces).

The lack of any modern parking location and space availability information system is a seriousdrawback of this automobile parking system.

PARK AND RIDE (P+R)There are seven Park and Ride automobile parking facilities in Warsaw. Five of them are locatednext to subway stations—Młociny (986 parking spaces), Marymont (400 parking spaces),Wilanowska (290 parking spaces), Ursynów (290 parking spaces), and Stokłosy (98 parkingspaces). The remaining two are located on Połczyńska Street (500 parking spaces) and next tothe Anin SKM station (50 parking spaces).

The Park and Ride system will be developed in the upcoming years, mainly in the vicinity of sub-way and train stations and stops, as well as important tram hubs. As planned, the system will ul-timately consist of over 35 automobile parking facilities, to be constructed in the nearest future.

1.6 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

The first stage of constructing of what is known as the Area I System was completed in No-vember of 2008. The system covers 37 intersections:

Jerozolimskie Avenue over the segment from the Waszyngtona Roundabout to ZawiszySquare,Powiśle, in the area of Grodzka, Browarna, Kruczkowskiego, Ludna, and Czerniakowskastreets, and Along the Wisłostrada Route and Czerniakowska Street from Grota–Roweckiego Bridge tothe Siekierkowska Route.

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In addition to traffic lights installed on intersections, the system consists of the following ele-ments:

The Traffic Management Center located within the Municipal Road Authority (ZDM), The fiber–optic communication system providing for communication with all traffic lightcontrol devices, dynamic message signs and 22 cameras installed at intersections as well aswith the Wisłostrada tunnel control system, andThe road traffic weather and alert information sub–systems (on dynamic message signsand at the website of zszr.zdm.waw.pl).

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The P+R parking facility locations – existing and planned automobile parking areas

The Traffic Management Center is located in the offices of the Municipal Road Authority (ZDM)at No. 120 Chmielna Street. The equipment and software installed at the Traffic ManagementCenter (inclusive of purchased licenses) make possible the connection of the traffic lights on250 intersections to the SITRAFFIC Scala system. Connecting other intersections to this systemis also possible, but entails the need to purchase additional licenses.

The traffic control infrastructure of the Wisłostrada tunnel, including the video detection mod-ule that makes it possible to detect traffic incidents (e.g. automobile stopping), is also con-nected to this system. The Traffic Management System also covers 22 image–zoominghigh–speed network cameras connected to the visual monitoring sub–system. The cameras arelocated at trouble spots on the streets covered by the system.

The system employs two traffic light control methods, i.e. the MOTION network optimizationmethod in the area of Wisłostrada Route and Powiśle District (28 intersections) and the TASSmethod, which involves the selection of pre–defined control schemes, for Jerozolimskie Avenue(9 intersections).

One of the most important functions of the system is to grant priority to trams running alongJerozolimskie Avenue. A total of 160 trams are equipped with transmitters that connect themwith the system and grant them right of way through the traffic light control devices. Nine in-tersections along Jerozolimskie Avenue, from the Waszyngtona Roundabout to Zawiszy Square,are currently covered by this priority system.

1.7 BICYCLE TRAFFIC

There are approximately 275 kilometers of bicycle paths in Warsaw. This gives an average of bi-cycle path density per 1 km2 of 0.65 km/km2.

The longest bicycle path network is found in the Mokotów District area. It is approximately 35km long. Relatively long bicycle paths can also be found in Bielany District (29 km), Ursynów Dis-trict (28 km) and Śródmieście District (27 km). The highest bicycle path density coefficient per1 km2 is found in Śródmieście District (1.70) and in Żoliborz District (1.67). The lowest densityis found in Rembertów District, where the coefficient is equal to 0.06.

The bicycle paths overseen by the Municipal Road Authority (ZDM) are the most common (ap-proximately 70% of all bicycle paths).

In total, there are 117 bicycle parking facilities in Warsaw established by municipal entities—45% are located in Śródmieście District, 22% in Praga Południe District, and 14% in Ursus Dis-trict, where the remaining districts account for less than 4%. In terms of capacity, Warsaw hasapproximately 970 parking spaces for bicycles—33% are located in Śródmieście District and25% are in Praga Południe District.

Worth noting is that the safe inverted–U bicycle racks are most common among all bicycleparking facilities in Warsaw. This is an outcome of the wide–ranging information campaignconducted by the Bicycle Transportation and Pedestrian Communication Division in coopera-tion with nongovernmental organizations. For this reason, this device model, meeting park-ing device requirements as stipulated in the Design and Executive Standards for the BicycleSystem in the Capital City of Warsaw, accounts for 88% of all bicycle racks in the city. Unfor-tunately, what are known as “wheel–puller” grid racks—not a safe option in terms of bothprotecting the bicycle against theft and avoiding the risk of wheel damage—still constitute

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approximately 12% of all bicycle parking spaces. The fact that most of these racks are foundin the neighborhood of city government offices is rather alarming.

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Bicycle route network

1.8. PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC

The years 1993–1998 noted a considerable decline in pedestrian journeys by Warsaw’s resi-dents (a fall from 30.1% to 20.5%). However, the latest traffic figures show that this decline hasbeen stopped and the share of pedestrian traffic has slowly started to grow to reach a level of21.6 % in 2005.

Pedestrian traffic conditions in the Warsaw area are extremely varied and, to a large extent, de-pend on the technical parameters of the pedestrian–oriented equipment as well as on the mode

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Bicycle parking facilities in Warsaw

of development of the sidewalk area. Generally speaking, it should be stated that conditions getworse as the city center is approached, especially along the main roads and in their vicinity. Themost significant pedestrian traffic–related problems include:

Sidewalk width not adjusted to match pedestrian traffic intensity,Low quality sidewalk surfacing,Obstacles on the sidewalks, including improperly parked automobiles,Pedestrian street crossings forcing the use of two levels (underground passages and over-passes), Neglected pedestrian needs in spatial development designs resulting in traffic impediments,lengthened routes, and lower values related to the competitiveness of pedestrian traffic,andFenced urban areas making it difficult to move on foot and worsening the competitivenessof pedestrian traffic, thereby discouraging the use of this mode of transportation.

Pedestrian traffic conditions are mostly good in districts with a majority of residential buildings.Marketplaces and commercial centers are an exception. There, the high pedestrian traffic vol-ume combined with frequent illegal parking and trading activity along the sidewalks consider-ably hamper passenger traffic.

Pedestrian traffic conditions vary along main transportation routes. They mainly depend on theway in which the neighboring areas have been developed. The most difficult pedestrian trafficconditions are found in service–related areas (offices and stores).

The technical and functional parameters of most sidewalks fail to consider the special needs of thedisabled. Adequate facilities are found only in those places where streets and intersections havebeen modernized recently. Such modernization usually includes improving the quality of sidewalksurface, creating curb–side sidewalk ramps in the area of zebra crossings as well as introducingcertain surface elements that make it easier for blind and sight–impaired people to move.

1.9. TRAFFIC SAFETY

The level of traffic safety in Warsaw has been systematically rising. A total of 984 road accidentswere recorded in 2009 in which 1,223 people sustained losses, including 1,126 injuries and 97fatalities. In relation to 2008, the number of road accidents dropped by 466, the number of in-juries by 571, and the number of fatalities by 28.

The most frequent roadaccidents in 2009 in-cluded collisions withpedestrians (475 collisions– 48.3% of all road acci-dents) and vehicle colli-sions (420 collisions –42.7% of all road acci-dents). According to po-lice reports, 21,384collisions were recorded inWarsaw in 2009.

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Road accidents in Warsaw in 1999–2009

PEDESTRIANS ON THE ROADWAY

The large number of passengers being run over by vehicles is the major road safety concern inWarsaw. A total of 475 incidents of this kind were recorded in 2009, where 522 people were in-jured, including 59 fatalities, which accounted for 59.4% of all fatal road accidents in Warsawin 2009.

Furthermore, as a result of other road incidents, 14 passengers became accident casualties—tensuffered injuries while four were fatalities.

A total of 63 pedestrians died on Warsaw’s roads in 2009.

A drop in the number of accidents involving pedestrians as well as in the number of pedestriansinjured has been noted in Warsaw over recent years.

According to the policereports, pedestrianscaused 152 accidents.The most frequent ofthese included recklesslyencroaching onto theroadway in front ofspeeding automobiles (65accidents), crossing on a red light (43 accidents),and jaywalking (37 acci-dents).

HIGH–RISK SPOTS

Warsaw’s intersections are the locations with the highest risk of road accidents. A total of 276accidents, out of 475 road accidents involving pedestrians in 2009, occurred at intersections orin their proximity, including 233 accidents at zebra crossings (111 accidents at crossingsequipped with traffic lights).

A look at accident spots for 2009 also indicates that intersections have the highest–risk. A totalof 572 accidents, out of 961 recorded accidents, occurred at intersections and in their imme-diate proximity. It was further noted that 305 accidents took place at crossings equipped withtraffic lights, eight at the crossings where the traffic lights were turned off, and 252 at cross-ings with no traffic lights.

A total of 121 out of 240 accidents occurring at zebra crossings at intersections took place atintersections with no traffic lights, 117 at the crossings where the traffic lights were turned on,and two at the crossings where the traffic lights were turned off.

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Road accident casualties in Warsaw in 1999–2009

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Road accidents involving pedes-trians in Warsaw in 2003–2009

Pedestrians injured in road acci-dents in Warsaw in 2003–2009

Road accidents involving pedes-trians in 2009 by place of occur-rence

Road accidents in Warsaw in2009

2

S W O T A N A L Y S I S

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SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS:1. Sustainable Transportation Development Strategy, enacted by the City Council for the Cap-

ital City of Warsaw (Resolution No. LVIII/1749/2009, dated July 9, 2009), constituting a fol-low–up to the 1995 Transportation Strategy.

2. The considerable and continually growing share of public transportation in traffic serviceswithin the city as well as in trips to Warsaw.

3. The Public Transport Authority of Warsaw (ZTM), the functions of which are separate fromcarrier functions.

4. The combined ticket for journeys by train within the Warsaw agglomeration and inter–bor-ough agreements concerning the combined tickets for selected bus lines.

5. Well–developed public mass transit in Warsaw (subways, trams, and buses) offering the fol-lowing benefits:

A high network density – 98% of the population lives within 500meters of the nearest stop;A well–developed rail transportation network (an extensive tram network with a largeshare of separate tracks within the roadways as well as a continually expanded subway sys-tem), where 53% of Warsaw’s residents live within 500 meters of the nearest rail–basedstop, where this figure goes up to 56% when train stops are taken into consideration.

6. Implementation of a modernization program for tramways (covering Jerozolimskie Avenueand the W-Z Route, and intended to cover Targowa–Zieleniecka streets and Jana Pawła II Av-enue).

7. Well–developed rail junctions serving the agglomeration:Seven radial lines serving the built–up corridors within the suburban zone,A four–track cross–city tunnel–based rail line,Two rail bridges across Vistula River with reserve capacity.

8. The expanding operations of the urban rapid rail carrier (SKM), which is increasing the levelof competitiveness of the rail transportation system.

9. The considerable improvement in the quality of bus, tram, and train fleets.

10.Creation of the system of separate bus lanes.

11. Land allocation for the purpose of expanding the road and street infrastructure.

12. Introduction of a paid parking system in the city center, subject to spatial development.

13.Coordination of modernization and investment activities aimed at the road system and en-gineering infrastructure.

14. The better condition of road surfaces in the city.

15.Ongoing development of the road and bicycle path network, based on officially accepteduniform technical standards.

16.Ongoing development of the P+R and B+R parking system.

17. The close proximity of the airport serving the agglomeration combined with the construc-tion of a rail connection between the airport and the center of Warsaw.

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18. The noticeable progress in adapting road infrastructure and public transportation to meetthe needs of the disabled (low–floor buses, modernized tram stations, and development oftraffic light systems).

19. The advanced stage of construction of a new bridge route (Północnego Bridge Route).

20. Commencement of construction of the second subway line.

21. The high share of financing for transportation system modernization and development usingEuropean Union funds.

WEAKNESSES:1. Lack of any institution managing and coordinating public transportation on an agglomera-

tion level.

2. Insufficient participation on the part of boroughs in the costs of maintaining suburban busroutes throughout Warsaw’s suburban boroughs.

3. Unsatisfactory public transportation service standards, especially with respect to vehicle over-crowding, time loss caused by excessive road traffic, and the low frequency of buses de-parting during the off–peak hours.

4. Lack of proper public transportation services for developing residential districts (e.g. Tar-chomin and Wilanów) as well as of certain suburban localities (e.g. Piaseczno and Łomianki).

5. Lack of efficient transfer hubs serving the various modes of transportation.

6. Inadequate preferential treatment of the public transportation vehicles (trams and buses),both in the city center and in the access corridors leading to it.

7. Unsatisfactory state of development of cycling infrastructure, especially in downtown as wellas in the access areas to the public transportation hubs (stations and stops).

8. Poor technical condition of rail infrastructure combined with poor quality of services (journeytimes, reliability, and the level of comfort).

9. Insufficient cooperation with private suburban carriers, which would ensure the connectionof the suburban zone with Warsaw without creating any additional burden on the budgetof the city and the suburban boroughs.

10.Delays in the implementation of the city ring road construction projects resulting in avast majority of transit traffic and inter–district traffic taking place in corridors leading tothe city center, where this state of affairs is combined with a low quality of inter–districtconnections.

11. Insufficient hierarchization of the existing road network, with many roads simultaneouslyacting as local, suburban, and long–distance traffic roads.

12. An inadequate number of bridges crossing the Vistula River.

13. Lack of access control to higher–grade roads, which is the source of frequent collisions andconflicts stemming from the joint use of road segments by various traffic participants (pedes-trians, cyclists, automobiles, and trucks).

14. The continuously unsatisfactory level of traffic safety, especially as regards pedestrian safetyon the road.


S W O T A N A L Y S I S

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15. Lack of any organized cargo shipping management system within the city.

16. Inadequate number of collision–free railroad crossings, including local ones.

17. Poor level of traffic regulation enforcement with respect to both parking and road traffic.

OPPORTUNITIES:1. The power (vested with the Mayor of Warsaw) to decide on capital investment directions

coupled with responsibility for spatial planning and administrative decisions encompassingprinciples of development and building permits, which makes possible the implementationof spatial policy (including transportation) in a coordinated way.

2. The passing of the “Conditions and Directions of the Spatial Development of the CapitalCity of Warsaw” Study by the City Council in 2006 and the enacting of “Transportation Strat-egy” in 2009.

3. The ability to co–finance transportation projects using European Union resources.

4. Co–organization of the Final Tournament of the UEFA European Football Championships,Euro 2012.

5. The economic development of Warsaw and the Mazovia Region—the richest region of Poland.

6. Integrating (in 2006) individual and public traffic management in a single urban authority,i.e. Road Engineering and Transportation Authority.

7. Maintaining a high level of user trust with respect to public transportation.

8. Maintaining a keen interest by the public in improving the efficiency of transportation andits development, especially in connection with growing road congestion, the unsatisfactoryquality of public transportation, and the growing burden created by automobile trans-portation on the environment (residents).

9. The high level of social acceptance for granting privileges to public transportation.

10.Capacity reserves to be used to make the traffic organization more efficient with the intro-duction of efficient traffic management systems, entailing the use of new technologies.

11.Concluding agreements with Warsaw’s suburban boroughs on the organization of the pub-lic (bus) transportation in those boroughs by the City Transport Authority of Warsaw (ZTM)in conjunction with cooperation in the area of rail traffic (with the Office of the Marshal ofthe Voivodeship of Mazovian).

12. The growing interest among the city residents in using bicycles as a means of transporta-tion, including when commuting to school or work.

THREATS:1. Legal loopholes, i.e. the lack of uniform legislation on public transportation and on creat-

ing metropolitan associations, which considerably limits both the efficient management ofpublic transportation on an agglomeration scale and road management.

2. Protracted investment project practices stemming from extended legal procedures and thetime–consuming process of procuring administrative decisions (including planning permis-sion, environmental decisions, and building permits).



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3. Insufficient numbers of staff members engaged by entities responsible for planning andpreparing investment projects, which triggers delays and the necessity to focus on the mostimportant projects.

4. The high costs of building transportation infrastructure, resulting from the overall nation-wide growth in project costs.

5. The economic slowdown and its resultant limiting of the budget allocated to transportationsystem projects.

6. Building dispersal and spatial disintegration of both the city and agglomeration, increasingthe transportation demand.

7. Increased level of motorization and a tendency to use vehicles in intra–city journeys, whichis responsible for the increased congestion on Warsaw’s roads during rush hours in the cen-tral urban area as well as on some access roads, while simultaneously having a negative en-vironmental impact.

8. The prevailing social belief that any traffic problem can be solved by expanding the road andstreet system, the parking system (including in the downtown zone), and the subway andtram network.

9. An insufficient quantity (city area coverage) of approved current planning documents at thelocal level (local plans) explicitly defining spatial development and transportation develop-ment concepts.

10. Lack of stability with respect to sources for financing projects (the inability to determinesources of financing, including the European Union funds, in the long–term).

11. Focus on the selected fund–absorbing infrastructural projects (subways, bridges, and mainroads), while limiting activities involving ongoing maintenance of the existing infrastructureas well as activities influencing the travel behavior of residents, which may result in a fur-ther worsening of the technical condition of roads, bridges, and tram infrastructure.

12. Failure to stop and reverse the rail infrastructure degradation process, which may lead to alimiting of the use of suburban rail transportation and to the further growth in the use of au-tomobiles when commuting from the suburban zone, especially to the center of Warsaw.

13. Insufficient action in the realm of parking policy, including the elimination of illegal parking,expansion of pay parking zones, changes in the functioning of pay parking (increases anddiversification of parking fees), and putting in order the question of parking in public spaceand residential areas.

14. Protests by various communities against virtually any transportation project forcing the au-thorities to withdraw from the implementation of certain projects planned for many yearscoupled with a poor system of communicating with the public.

15. Poor public acceptance for any changes in transportation routes (new routing).

16. Faulty design–related provisions as specified in the Directive of the Minister of Infrastructureof July 3, 2003 on detailed technical conditions for road signs and road traffic safety devices,and their placement on the roads, which make it difficult, if not impossible, to prioritizepublic transportation, promote bicycle traffic, and modify the public space of streets.

17. Labor market–related problems such as the risk of not enough bus and tram drivers, whichmay create a barrier to the development of transportation companies and increase the pricesof the services provided.


3

T H E C A P I T A L C I T Y O F W A R S A W : T R A N S P O R T A T I O N P O L I C Y

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THE CAPITAL CITY OF WARSAW: TRANSPORTATION POLICY

3.1 TRANSPORTATION POLICY ALTERNATIVES FOR THE CAPITAL CITY OF WARSAW

Various possible transportation policy alternatives were considered in developingthe Strategy for the Capital City of Warsaw. The results of current planning works, analy-sis of directions of possible change and means for implementation, and the experiences of otherPolish cities as well as international practice were all considered. Four possible directions for ac-tion have been identified:

Limited intervention in the operation of the transportation system, where significant free-dom may be left for the development of individual transportation, the public mass transitsystem, and the freight transportation system,Strong restrictions on the use of individual automobiles as well as limits encompassingfreight traffic (the “city without automobiles” concept), with the resultant strong develop-ment of a public mass transit system, bicycle routes, and pedestrian traffic zones,Unhindered use of individual automobiles and motorization without restraints, with the re-sultant limited development of public mass transit, andSustainable development of the city transportation system involving adjustment to princi-ples of use of individual transportation, public mass transit, and freight services guarantee-ing their fit in individual city zones.

Analyses demonstrate that Warsaw’s transportation policy should be derived froman understanding of the impact of allowing unrestricted automobile access to thewhole of the city area on the quality of life in the city. Such access would lead to a fallin the friendliness of public spaces and a worsening in traveling conditions for all surface meansof transportation (automobiles, trams, busses) as a result of traffic congestion in the streetscaused by automobiles. Furthermore, this would be accompanied by deterioration in residen-tial conditions because of increased pollution (fumes) and noise levels.

Thus, it has been assumed that there is not onlyjustification for, but also a need to assure bal-ance between travel by automobiles and pub-lic mass transit, with due consideration for theimportant role of pedestrian and bicycle traf-fic. Keeping in mind the deficit in transportationspace, poor environmental quality, and limited funds,control of access to selected city areas by automobiletraffic is necessary. However, such restrictions shouldfind compensation in good public mass transit serv-ices, the establishing of ring roads, and the creationof favorable conditions for pedestrian and bicycletraffic.

The transportation policy formulated in this docu-ment looks at goals and means of their implementa-tion as provided by the “Transportation Policy of theCapital City of Warsaw,” a document passed by theWarsaw City Council in November of 1995, as well aslater studies and documents, including the “Warsaw Bicycle path in a park


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Development Strategy up to the Year 2020” and the “Conditions and Directions for Spatial De-velopment for the Capital City of Warsaw” Study.

It should also be noted that the achieving of the efficient operation of the transportation sys-tem depends not only on the decisions and actions of the authorities of Warsaw, but also ondecisions taken in its surroundings—neighboring gminas [boroughs] and powiats [county levelunits] as well as the authorities of the Voivodeship of Mazovia and Central Government.

3.2 OVERALL GOAL

The overall goal of Warsaw’s transportation policy is the improvement and development of thetransportation system so as to create conditions fostering the efficient and safe movement ofpeople and freight while limiting its detrimental impact on the natural environment and livingconditions.

Improvement and development of the transportation system will serve:The assuring of appropriate accessibility to functions of local, citywide, regional, and nationalcharacter found within the city area,The assuring of suitable links between city districts (especially the city center), public trans-portation hubs (including Fryderyk Chopin Airport), and within the metropolis, region, andcountry,The stimulation of economic development and spatial organization,An improvement in traffic safety as well as the personal security of system users,An improvement in the state of the natural environment, andAn improvement in the prestige and image of the city.

Achievement of the overall transportation policy goal will be achieved by implementing thetransportation system sustainable development strategy through the following measures:

Stimulating concentration of residential, work, and retail service locations in areas that arewell provided for by public transportation,Stimulating the mixing of functions (residential, work, retail services, and recreation) for thepurpose of limiting the need to travel extended distances,Increasing the attractiveness of public transportation through its development, the assign-ing of traffic priorities, improvement in the quality and reliability of provided services, de-

velopment of rail transportation systems, streamlining oflinks between public transportation subsystems, establish-ment Park & Ride parking facilities, etc.,

Developing the road system, mainly in the direction ofcity center bypass routes,The taking into account of the needs of pedestrian traf-fic, including the providing of convenient and safe ac-cess to stops, improvement of transfer hubs, etc.,The taking into account of the needs of bicycle traffic, in-cluding the providing of a system of bicycle routes andparking facilities, etc.,The staged application of fiscal instruments to modifytransportation behavior, involving parking fees as well asfees for entering the city center in the more distant future,Supporting parking policy through the implementationand enforcement of parking standards in issuing ofbuilding permits, and

Integration of mass transit subsystems


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Economic and spatial development planning coordinated with transportation system de-velopment on an agglomeration scale.

3.3 MAIN AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Six main objectives have been formulated pursuant to the overall goal of the transportationpolicy:

Guaranteeing access through internal and external connections,Improving travel standards, including improved access to the transportation sys-tem by the disabled,Stimulating economic development and spatial order,Improving traffic safety and the personal security of transportation system users,Improving the state of the natural environment while decreasing the annoyanceof transportation for residents, andIncreasing the prestige and improving the image of the city.

There are also twenty–four detailed objectives (see Table No. 1).

Table No.1. Main and Specific Goals of the Transportation Policy of the Capital City of Warsaw

Main Goal Specific Objectives

Guaranteeing access through internal andexternal connections

Stopping degradation and striving to assurehigh quality transportation infrastructure

1.1

Developing road networks providing connec-tions between areas of the city as well aslinks on a metropolitan, regional, national,and international scale

1.2

Integrating the public transportation systemthroughout the entire Warsaw agglomera-tion area

1.3

Improving access to areas that are majortravel destinations by modes of transporta-tion other than automobiles

1.4

Improving transportation management 1.5

Improving the freight shipping system 1.6

Improving links between the city and Fry-deryk Chopin Airport

1.7

Improving access to railroad stations andstops

1.8

Improving travel standards, including im-proved access to the transportation systemfor the disabled

Improving travel standards in public masstransit

2.1

Improving travel conditions for people withlimited mobility

2.2


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3.4 TRANSPORTATION POLICY IMPLEMENTATION PRINCIPLES

Transportation policy implementation principles shall be adapted to the character of the givenarea. Awarding a privileged position to public transportation is planned in the case of stronglyurbanized areas of the city that are characterized by a concentration of travel destinations, anextensive public mass transit system, and road and parking capacity limitations. Such a privi-leged position will also be offered along the basic transportation routes, which concentrate sig-nificant flows of passenger traffic. In practical terms, this will mean the introduction ofmeasures improving the functioning of public transportation, primarily on the radial routes tothe city center.

A different approach to the organization of transportation will be applied in areas of less densedevelopment. The role of public transportation in such areas is smaller, with the exception ofthe radial directions leading to the city center. Good cooperation and coordination of the vari-ous modes of public transportation—e.g. transportation of passengers by busses to tram stops

Main Goal Specific Objectives

Stimulating economic development and spa-tial order

Rationalizing the transportation behavior ofresidents

3.1

Restoring the urban functions of streets 3.2

Improving transportation system perform-ance efficiency

3.3

Rationalizing the spatial development of thecity

3.4

Mitigating public transportation service im-balance between individual areas of the city

3.5

Improving traffic safety and the personal se-curity of transportation system users

Improving road traffic safety so as to de-crease fatalities and injuries in Warsaw

4.1

Improving the personal security of all trans-portation system users

4.2

Improving the state of the natural environ-ment while decreasing the annoyance oftransportation for residents

Limiting noise generation 4.3

Protecting the air and water 4.4

Protecting public health 4.5

Increasing the prestige and improving theimage of the city

Improving the quality of the landscape 5.1

Improving the quality of urban space 5.2

Increasing the attractiveness of the city to in-vestors

5.3

Bringing the city closer to the Vistula River 5.4

and subway stations—are necessary in thoseareas. There is also greater potential for bettersatisfying the expectations of motorists in termsof unrestricted use of automobiles.

Practical implementation of the above principleswill involve dividing the city into three zones dif-fering in:

Restrictions on automobile and heavy vehi-cle traffic,Requirements as to public spaces and condi-tions for pedestrian and bicycle traffic,The level of privileges assigned to publictransportation,Requirements concerning the number ofparking spaces, andThe level of parking fees, including diversifi-cation based on parking time.

ZONE I – Downtown, encompassing:

Subzone Ia – The strict downtown area—boththe left and right bank—with areas of existingdense development,

Subzone Ib – Regions of the strict downtownarea—both the left and right bank—earmarkedfor transformation and intensification of existingdevelopment, and

Subzone Ic – All other parts of the downtownarea.

Automobile traffic shall be restricted, where in some areas and on selected routes it shall beeliminated entirely. This shall be accompanied by:

Priority treatment of public transportation,Restriction and in some cases bans on automobile traffic,Limits on the number of parking spaces, andIntroduction of pedestrian traffic zones.

ZONE II – Urban, encompassing all other areas of dense development as well as district retailservice centers, where priority shall be maintained for public transportation, but more freedomfor use of automobiles shall be offered.

The remaining areas of low intensity of development forming ZONE III – Suburbs shall haveroad systems and a supply of parking spaces adjusted to needs stemming from the level of mo-torization.

Particular attention shall be paid to the quality of public transportation connecting Zone II andZone III with the center of Warsaw (Zone I).

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Tram on Prosta Street

THE WARSAW SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT PLAN

4.1 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

The Strategy assumes that in spite of development of individual motorization, mass rail trans-portation will play the key role in the Warsaw transportation system and its quality will definethe efficiency of the functioning of the agglomeration (metropolitan area), especially its down-town area. Greater automobile traffic stemming from the growing affluence of city residentsand increased motorization will cause further deterioration in traffic conditions for busses(longer travel times) and passengers no longer choosing municipal transportation.

Sustaining the current state—lack of capacity, dominate role of bus transportation, tramwaysin need of modernization (rolling stock and infrastructure), and poorly functioning railroadtransportation—will lead to further significant deterioration of city transportation servicequality in the future. Moreover, if road and street system development does not proceed overupcoming years as planned, especially the ring roads surrounding the central zone, then theguaranteeing of privileges for busses through separate traffic lanes on key roads, for exam-ple, will be an exceptionally difficult task. This will lead to the deterioration of road networkoperating conditions and consequently a secondary negative impact on surface public trans-portation.

Warsaw already has a relatively well–developed rail transportation network. The major passen-ger streams may be observed on routes to the city center, which has a rich system of tramwayconnections (three east–west routes and four north–south routes), a subway, and railroad. How-ever, a main cause for concern is the quality of the system and, as a consequence, its compet-itiveness when facing individual transportation. Projections indicate that increasing theattractiveness of the public transportation system will result in an increase in its efficiency. This

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Młociny Transfer Hub

means that efforts should be focused on main routes leading into the city center. Primarily, thissignifies the necessity for concentrating efforts on improving the quality of services offered oncurrently operating routes.

At the same time, action shall be taken aimed at limiting the role of the automobile by influ-encing change in the transportation behavior of residents. In terms of space occupied and pol-lution emissions per one passenger, the automobile is the least efficient means of transportation.Preventing excessive use of the automobile will necessitate action reducing the demand fortransportation, adjusting it to the current real needs of individual social groups, changes in in-dividual and social consumer models, and striving to internalize the external costs generated bytransportation.

The Strategy stipulates the implementation of the following eight tasks, which are of funda-mental importance to Warsaw public transportation system development:

Task #1 The establishing of an institution managing and coordinating public transportationwithin the area of the Warsaw agglomeration,

Task #2 Modernization and development of the tramway system,Task #3 Continuing subway system development,Task #4 Railroad transportation efficiency improvement,Task #5 Transportation system integration,Task #6 Efficiency improvement of urban and suburban bus transportation,Task #7 Rolling stock replacement, andTask #8 Rationalization of public transportation routes (routing).

Task #1: The establishing of an institution managing and coordinating public trans-portation within the area of the Warsaw agglomeration

It is in the interest of the Capital City of Warsaw to retain the high share of public transporta-tion in serving passenger traffic into the city. This is decisive in limiting automobile traffic den-sity on major streets leading to the center and in the center of Warsaw itself. Actions aimed atthe organizational and functional integration of all public transportation subsystems (railroad,bus, tramway, and subway) serving the area of Warsaw within its administrative limits as wellas trips between Warsaw and suburban boroughs will be of key importance.

This goal will be achieved through efforts aimed at establishing an entity for managing publictransportation on an agglomeration–wide scale. Establishment of such an entity should takeplace in stages. Initially, its creation should be based on agreements with local government onvarious levels—voivodeship [provincial] and gminas [borough] local government—followed bythe actual establishing of the managing entity pursuant to the draft Act on Public Transporta-tion. The Capital City of Warsaw should initiate such agreements.

Ultimately, such an entity can be based on the present Public Transport Authority of Warsaw(ZTM), where its jurisdiction should encompass the management of public transportation inWarsaw and within the area of the agglomeration, including:

Assuring appropriate transportation service areas filling functions of local, regional, and na-tional importance within Warsaw and adjacent boroughs,Regulating issues of financing for high quality public transportation services in Warsaw andon suburban lines, including issues of service subsidies and their rationalization,Implementing a common transportation tariff, taking into account area conditions and thelength of travel time,

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T H E W A R S A W S U S T A I N A B L E P U B L I C T R A N S P O R T A T I O N D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N

Implementing uniform high standards for provided transportation services,Coordinating timetables,Integrating public transportation subsystems, in particular at transfer hubs,Developing and supervising the Park & Ride system within the agglomeration, andRegulating the public transportation services market, including improving its competi-tiveness.

Task #2: Modernization and development of the tramway system

Warsaw has a well–developed network of tramway lines with significant potential to prove at-tractive for passengers. In spite of this, tramway transportation offers relatively low quality serv-ices (travel speeds at a level of 18 km/h, deteriorated rolling stock, lack of any traffic controlsystem, and poorly equipped stops). Priority treatment of modernization work on tramwayroutes is consistent with global trends. It will lead to jumps in the improvement of rail trans-portation quality on routes that are not served by the system. The goal will be to create a newimage for tramway transportation—modern and highly comfortable, and therefore capable ofcompeting with the automobile.

The tram route modernization program will be implemented with a focus on improving thestandard of major routes by offering priority through traffic management methods, limitingthe number of collision points with the road and pedestrian systems, improving the conditionof tracks and power supply facilities, adjusting the supply of seating to match demand, andverifying operation of the least used stops. Implementation of the integrated traffic manage-ment system, which will guarantee priority for trams at traffic lights, will be the key task. Useof appropriate rolling stock (low–floor) facilitating an efficient interchange of passengers aswell as the remodeling of stops—their raising and widening—will also be important.

The program leading to a shortening of travel time to the city center by tramway and im-provements in reliability as well as passenger travel comfort will be implemented first on trans-portation routes of primary importance for the transportation system of Warsaw—servingtransportation to the city center. It is assumed that the system of tram routes designated formodernization will involve four corridors:

Gocławek Terminus – Wiatraczna Roundabout – Jerozolimskie Avenue – Banacha Terminus,Cmentarz Wolski Terminus – Warszawa Wileńska Railroad Station and Warszawa WileńskaRailroad Station – Stadion Narodowy – Waszyngtona Roundabout – in connection withtramway services for Euro 2012,Piaski Terminus – Grunwaldzki Square – Jana Pawła II Avenue – Kielecka Terminus, with abranch from Potocka Terminus – Grunwaldzki Square, andStarzyńskiego Roundabout – Zawiszy Square.

Apart from the modernization of the above–specified primary tramway corridors, running ren-ovation work conducted on tram and street routes involves improvements to the remainder ofthe tramway network to a level defined by the modernization program. Expansion of thetramway network will also take place in line with needs stemming from changes in the city’s spa-tial development and new locations for places of residence and employment.

Implementation of the development program shall be conducted in parallel with modernizationefforts. Planning works determining the justification for construction of other tramway routesafter the year 2015 will also be conducted.

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Task #3: Continuing subway system devel-opment

Construction of Line I to Młociny of the Warsawsubway was completed in 2008, including organ-ization of the transfer hub encompassing the Park& Ride system and the transfer to the tramwayroute to Tarchomin (along the Północnego BridgeRoute) at the terminal station.

Continuation of subway system development, in-cluding construction of Line II and Line III, is en-visaged. The downtown section of Line II, fromDaszyńskiego Roundabout to Warszawa WileńskaStation, will be developed first due to its poten-tially high passenger traffic density. Subsequently,Line II will be extended to Targówek and Bródno,with a branch line to Stadion Station, and then onto Gocław. Thus, the system will have two linesbranching from Stadion Station—Line IIA (Stadion– Bródno) and Line IIB (Stadion – Gocław). Thecentral segment of Line II will also be extendedwestwards from Daszyńskiego Roundabout to Be-mowo. Ultimately, construction of Line III of thesubway system—Stadion Station – Saska Kępa –Konstytucji Square – Warszawa Zachodnia Rail-road Station—is also planned.

The way in which Lines II and III of the subwaypass through the downtown zone will take intoconsideration both functional (minimizing accesstime to the station as a result of its depth) andeconomic aspects. Prerequisite to the execution of subway system extension are:

Limiting the costs of the project thanks to application of modern subway construction tech-nologies and taking advantage of possibilities of subway construction in trenches (or usingoverpasses) and at grade level, andAttracting significant subsidies for the construction of Line II, possibly of Line III, of the sub-way from government and European Union funds.

Task #4: Railroad transportation efficiency improvement

Achievement of qualitative change in the mode of operation of the railroad system serving War-saw and its suburbs will be decisive in preventing excessive passenger automobile traffic. Increas-ing the share of the railroads in transportation between Warsaw and its suburban zone as well asin internal traffic—the taking over by the railroad of the leading role in overland transportation be-tween districts alongside other rail transportation systems such as the tramway and subway—is thebasic objective of this task. It will be achieved through two groups of measures:

The adapting of the existing railroad transportation system to meet contemporary standards(revitalization and modernization), and

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Construction of the No. II subway line

The supplementing of the existing subsystem to include new stops and new railroad trans-portation lines—extensions and the adaptation of lines currently not used for passengertraffic.

Actions taken should serve:An increase in operational speed, frequency, and the supply of seats,The expanding of the offer (number of possible connections, including those involving trans-fers),An increase in the availability of the railroad (a shortening of walking times and improvedtransfers to other modes of transportation),An improvement in the comfort of waiting and travel, cleanliness, aesthetics, safety, andfull access for the disabled, andThe application of passenger–friendly solutions (including the tariff–ticketing system, mod-ern systems providing dynamic information for passengers, timetables that are simple tomemorize, and improvements in staff service).

The above objectives will be achieved through application of the following measures:

Infrastructure:- The modernization and refurbishing of selected line segments—upgrading of opera-

tional parameters and eliminating speed limitations,- The modernization of existing stations and stops,- The adapting of lines and connections not used for passenger traffic,- Construction of new stops in areas of concentration of potential trip origins and desti-

nations at a distance from the existing stops,- The equipping of all stops and stations in solutions guaranteeing access by the disabled,- The equipping of all stops and stations with dynamic information systems providing in-

formation on waiting times for the nearest trains,- The equipping of all stops and stations in CCTV monitoring systems, integrated with

the city monitoring system, for example, and- The establishing of transportation hubs with

minimized access distances between theboarding points of other transportationmodes and systems—subway (including Line I Centrum Subway Station and DworzecGdański Railroad Station), tramways, busses,Park & Ride parking facilities, B+R (Bike andRide – access by bicycle and trip continuationby public mass transit), and K+R (Kiss andRide – delivery by automobile to a stop andtrip continuation by public mass transit), allequipped with roofed–over pedestrian accessand dynamic information systems on thenearest boarding times for other modes oftransportation, to as great an extent as possi-ble.

Rolling stock:- An increase in the number of rolling stock

units as well as achieving a frequency of 10–

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New Urban Rapid Rail (SKM) rolling stock

15 minutes during rush hours per line,- The systematic purchase of new railroad rolling stock dedicated to agglomeration trans-

portation (minimum acceleration of 1 m/s2, increased numbers of doors, no toilets, sin-gle space, and equipped in CCTV monitoring systems).

Organization:- The introduction of timetables that are cyclic, continuously available, and with fixed

times between trains as well as fixed minute departure times, throughout the ag-glomeration,

- Coordination of the timetables of other modes of municipal transportation with therailroad timetable, and

- Tariff–ticketing integration of railroad transportation and municipal transportation (in-cluding the suburban zone).

The serving of Fryderyk Chopin Airport is a special task. It will involve the modernization of Rail-road Line No. 8 to Cracow to include a new railroad connection branching from the main line inthe area of the Warsaw Służewiec stop and running through a tunnel to an underground railroadstation constructed within the framework of the Fryderyk Chopin Airport expansion project.

Another matter will involve changes in traffic organization in Warsaw and the entire WarsawRailroad Junction. In this case, particular consideration shall be given to the capacity of thecross–city line and the possibility of its increase through higher frequencies possible thanks tothe application of modern railroad traffic control systems (as in case of subway system). Addi-tionally, some of the lines (e.g. from Fryderyk Chopin Airport) may use the long–distance rail-road system.

A major role in supplementing the railroad system will be played by the Warsaw Suburban Rail-road (WKD). It uses the Grodzisk Mazowiecki – Podkowa Leśna – Pruszków – center of Warsawcorridor, serving the Pruszków line.

Ultimately, it is assumed that the implementation of this task will be coordinated by the publicmass transit management entity encompassing the whole of the metropolitan area (as in Task#1). This is also important because of the need to coordinate timetables and prevent excessivecompetition among various modes of public transportation along the same corridors (e.g. withbus transportation), decreasing their efficiency.

The awarding of railroad transportation contracts through tenders—establishing a truly com-petitive market in this service segment—is recommended. Positive experiences from a similar pol-icy in bus transportation suggest that similar significant benefits—decreased costs and improvedservice quality—will be available.

Considering the scale of necessary outlays that must be made available during the nearest yearsfor the modernization of the railroad system, full implementation of all plans, and the devel-opment of other rail transportation subsystems (subways and tramways), significant subsidiesfrom structural funds and collaboration with other local governments at all levels as well aswith business entities responsible for railroad infrastructure are necessary. The passing of newlegislation taking into account the specifics facing railroad transportation in metropolitan areaswould significantly simplify the situation.

Task #5: Transportation system integration

Faced with its numerous transportation subsystems (pedestrian and bicycle as well as individ-ual and public transportation), the assuring a high level of integration is of special importance

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to the Warsaw agglomeration. The effects of transportation system integration are beneficial topassengers and the organizers of transportation alike. At the same time, the necessary finan-cial outlay is relatively small. Integration is also very important from the perspective of gainingthe confidence of public transit users.

With respect to transportation system integration, attempts will be made to:Provide a common ticket that is valid for all means of public mass transit,Develop the system of Park & Ride parking facilities (excluding Zone I), as well as Bike & Ridefacilities, offering the possibility of more convenient travel by public transportation whilelimiting automobile traffic density on city streets,Modernize and remodel hubs serving different modes of transportation to limit discomfort,increase convenience, and shorten transfer times for passengers (more compact hubs,shorter distances and less time needed for access, verification of stop locations, and theoverhauling and modification of infrastructure,Implement dynamic passenger information systems (visual and spoken) facilitating transfers, andUndertake other technical actions in the area of telematics serving public communicationand targeting improvements to passenger service quality (safety monitoring, system coor-dination, and synchronization of timetables).

Special importance shall be assigned to the qualitative change in the operating modes of pri-mary transfer hubs tied with the railroad system, i.e. the hubs:

Centralna Railroad Station – Śródmieście Railroad Station – Centrum Subway Station,Zachodnia Railroad Station,Wschodnia Railroad Station,Gdańska Railroad Station, andWileńska Railroad Station.

Improving the management of public transit traffic on the part of dispatchers represents animportant factor fostering integration of the transportation systems. This will involve the com-plete coordination of the actions and undertakings of all organizational entities responsible forthe operation of the city’s transportation system, including improvement in management meth-ods. The gradual and systematic integration of transportation system monitoring and controlof tram and bus traffic will lead to:

Increased operational reliability of public transportation as well as shortened response timesin emergencies,Improved supervision and control over operations,Increased passenger safety,Limiting the costs of public transportation operation, andImproved quality of public transportation operation.

Task #6: Efficiency improvement of urban and suburban bus transportation

Modernization and development of the city transportation system will also consider needs withrespect to bus transportation. Measures in this area will include:

Facilitating the operation of bus lines on routes delivering passengers to corridors served byrail transportation, andImproving the operation of bus lines along Warsaw’s major transportation corridors notserved by rail transportation, where busses fill the role of the primary means of transporta-tion (e.g. Puławska and Radzymińska streets, as well as Łazienkowska and Wisłostradaroutes), including suburban bus lines.

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The improvement in the bus transportation operating conditions, in addition to rolling stockreplacement with more modern equipment (included in Task #4) and an improvement intransfer hub operation and dispatch management (included in Task #7), will be achieved bymeans of:

Implementing separate traffic lanes for busses as well as other means of traffic organization(e.g. bus lanes in the oncoming direction) along street segments carrying large volumes ofpassenger traffic to a greater extent than is currently the case,Giving busses priority at traffic lights, including traffic light jumper lanes facilitating easybus turning,Expanding the city center zone encompassed by restrictions on individual traffic access, butallowing tram and bus traffic using low–emission fuels and technologies, including renew-able biofuels (e.g. Krakowskie Przedmieście Street), andModernizing stops.

Plans include the modernization of bus termini in order to improve bus traffic managementand passenger access, reduce the risk of accidents, and facilitate transfers (e.g. from private au-tomobiles and bicycles to busses).

Task #7: Rolling stock replacement

Growth in the attractiveness of public transportation essentially signifies the preventing of thenegative trend of tram and bus rolling stock aging. In view of increasing passenger expectationsand competition of the part of the automobile, encouraging passengers to use public masstransit requires acknowledging purchases of rolling stock for public mass transit as a priority.

For this reason, changing the image of mass transit, including through the wide–ranging in-troduction of modern, single–space and low–floor trams and busses—busses using low–emis-sion and renewable fuels—is an important element of the strategy. In addition to increasingpublic mass transit competitiveness in relation to individual transportation, this will also con-tribute to:

Increasing the share of public transportation in passenger traffic,Increasing the reliability of public transportation operation,Improving the travel comfort of all passengers and improving traveling conditions for the dis-abled as well as encouraging them to use public transportation,Improving both real and perceived personal safety of travelers and those driving vehicles,Reducing expenditures on the renovation and repair of rolling stock,Reducing disparity between the number of rolling stock units in operation and rolling stockinventory,Limiting noise generation and pollutant emissions,Improving the quality of urban space, andImproving the image of the Capital City of Warsaw as an agglomeration using low–emissiontechnologies, including renewable fuels, in city transportation to improve the quality of thenatural environment and protect the health of residents.

Replacement of rolling stock with modern units should be an opportunity to introduce bussesof varied capacity and bi–directional trams. This will increase the operational flexibility of therolling stock as well as limit the costs of rolling stock operation.

Development of the tramway system, and therefore the increase in the demand for tramwayrolling stock as well as the increased share of modern rolling stock on the tracks will require ac-

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tions aimed at the modernization anddevelopment of technical support fa-cilities. The possibility of modernizingthe Tram Maintenance Depot (ZNT) atNo. 2 Młynarska Street, expandingthe Tram Depot (ZT) on Sied-miogrodzka Street, or finding otherlocation will all be investigated.

Increasing the share of modernbusses, particularly those using re-newable and low–emission fuels,may require action aimed at themodernization and development oftechnical support facilities.

Task #8: Rationalization of public transportation routes (routing)

Improvement in public transportation system efficiency in Warsaw must be linked to a ration-alization of the system of tram and bus lines. Changes—more radical than those periodicallymade by the Public Transport Authority of Warsaw (ZTM)—will be necessary. This is primarily dueto a need to strive towards:

Simplification of the current system of tram lines by applying two basic criteria: limiting thenumber of lines and a significant decrease in demand for tram rolling stock (even by morethan a dozen percent),Adjusting the bus line system to take into account the system of rail transportation, bear-ing in mind the basic function of bus transportation in Warsaw—to bring passengers to thetramway, subway, or railroad, andElimination of competition along the same transportation corridors between busses and railtransportation (tramway, subway, and railroad).

Limiting the number of lines and making their routes more legible, while maintaining a high fre-quency of trams, will foster:

Attracting passengers who use public transportation only occasionally or not at all, forwhom using the transportation will become easier,Greater and more comfortable use of the public transportation system by visitors and touristswho are not familiar with the transportation system of Warsaw, andIncreased efficiency (at lower social cost) of public transportation operation.

In the case of tramways, attempts will be made for it to be organized in a manner similar to theorganization pattern used by the subway system. Simplification of the system should be con-ducted so that the basic tramway corridors in east–west (Poniatowskiego Bridge – JerozolimskieAvenue, Śląsko–Dąbrowski Bridge – Solidarności Avenue, and Gdański Bridge – SłomińskiegoStreet) and north–south (Targowa Street – Grochowska Street, Andersa Street – MarszałkowskaStreet – Puławska Street, Jana Pawła II Avenue – Niepodległości Avenue, and Towarowa Street– Okopowa Street) directions are served by one or two tramway lines with a supplemental sys-tem of connective segments (e.g. Stawki, Nowowiejska, Filtrowa streets, etc.).

From the point of view of the passenger, in addition to improved system legibility, the effectsof rationalizing routing will include:

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New tramway rolling stock

The possibility of introducing fixed time periods (clocking) between dispatched trams, andConvenient stops free of the need to walk to trams of different lines.

From the perspective of the city, the effects of routing rationalization will include:Significant savings on rolling stock as a result of shortened lines,Limited rolling stock and infrastructure operational costs,The allocation of specific quantities and types of rolling stock to specific transportation cor-ridors and so implementing uniform service standards, andEased replacement of rolling stock with modern equipment in the case of modernization oftramway routes, thus, achieving greater effects in terms of increasing travel comfort and im-proving the image of the tramways.

In case of bus transportation, in addition to improving the legibility of lines and modifying themso they can better serve the primary rail transportation corridors, attempts will be made to:

Alter the system of transportation lines and stop locations to match changes in the spatial de-velopment of the city and its suburban zone in terms of both type and intensity of function,Shorten travel times when using bus transportation, andIntroduce fixed intervals between bus departures.Limiting the number of tram and bus lines will decrease the availability of direct connec-tions provided by the public transportation system. This will result in increased numbers oftransfers. Annoyance resulting from greater frequency of transfers will find compensationin the significant improvement of the primary transfer hubs of the city (Task #6). Never-theless, studies conducted using the Warsaw traffic model indicate that this increase shouldnot exceed 10% of the total number of transfers. With the increasing use of time–basedtickets (e.g. day and multi–day tickets), there will be no significant impact limiting the at-tractiveness of public transportation. Due to passenger attachment to the routing of pub-lic transportation lines, rationalization of the system will only be introduced afterconducting detailed analyses of consequences and launching a wide–ranging publicitycampaign.

4.2 ROAD TRANSPORTATION

Development of the Warsaw road system will take place so as to foster the satisfying of im-portant resident needs with respect to mobility and the transportation of goods, while si-multaneously limiting negative consequences for the natural environment and livingconditions as a result of automobile traffic. Actions taken will strive to establish a function-ally correct hierarchy of roads within the road system. This task should be understood as in-volving:

Development of a system of higher–grade roads (express roads – S and main high–speedroads – GP) forming bypass systems (e.g. around downtown) with links to the network ofroads that are external in relation to the city to secure efficient operation of the Warsawroad system.Limiting the function of streets and their technical parameters within the central area of thecity so as to prevent excessive growth in traffic and deterioration of the natural environ-ment as well as with the aim of upgrading the quality of the urban space. Construction ofnew roads or the widening of the existing ones will be limited to a minimum, linked exclu-sively with the implementation of municipal plans for revitalization and implementation ofspatial development plans in central areas of the city that are well–served by public masstransit. Advanced traffic management methods improving the efficiency of infrastructure usewill be implemented on broad scale.

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Actions aimed in this direction—both capital investment projects and the application of trafficorganization concepts, including road cross–section parameters, distances between intersec-tions, etc.—will facilitate traffic segregation in terms of character, separating:

Local traffic from long–distance traffic (transit traffic), andPassenger traffic from freight traffic (heavy and delivery vehicles).

This has become even more important as recent years have witnessed a rapid increase in pas-senger traffic into Warsaw. Moreover, the planned development of major national roads in theimmediate vicinity of Warsaw (express roads S7, S8, S17, and most importantly, the plannedconstruction of the A2 highway to the western edge of Warsaw—the Konotopa junction) as wellas the construction of the Południowego Bridge Route, will have a very significant impact on theoperation of the urban transportation system.

In addition to construction of new components of the road and street network in a ring roadpattern and the limiting the function of streets in the downtown zone, the following elementsare considered important:

Filling the gaps in the existing system of roads and/or eliminating bottlenecks in the exist-ing street routes of primary importance, though this will not involve undertakings aimedat increasing the capacity of the road system in directions leading to the strict downtown,andAssuring access to, thus increasing the attractiveness of, areas allocated for development.

Actions by Warsaw’s authorities in the realm of the road system will lead to the elimination ofits weaknesses, assure efficiency of operation, and create city development opportunities. Im-plementation of the following eleven primary road system–related tasks of the strategy isplanned:Task #1 Assuring high technical standards for streets and structures,Task #2 Establishing the complete system of ring routes,Task #3 Increasing the level of hierarchization of the road network,Task #4 Better use of the transportation system by implementing traffic management sys-

tems,Task #5 Facilitating the crossing of the Vistula River: Construction of new bridge routes,Task #6 Improving access to Warsaw through external connections,Task #7 Implementing restrictions on individual traffic in Warsaw’s downtown as well as in

other selected areas of the city,Task #8 Increasing access control to higher–grade streets,Task #9 Applying order to the parking system,Task #10 Implementing systems of fees (introducing fiscal mechanisms) for road infrastruc-

ture use, andTask #11 Taking action to mitigate the consequences of road system operation on the envi-

ronment.

Task #1. Assuring high technical standards for streets and structures

Activities conducted during the recent years in the area of improvements to the technical con-dition of streets and structures have brought positive effects that have been noticed by road sys-tem users and public mass transit passengers. Experience collected, the scale of identifiedmodernization needs, and public support for such activities (in spite of related inconvenienceand annoyance) indicate that continuing improvements to the technical condition of road sur-faces and structures is necessary. This is vital from the both point of view of the system userand from the perspective of Warsaw’s image and prestige.

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Simultaneously, this necessitates:Implementing road infrastructure maintenance management systems, including a system-atically analyzed database on transportation infrastructure technical condition and the pos-sibility of foreseeing, planning, and optimizing the expenditures on infrastructuremaintenance, andDeveloping a multiyear program covering road infrastructure repairs and renovation, inclu-sive of a financing program.

Halting road infrastructure degradation followed by the achievement of high technical stan-dards for streets and structures will be achieved by:

Allocating sufficiently large funds in the city budget for modernizing (reinforcing) road andstructure surfaces e.g. at the expense of outlays on the development of the road system inthe downtown zone (building second lanes for streets in Zone I and Zone II, etc.), andActively attracting non–budgetary funds, e.g. out of European Union funds, environmentalprotection funds, etc.

Task #2. Establishing the complete system of ring routes

The lack of ring connections facilitating the bypassing the downtown zone is one of the weak-nesses of Warsaw’s current road system. It is responsible for a significant proportion of trips in thecity, including transit journeys, which take place using the system of streets in the city center. Formany years successive concepts for transportation system development presented in consecutiveplanning documents, including Warsaw spatial development plans, reserved corridors for theplanned ring roads. However, their actual construction was continually put off, mainly due to of lackof funds and public protests. Ongoing devel-opment of motorization and the growinghardships faced by city residents as a result ofthe poorly structured road system ultimatelyforced intensive efforts at establishing a com-plete system of ring roads, including:

The Śródmiejska Ring Road, consisting ofthe following street segments:

GP–grade streets to the north followingthe course of Słomińskiego – Starzyńs-kiego streets,GP–grade streets along the western bor-der of the city’s downtown zone follow-ing the course of Okopowa – Towarowa– Raszyńska streets,Łazienkowska Route – Stanów Zjedno-czonych Avenue (GP) to the south, andThe existing Stanów Zjednoczonych Av-enue – Wiatraczna Street segment aswell as the planned Nowowiatraczna –Zabraniecka streets with their extensionalong the PKP railroad tracks to ŻabaJunction to the east,

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Renovation work on Ujazdowskie Avenue

The Municipal Ring Road, consisting of the following routes:The GP–grade N–S Route along the segment from the Armii Krajowej Route to MarynarskaJunction on the west side,The GP–grade Marynarska – Rzymowskiego – Witosa streets and the Siekierkowska Routeon the south side,The GP–grade Olszynki Grochowskiej Route on the east side, andThe GP–grade Północnego Bridge Route on the north side.

Task #3. Increasing the level of hierarchization of the road network

In this task, the objective is to create a hierarchic structure encompassing city roads through theconstruction of new and modernization of existing elements of the road system. It is assumedthat the basis of Warsaw’s road system will be:

City Center (Zone I – Downtown): A system of collector and lower grade streets, where thebasic functions of the streets will involve the providing of access and serving internal auto-mobile traffic, serving public mass transit, bicycle traffic, and pedestrian traffic, and wheretechnical parameters (cross–sectional widths, numbers of traffic lanes, etc.) will limit driv-ing speed.Central Area (Zone II – Urban): A system of collector and lower grade streets and, excep-tionally, primary streets, where basic functions shall be similar to those of Zone I—the pro-viding of access for traffic and serving internal traffic.

The high–speed traffic road system (S), which together with the system of GP and G roads,will facilitate efficient distribution of traffic among districts and external traffic. This will re-lieve the system of collector and local streets of excessive automobile traffic, includingfreight traffic, and will make possible the restoring of services for adjacent development bythe system.

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Marsa Street junction: Overpass construction

Task #4. Better use of the transportation system by implementing traffic manage-ment systems

In addition to actions leading to the modernization and development of transportation infra-structure, better and more effective use of the already existing road system will represent an im-portant task. For this purpose an integrated traffic management system will be developed interms of both the area covered and functionality. Ultimately, it is to encompass the entire areaof Warsaw. Because of the strong mutual links between individual city transportation subsys-tems, the system will primarily cover:

Road traffic management, traffic light control, and the monitoring of traffic on major ar-teries, where fast reaction to emergencies (accidents, collisions, and breakdowns) as well asinformation for system users about the current traffic situation in the city will be amongthe most important functions of the system,Public transportation management, including giving priority to surface public transportationvehicles on the streets,Parking management, andFreight transportation management.

Assessment of current traffic conditions and analysis of variants of capital investment programsrelating to transportation infrastructure and traffic management justify continuation of actionsaimed at system implementation and its further development. Such actions will be consistentwith investment trends in economically highly–efficient traffic management systems using state–of–the–art technologies visible around the world. Implementation of an integrated traffic man-agement system will allow:1. Increased efficiency of urban traffic, including in particular: increased traffic comfort and

smoothness (decreased number of stops), shortened travel times (reduction in lost time), in-creased road system capacity, and lowered traffic costs. Implementation of a modern traf-fic light control system at intersections allowing the adapting light signal programs to matchcurrent traffic conditions is of key importance.

2. Application of special traffic control strategies: Detecting transportation system overloadswill become possible, as will appropriate reaction by means of ready special control strate-gies (e.g. limiting inflow of traffic to the city center, limiting traffic on selected routes, andactive and dynamic traffic control in emergency situations).

3. Privileges for public transportation vehicles: Implementation of the system (together withimplementation of tramway and bus traffic management systems) will allow improvementin public transportation operational efficiency, mainly on routes with the worst tram andbus traffic conditions. This will facilitate the maintaining of the role of public transporta-tion in serving passenger transportation, limiting any increase in travel by individual meansof transportation with its related traffic congestion in the streets, limiting increased envi-ronmental pollution, shortening average travel times in the case of both public and indi-vidual transportation, and decreasing expected time loss as compared withintervention–free situations.

4. Complete collection of information regarding traffic, road events (accidents, collisions, emer-gencies, and street system overload), and atmospheric conditions (e.g. glazed frost) as wellas providing information for the drivers and municipal services. The traffic monitoring sys-tem on selected key routes, in tunnels, and at the key points of the city will allow fast de-tection of accidents and other incidents requiring intervention as well as warning andinforming road traffic participants using dynamic message signs (DMS).

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5. Road traffic safety improvement.

6. Improvement in transit traffic and hazardous material shipping efficiency: It will be possibleto control the flow of traffic using the system of dynamic message signs (DMS) and displaysfor transit traffic. As to the transit of hazardous materials, it will be possible to monitor theroute, facilitate passage, and react quickly to any emergencies.

7. Limiting the negative influence on the environment.

Task #5. Facilitating the crossing of the Vistula River: Construction of new bridgeroutes

Limiting the transportation–intensiveness of the road system will require an increased numberof bridges and roads connecting road corridors running along the Vistula River. This will signif-icantly decrease average travel distances and contribute to limiting traffic intensity as well as de-creasing vehicle pollutant emissions and operational costs.

Actions consistent with the “Conditions and Directions for Spatial Development for the CapitalCity of Warsaw” Study are considered priority, where the following corridors have been reservedfor new bridge routes across the Vistula River:

Północnego Bridge Route, of inter–district and inter–regional character,Krasińskiego Bridge Route, of local and inter–district character,Na Zaporze Bridge Route, of local and inter–district character, andPołudniowego Bridge Route, of inter–district and inter–regional character.

The order of building the routes and bridges is dictated by the traffic situation on the exist-ing bridges and the spatial development plans for the city. The traffic load on currently op-erating bridges across the Vistula River (Grota Roweckiego Bridge carries the greatest loads),conditions relating to the development of public mass transit (e.g. attempts at better con-nections between Tarchomin and the citycenter), and the level of advancement ofplanning and design works clearly indicatethat priority be assigned to the building ofthe Północnego Bridge Route.

Bearing in mind the need to facilitate the con-nection between the districts of Targówek andŻoliborz (including convenient of access tosubway Line I – Plac Wilsona Station), con-struction of the Budowlana–KrasińskiegoBridge Route should be treated as an urgenttask.

Improving the integration of the southernparts of the city and facilitating transporta-tion system operation requires constructionof two bridge routes in the south: The Na Za-porze Bridge Route and the Południowa Ex-pressway (including the planned bridgeacross the Vistula River) constructed by theGeneral Directorate of National Roads andMotorways (GDDKiA).

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Construction of the Północny Bridge

Task #6. Improving access to Warsaw through external connections

Projects implemented out of National Road Administration funds—the national express bypassroute and the modernization of routes S7, S8, and S17—will establish the express road back-bone of Warsaw. They will provide a completely new quality in city road system operation andits connections with the external road system. For this reason, the municipal street develop-ment strategy takes into account the need for integration. It also encompasses maximum useof projects implemented out of the central budget, targeting improvements in the functioningof Warsaw in terms of external links. This is why attempts will be undertaken to make sure thatthe planned national express road elements guarantee the best possible connections with theprimary municipal system—existing and planned—which in turn will secure access to sur-rounding development.

Bearing the above in mind, time schedules for the implementation of municipal street projectswill be coordinated with the planned construction of national express routes. It is in this re-spect that the following projects should be listed as being of greatest importance:

Modernization of the segment of Jerozolimskie Avenue between Zesłańców SyberyjskichRoundabout and Łopuszańska Street,Modernization of the Marsa – Żołnierska streets,Completion of construction of the Siekierkowska Route,Construction of Nowolazurowa Street,Construction of access roads to Fryderyk Chopin Airport,Construction of the segment of the N–S Route from the Marynarska Street Junction to ArmiiKrajowej Expressway Junction,Construction of the eastern section of the Śródmiejska Ring Road, from Wiatraczna Round-about to the Żaba Junction,Construction of the Świętokrzyska Route extension from Świętokrzyski Bridge, cuttingthrough the eastern part of the Śródmiejska Ring Road from Wiatraczna Roundabout toŻaba Junction and along the course of existing Ziemowita and Swojska streets, connectingthe Śródmiejska Ring Road with the Olszynki Grochowskiej Route and with the planned newcourse of Voivodeship Route No. 634 in Ząbki, to the junction connecting voivodeship routesNo. 631 and No. 634 with the planned S17 Expressway,Construction of Czerniakowska–bis Street,Reconstruction of Wał Miedzeszyński Route along the segment from the junction with Trakt Lubelski Street to the city limits, andCompleting construction of the Nowozabraniecka – Strażacka – Cyrulików – Okuniewskastreets to the city limits, connecting the Śródmiejska Ring Road (Nowowiatraczna Street), thestaged bypass (Żołnierska Street), and Wchodnia Expressway leading vehicular traffic in ra-dial directions from the Warsaw’s city center eastwards.

Task #7. Implementing restrictions on individual traffic in Warsaw’s downtown aswell as in other selected areas of the city

In the case of Warsaw center (Zone I – Downtown), public transportation will fill the primaryrole in serving the area. This is in line with approved transportation policy. Possibilities of accessby automobiles will be limited, while in justified cases it will also be eliminated in selected areas.Restrictive measures will particularly be applied to transit traffic.

It is assumed that the system of streets within the Śródmiejska Ring Road (excluding theWisłostrada and the Wybrzeże Helskie – Wybrzeże Szczecińskie – Wał Miedzeszyński Route, onthe left and right banks, respectively) will function as collector and local roads with the task of

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providing direct services for the surrounding spatial development. Pedestrian and bicycle traf-fic will be promoted in Zone I and coupled with the introduction of restrictions on motor vehi-cle traffic, particularly heavy trucks (heavy trucks and delivery vans). This will mean excludingselected streets from automobile traffic, organizing surface pedestrian crossings (including atlocations where below–grade passages are currently in operation), and limiting the number ofavailable automobile parking spaces. Organization of the restricted traffic zone will take placewith the help of a wide range of measures reducing traffic speed.

At the same time, efforts will be taken to create convenient, short connections for pedestrians,guaranteeing good access to public transportation stops and stations, and to eliminate thefunctional annoyance related to automobile traffic along routes with intense pedestrian traffic.

In light of the above, the following seven zones, providing diversified treatment for pedestrians,bicycles, public mass transit, and automobile traffic, will be isolated in Zone I:

Zone I–PR allowing only pedestrian and bicycle traffic, where elimination of motor vehi-cles traffic (automobiles and public mass transit vehicles) will be the important element andwhere absolute priority will be given to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, with appropriate adjust-ment of street space to meet the needs of such traffic.

Zone I–OR 20 allowing limited automobile traffic, where the streets will be allocated forjoint use of their cross–section by pedestrians, cyclists, and individual transportation vehicles.This shall apply to the areas where there is a need for implementing Zone I–PR measures, butat the same time total exclusion of general traffic from the area is not feasible. Nevertheless, pri-ority will be assigned to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Zone I–OR 30 allowing limited automobile traffic, within which streets will be allocatedfor common use by pedestrians, cyclists, and individual transportation vehicles. This will applyto areas where one of the goals is to eliminate transit traffic through the area, leaving onlysource–destination traffic. Priority will be given to pedestrian and bicycle traffic in this area,with restrictions on vehicle speed to 30 km/h.

Zone I–PRKZ allowing pedestrian, bicycle, and public mass transit traffic, where streetswill be allocated for common use by pedestrians, cyclists, and public mass transit vehicles. Thisshall apply to streets where the need exists for implementation of Zone I–PR measures, but

where it is also necessary to providepublic mass transit services.

“UTZ” Streets with privilegedpublic mass transit traffic, whichapplies to the remaining streets servedby public mass transit, where it is as-sumed that privileges for tramway andbus transportation will be imple-mented. This signifies the retaining orintroducing of segregation of individ-ual traffic from mass traffic (separatetracks for trams and tramway–buslanes, bus streets, and bus lanes).

Universally accessible “O–59”Streets, which covers streets usedjointly by automobile traffic, publicmass transit, bicycle traffic, and

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Nowy Świat Street

pedestrian traffic. This applies to streets where introducing privileges for public mass transitis not feasible.

“O>50” Streets allowing the speed limits in excess of 50 km/h, which will apply tostreets in Zone I as an exception. Speeds of over 50 km/h will apply, but with appropriate roadparameters and technical solutions guaranteeing absolute segregation of automobiles and pub-lic mass transit traffic from pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Assumed characteristics of the zones, allowed speed limits, and area boundaries are presentedin Table No. 2.

Table No. 2. Zones and Their Basic Characteristics

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Zone Users and priorityuse

Maximum zonespeed limit

Streets / Area

Zone I–PR Pedestrian trafficBicycle traffic

20 km/h - Old and New Towns- Pedestrian–cycling route forming

the extension of Mostowa andBoleść streets to Ratuszowa Street(with a pedestrian–bicycle bridge)

- Chmielna Street- Agrykola Street- Pedestrian–bicycle route connecting

Projektowana 1 and Projektowana2 streets, east of the Palace of Cul-ture and Science Building

Zone I-OR 20 Pedestrian trafficBicycle trafficAutomobile traffic

20 km/h - Mokotowska Street – ZbawicielaSquare – Trzech Krzyży Square

Zone I-OR 30 Pedestrian trafficBicycle trafficAutomobile traffic

30 km/h Other streets in Zone I satisfying I–OR 30 criteria (as in the road traffic safety zone drawing)

Zone I-PRKZ Pedestrian trafficBicycle trafficPublic mass transittraffic

30 km/h - Krakowskie Przedmieście Street- Nowy Świat Street- Marszałkowska (Konstytucji

Square – Unii Lubelskiej Squaresegment)

- Nowowiejska Street (WaryńskiegoStreet – Zbawiciela Square seg-ment)

- Świętokrzyska Street (Marszałkowska Street – NowyŚwiat Street segment)

Zone I-UTZ Pedestrian trafficBicycle trafficPublic mass transittrafficAutomobile traffic

50 km/h Other streets in Zone I satisfying I–UTZ criteria (as in the road trafficsafety zone drawing)

Zones without automobiles or with restrictions on automobile traffic will be established be-yond the downtown zone. This will foster the introducing of pedestrian traffic facilities, a de-crease in demand for automobile travel, and improved public space quality, mainly in the areaswell served by public mass transit (e.g. in areas of transfer hubs). These zones will be correlatedwith “district centers” and “local centers” as specified in the “Conditions and Directions forSpatial Development for the Capital City of Warsaw” Study. The location of these zones and theirspecific solutions will be defined by detailed design work.

Task #8. Increasing access control to higher–grade streets

Planned restrictions on automobile traffic in access to the strict city center of Warsaw must si-multaneously signify the establishing of facilities for moving outside that area—particularlyusing higher grade streets (G and GP). One of the methods for improving road traffic efficiencywill involve the introduction of restrictive access control, including:

On the number of intersections with lower grade roads,On the number of public and individual exits, andOn possibilities for stopping and parking vehicles.

Thus, streamlining traffic and limiting possibilities for the occurrence of traffic hindrances.

An example here could be the “red routes” implemented in London. They have restrictions onstopping and parking, and thus provide opportunities for a significant increase in traffic effi-ciency, shortening travel times, improved reliability, and elimination of delays.

Activities in this area will require consistent and active enforcement of the introduced restrictions.

Task #9. Applying order to the parking system

Applying order to the parking system will represent an important measure for transportation pol-icy implementation, mainly in strongly urbanized areas (Zone I and Zone II). Giving up attemptsat adjusting the supply of parking spaces to meet the demand will be the basis for such actions.This represents a change from the current approach of the city authorities. Limiting the numberof parking spaces (including on private lots) will depend on the character of specific areas, the ef-ficiency of public transportation, and the character and intensity of building development.

Actions aimed at applying order to parking will allow balance between access, road systemthroughput, and parking capacity. They will also contribute to space savings in streets, including

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Zone Users and priorityuse

Maximum zonespeed limit

Streets / Area

Zone I- O 50 Pedestrian trafficBicycle trafficPublic mass transittrafficAutomobile traffic

50 km/h Other streets in Zone I satisfying I–UTZ criteria (as in the road trafficsafety zone drawing)

Zone I- O>50 Pedestrian trafficBicycle trafficPublic mass transittrafficAutomobile traffic

>50 km/h - Śródmiejska Ring Road,- Wisłostrada Route (limited from

the north and the south by theŚródmiejska Ring Road)

the possibility of using such space to meet the needs of public and bicycle traffic, maintaining theconcentration of transportation by public transportation (increasing the efficiency of its opera-tion), and preventing spatial degradation. Primary actions intended to give order the parking sys-tem will involve:

1. Expanding the paid parking zone to encompass the entire area of Zone I (downtown) andselected areas of Zone II (Urban) as well as the introduction of diversified rates in these zones,

2. Construction of a system of Park & Ride parking facilities, initially in the area of peripheralstops serving rail transportation lines (subway, railroad, tramway),

3. Application of restrictions on the construction of new parking spaces, depending on city zone,4. Application of order to parking within street rights–of–way, especially restrictions on the

possibilities of parking along the curbs on CP and G grade streets as well as making park-ing physically impossible on sidewalks and lawns not intended for such use in Zone I and inareas where such problems are prevalent in Zone II and Zone III,

5. Construction of municipal multilevel parking facilities coupled with restrictions on the num-ber of parking spaces at ground level,

6. Introduction of parking lanes for automobiles on Z and L grade streets,7. Organization of parking in residential zones, in particular in areas of high–rise buildings, and8. Determined and consistent strengthening of parking ban enforcement.

As to restrictions on construction of new parking spaces, detailed parking standards will be de-veloped that shall be effective for individual zones of the city. Indicators specified in Table No. 3shall form the basis for determining parking standards.

Table No. 3. Parking Indicators

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Parking Indicators

Offices Retail trade and services Residents

Zone I

sub-zoneIa

Not more than 5 spaces/ 1000 m2 of usable office space area

Not more than 10spaces / 1000 m2 of usable retail trade andservices space area

1 space / 1 dwelling or lessl

sub-zoneIb

Not more than 10spaces / 1000 m2 of usable office space area

Not more than 15spaces / 1000 m2 of usable retail trade andservices space area

1 space / 1 dwelling or less

sub-zoneIc

10–18 spaces / 1000 m2

of usable office spacearea

15–25 spaces / 1000 m2

of usable retail tradeand services space area

1 space / 1 dwelling

Zone II 18–30 spaces / 1000 m2


25–38 spaces / 1000 m2


1 space / 1 dwelling, but notless than 1 space / 60 m2

of usable dwelling area

Zone III 25–30 spaces / 1000 m2


30–60 spaces / 1000 m2


A minimum of 1 space / 1 dwelling, but not lessthan 1 space / 60 m2 of us-able dwelling area

Task #10. Implementing systems of fees (introducing fiscal mechanisms) for road in-frastructure use

Apart from parking fees, the introduction of the following may be considered in Warsaw in themore distant future so as to limit automobiles use as well as to link road infrastructure use withthe costs of its construction and operation:

Fees for use of selected elements of the road system (e.g. bridges and tunnels), andFees for entering the central area.

Upon registration, the disabled, vehicles using alternative sources of energy, vehicles seating atleast nine, and municipal service and road assistance vehicles would be exempt from the fees.Residents of the area covered by the fees would benefit from reductions (e.g. 90%).

Such solutions are currently applied in various cities throughout the world, e.g. Singapore, Oslo,and London. Recently, fees for driving into the city center have also been introduced in Stock-holm. The experience of London demonstrates that the introduction of fees for driving into thecity center results in a decrease in the number of vehicles entering that area by 18%. This re-sults in a decrease in congestion–related lost time by approximately 30%. Fiscal solutions willbe used only if a further deterioration of traffic conditions in the center of Warsaw and/or de-terioration of the state of the natural environment and public health conditions are observedas well as after exhausting other possible corrective measures. Such actions shall be precededby detailed analyses of social costs and benefits as well as an information campaign conductedto achieve the highest possible public approval.

Implementation of such fees would be dependent on amendments to the Act on Public Roads.If passed, city authorities would present relevant legislative initiatives, including the eliminationof limits on fee rates, including parking fees. Such rates would take into account the price sen-sitivity of demand.

Task #11. Taking action to mitigate the consequences of road system operation onthe environment

Actions will be taken to decrease emissions of pollutants and noise by automobile traffic. Thiswill be accomplished by means of:

Coordination of road system development and spatial management (e.g. during draftingand updating of local spatial development plans),Application of technical and traffic engineering measures limiting emission of noise andpollutants (e.g. in the form of guidelines for designing grade lines, application of appropri-ate—quiet—surfaces, application of screens, application of control strategies limiting accessand increasing traffic smoothness, etc.),Consideration for the possibility of planting trees—e.g. in the form of lanes of trees—in designsfor the construction and modernization of roads, which would apply to all grades of roads,Verification of the area occupied by parked vehicles in Zone I from the perspective of pos-sibilities for increasing the surface area of vegetation, andIntroduction of “relaxed” traffic zones (v < 30 km/h) and traffic calming measures.

4.3 ROAD TRAFFIC SAFETY

Strategy implementation in terms of issues involving improvements to road safety will necessi-tate the following:

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Development of structures capable of managing actions aimed at supporting reducing haz-ards in the city, where such structures must be equipped in the relevant tools,Implementation of preventive measures to ensuring a fast as well as significant decrease inthe number of fatalities in the city, andAttracting the support of Warsaw’s inhabitants for the implemented projects.

Implementation of this city road safety program will necessitate the active adoption of all effec-tive, efficient, feasible, and socially acceptable actions. If all successive solutions meet the abovecriteria, then outlays in financing implementation of these measures will give a return very quickly.

The following seven projects embedded in the Strategy are of basic importance for the im-provement of road traffic safety improvement.Project No. 1 Establishment of a unit responsible for the road traffic safety,Project No. 2 Development of a Warsaw Road Traffic Safety Database, inclusive of a system for

project implementation monitoring and assessment,Project No. 3 Establishment of a fund for the financing of projects aimed at reducing hazards

involving road traffic,Project No. 4 Development and implementation of a speed management system within the city,Project No. 5 Actions supporting the use of safety equipment in automobiles (e.g. seatbelts

and child safety seats),Project No. 6 Introduction of road safety audits as well as transportation audits looking at so-

lutions aimed at people with disabilities when evaluating modernized and newstreet building designs, and

Project No. 7 Establishment of an assistance center for accident victims and their families.

Project No. 1: Establishment of a unit responsible for the road traffic safety

The responsibilities of such a unit shall include the development of a municipal road trafficsafety improvement plan and its subsequent implementation, initiation and supervision overcooperation among government administration, local–government administration, and non-governmental organizations, staff training, preventive measure budget management, and pro-viding public information on the road traffic safety condition in the capital, actions taken andtheir effects, and the launching and conducting of educational campaigns.

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The ”Safety ABCs” campaign

Tasks to be performed by this unit will include ensuring that road traffic safety issues find their re-flection in other municipal programs. Policies shaping a safer traffic environment entail the grad-ual integration of activities that support reductions in traffic hazards with other projects such as theimprovement of national and local legislation, zoning (including supervision over land develop-ment that potentially impedes road and pedestrian traffic), transportation system planning, roadinfrastructure development, municipal police activities, and health care and educational programs.

This unit will also be responsible for implementing other strategic tasks involving road trafficsafety.

Project No. 2: Development of a Warsaw Road Traffic Safety Database, inclusive of asystem for project implementation monitoring and assessment

Prerequisite to effective operations in any area is access to reliable and trustworthy informa-tion. In the realm of road traffic safety this involves data on the scale of hazards found in thecity (accidents, victims, collisions, offences, etc.), the causes and circumstances of these hazards,and the effects of actions taken to date. The current accident data gathering and processing sys-tem meets the requirements of such a system only in part.

The development of a common, integrated road traffic safety database will facilitate the com-bining of data gathered by the police and other municipal services with information availablefrom insurers and medical services, will streamline issues of database modification and develop-ment, and will make possible participation of the city in any the national or European Union datagathering system at some point in the future. The existence of a single database will resolve theproblem of periodic publication of data and reviews of traffic safety condition in Warsaw. Such adatabase should provide online connectability with the police, health services, and insurance com-panies and should provide access, at least in part, for the inhabitants of Warsaw via the Internet.

Project No. 3: Establishment of a fund for the financing of projects aimed at reduc-ing hazards involving road traffic

Prevention requires proper financing. Well–prepared solutions reducing hazards to road safetyare usually more effective and less expensive than removing the consequences of traffic accidents.The initial period should see funds allocated for the development of a road traffic safety im-provement program, feasibility studies focusing on the proposed solutions, and, subsequently,the drafting of applications for project financing—e.g. from relevant European Union programs.Moreover, actions shall be undertaken to channel a portion of the revenue generated by traffic tick-ets to finance prevention and to attract support from insurance companies and other sponsors.

Project No. 4: Development and implementation of a speed management systemwithin the city

The results of analyses carried out throughout Europe confirm that the greatest potential forroad traffic safety improvement is still found in transparent speed management systems. Au-tomatic speed supervision continues to hold a special position among known systems. This willrequire the development and implementation (subject to public acceptance) of a program dif-ferentiating allowable speeds by road category (S, GP, and G outside of built–up areas) as wellas road technical parameters, including the imposition of 50 km/h (40 km/h in Zone I) speed lim-its on main, collector, and local roads.

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Zone I actions will be focused on limiting the width of pavement cross–sections and the as-signing of recovered space to pedestrians, cyclists, food vendors, landscaping, and parking areasand will involve other engineering solutions forcing drivers to slow down. Furthermore, the na-tional and municipal police will improve enforcement.

Implementation of a speed management system in the city assumes an increase in the numberof drivers complying with effective speed limits.

Project No. 5: Actions supporting the use of safety equipment in automobiles (e.g.seatbelts and child safety seats)

Use of seatbelts and child safety seats in automobiles is one of the least expensive and most ef-fective measures protecting automobile users. Properly used safety equipment reduces the riskof accidents resulting in fatalities or serious injuries by 40–65%. Test results carried out by theNational Road Safety Council of Warsaw indicate that the percentage of automobile users usingseat belts in the city is not high (approximately 70% on the front and 50% on the rear seats).

This will necessitate improved enforcement on the part of the police as well as an educationalcampaign. In this case there is an opportunity to coordinate municipal efforts with those of thecentral government.

The Strategy assumes that seat belt use in the front seats of the automobiles in Warsaw shouldreach 90% in the year 2010, while the figure for rear seats will be 80%. Determining performanceindicators for the use of safety equipment for children in automobiles will require the conductingof research.

Project No. 6: Introduction of road safety auditsas well as transportation audits looking at solu-tions aimed at people with disabilities whenevaluating modernized and new street buildingdesigns

The Strategy assumes a need to introduce a formalprocedure for the assessment of new road solutions aswell as modernization and traffic organization designsfor compliance with road safety requirements in War-saw—i.e. road safety audit and review of accessibilityfor persons with disabilities (the accessibility audit).

Safety and accessibility audits should be conducted atvarious stages of project development—i.e. concept pro-grams, detailed designs, and supervision over construc-tion and modernization work. The introduction ofadjustments or new proposals in the design phase is as-sumed to be less expensive than correcting already ex-isting road structures. Audits should focus on the effectsof completed projects, the impact of road structure andtraffic management on traffic safety, observation of roaduser behavior, and factors inviting accidents or imped-ing the movement of people with disabilities.

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Modernization of the pedestrian bridge overNiepodległości Avenue

Such audits should also result in the defining of all potential hazards as well as proposals forremedial actions. When assessing projects, the audits should primarily focus on the need toapply solutions that reduce user error (e.g. self–evident roads), road infrastructure minimizingserious accidents (known as a “forgiving” environment), and solutions facilitating the move-ment of people with disabilities in an optimum manner, both for users with disabilities (possi-bilities of travel) and managers (operations and maintenance).

Audits of transportation solutions in terms of the needs of the disabled shall concen-trate on the safety of people with disabilities with respect to pavement use, with special stresson the movement of people with impeded eyesight.

Project No. 7: Establishment of an assistance center for accident victims and theirfamilies

The Strategy assumes the establishment of an assistance center in Warsaw for road accident vic-tims and their families with the job of coordinating services charged with providing legal, psy-chological, and medical assistance. Such a solution will facilitate significant reductions in theeffects of accidents as well as reduced suffering. This project is an example of a new philoso-phy for the municipal authorities: Since the municipal authorities failed to prevent a traffic ac-cident from happening, at least they will help the victims and/or their families. This policy is inline with European Union recommendations as found in the Third European Union Road SafetyProgram as well as with the recommendations of the World Health Organization.

Implementation of many of the proposed actions aimed at road safety will require the supportof Warsaw’s inhabitants. In practice, it will necessitate the development of a series of educa-tional and promotional programs disseminated using existing structures for communicationwith the public. Public acceptance will certainly help to implement planned solutions faster,without conflicts, and increase their effectiveness. People who understanding the reasons be-hind a proposed solution and who are convinced as to use will easily modify their behavior inthe desirable direction.

The Strategy assumes that results of opinion polls on municipal authority actions in the road traf-fic safety will constitute the measure of project effectiveness. The opinion polls will be con-ducted systematically—e.g. every two months.

4.4 CYCLING

INTRODUCTION

The bicycle traffic system of Warsaw should create opportunities for efficient and safe cyclingbetween trip start and end points throughout the entire city. The system should serve trans-portation as well as recreational and sports functions. Since destinations in the city’s centraldistricts are common for motorists and cyclists, both networks—streets and bicycle paths—arelargely overlaid. This creates many points of collision between bicycle and motor traffic. Thus,the authorities will strive to take account of the needs bicycle traffic, especially with respect topriority (at selected points) and “bicycle–friendly” traffic lights in the downtown area. At thesame time, the municipal authorities will keep pedestrian safety requirements in mind. Bicycletransportation using private bicycles may be supplemented by a system of public bicycles (War-saw Municipal Bicycle). Such bicycles will be rented out through automated self–service park-ing facilities with the use of a Warsaw Municipal Card.

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PRINCIPLES OF SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT

The Warsaw network of bicycle paths should be built in line with hierarchical principles. It shouldbe broken down into main, local, and recreational routes and take the following criteria into ac-count:

Coherence – The bicycle system shall form a coherent entity linking all travel starting andend points as well as connecting municipal bicycle routes with routes going out into the re-gion;Directness – The bicycle system shall offer its users direct connections providing easy andrelatively fast movement around the city, competitive with respect to automobile traffic;Convenience – The bicycle system shall be made meeting high design and constructionstandards (geometry of solutions, including minimizing grades and differences in levels,pavement structures, etc.);Safety – The bicycle system shall be designed so as to minimize the number of points of col-lision with the motor traffic and to be independent of pedestrian traffic routes to as greatan extent as possible, where hazards to pedestrian safety will be simultaneously minimized;Attractiveness – The bicycle system will be legible, well–linked with the municipal func-tions, and responsive to the user needs.

Development of bicycle routes will be accompanied by the following:Widespread application of bicycle parking equipment, including at selected public masstransit stops,Installation at selected points in Warsaw, especially in the downtown area, of elements ofthe public bicycle system—self–service parking facilities and customer service points, e.g.integrated with Public Transport Authority of Warsaw (ZTM) points, andProviding the ability for bicycle transportation by public mass transit.

Strategy tasks relating to bicycle transportation are the result of agreements reached at theWarsaw Transportation Round Table discussions. The Strategy provides for implementation ofthe following four tasks:Task #1 Institutional reinforcement of bicycle system development,Task #2 Development of bicycle system infrastructure, including the public bicycle system,Task #3 Integration of the bicycle system, including the Warsaw Municipal Bicycle, with other

city transportation subsystems, andTask #4 Ensuring safe use of bicycles.

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Warsaw’s “Critical Mass”

Task #1: Institutional reinforcement of bicycle system development

Development of Warsaw’s bicycle system coupled with a significant increase of the number ofjourneys by bicycle will constitute a priority task for the transportation system. This means aneed to strengthen the role of Capital City of Warsaw Road and Transportation Bureau (BDiK),including support for staff, in order to facilitate coordination of actions fostering the develop-ment of bicycle transportation in the city as well as soliciting the opinion of the cyclist com-munity at various stages of road construction projects.

Actions will involve all stages of capital investment projects, including development of spatialdevelopment plans, issuing decisions on building and land development conditions [planningpermission], developing preliminary concepts and drafting designs, developing detailed con-struction designs, and acceptance of completed projects.

It will also be necessary to:Coordinate city spatial policy with transportation policy with respect to bicycle traffic,Initiate changes in technical requirements that would facilitate the design of solutions forbicycle traffic while ensuring compliance with traffic safety requirements,Develop local technical requirements regarding bicycle infrastructure followed by their adop-tion as local law,Prepare and support activities promoting the use of bicycles for journeys, including prepar-ing and implementing transportation education focusing on school children, and initiatingactivities aimed at setting good examples by encouraging municipal office staff and cus-tomers to ride bicycles, etc.,Promote the Warsaw Municipal Bicycle as an individual means of public transportation, es-pecially in the strict center of the city, for both inhabitants and tourists, andEliminate barriers to bicycle traffic development.

This will require the establishing of a separate fund for financing the promotion of bicycle use.

Task #2: Development of bicycle system infrastructure, including the public bicyclesystem

In order to significantly increase the number of bicycle journeys, the current system of bicyclepaths shall ultimately be supplemented by approximately 900 km of bicycle paths. Thus, it willachieve a network density indicator of 0.65km/1000 inhabitants. The system of bicycle paths willbe expanded by:

Setting up bicycle paths within traffic lanes, separated from automobile traffic and de-signed to limit to a minimum the hazard of collision between cyclists, between cyclists and mo-torists, and between cyclists and pedestrians,

Adapting streets for joint use by pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, wherethrough various technical means and traffic management (including speed limits for motor ve-hicles down to 30–40 km/h), bicycle lanes or lanes adjusted to accommodate joint bicycle andautomobile traffic (known as invisible bicycle infrastructure) will be introduced,

Construction of bicycle paths separate from the road system, and

Creation of peaceful traffic zones with speed limits of 30 km/h and appropriate traffic calm-ing measures in all areas where vehicle traffic must be present, particularly including residen-tial areas, areas with single family housing, and heritage sites.

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In implementing this strategy, efforts will be made to ensure broader use of traffic organi-zation measures fostering bicycle traffic development. The joint use of pavement cross–sec-tion by both motor vehicle and bicycle traffic will become a primary element of theimplementation of the city’s strategy. Thus, automobile traffic in downtown Warsaw will berestricted, including by the functional downgrading of streets and the lowering of their tech-nical parameters. Furthermore, bicycle traffic will be allowed on streets closed to automo-bile traffic. Expanding bicycle traffic by introducing a public bicycle system (e.g. connectionslinking universities, student dormitories, transfer hubs) will constitute an additional way totone down traffic.

Task #3: Integration of the bicycle system, including the Warsaw Municipal Bicycle,with other city transportation subsystems

Efficient use of the bicycle path system, including access paths to public transportation stationsand stops, will be strongly linked with the availability of ways to transport bicycles and providesecure bicycle parking. For this purpose, besides providing greater capacity for bicycle trans-portation by mass public transit, authorities will strive to provide secure parking at hubs wherecyclists will be able to transfer from bicycles to other sub–systems (city transportation) as wellas at bicycle trip destinations, particularly in the vicinity of:

Subway stations and railroad stops located within Warsaw’s borders,Warsaw City Hall facilities,Warsaw’s colleges, andOther important buildings and facilities such as museums, parks, etc.

Meeting the needs of the cyclists must includethe initiation by the Warsaw authorities of col-laboration among local government authoritiesmanaging Warsaw’s suburban gminas [bor-oughs] as well as railroad operators as to bicy-cle transportation terms and the establishingof bicycle parking facilities near railroad sta-tions and stops located outside Warsaw, butalong its commuter lines. An example of bicy-cle transportation integration involves the cre-ation of a bicycle lane along Emilii Plater Streetconnecting the facilities of the Warsaw Univer-sity of Technology with the city center and rail-road stations in the Jerozolimskie Avenue area.

Installation of Warsaw Municipal Bicycle systemparking facilities in the immediate vicinity ofcity transportation hubs as well as subway andcommuter train stations will form an additionalcomponent of the bicycle traffic integrationwith mass transit.

Task #4: Ensuring safe use of bicycles

Apart from the availability of infrastructure, thecreation of conditions ensuring intensive use ofbicycles will also require:

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Bicycle path on the Swiętokrzyski Bridge

Monitoring the technical condition of the bicycle path network,Maintaining the throughput and technical parameters of bicycle paths,Monitoring bicycle paths in terms of the personal safety of users,Monitoring bicycle parking facilities to ensure safe parking,Stringent supervision over bicycle traffic to ensure pedestrian safety, especially on sidewalksand crossings, andIncreasing the number of national and municipal police patrols on bicycles.

Table No. 4. Tasks Defined in the Strategy for Specific Transportation Subsystems

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SUBSYSTEM TASK

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Actions aimed at establishing an institution responsible for the man-agement and coordination of public transportation in the Warsaw ag-glomeration area

Modernization and development of the tramway system

The ongoing development of the subway system

Improving railroad transportation efficiency

Transportation system integration

Improvement in the efficiency of urban and suburban but transporta-tion

Rolling stock replacement

Line routing rationalization

ROAD TRANSPORTATION Guaranteeing the high technical standards of streets and facilities

Creating a complete system of ring roads

Increasing the level of hierarchization of the road network

Improving transportation system use by implementing traffic manage-ment systems

Facilitating the crossing of the Vistula River—construction of newbridge routes

Improving the accessibility of Warsaw through external links

Introducing restrictions on individual traffic in Warsaw’s downtownzone as well as other selected areas of the city

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SUBSYSTEM TASK

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Creating a complete system of ring roads

Increasing the level of hierarchization of the road network

Improving transportation system use by implementing traffic manage-ment systems

Facilitating the crossing of the Vistula River—construction of newbridge routes

ROAD TRANSPORTATION Improving the accessibility of Warsaw through external links

Introducing restrictions on individual traffic in Warsaw’s downtownzone as well as other selected areas of the city

Improving control of access to higher–grade street routes

Applying order to the parking system

Implementing a system of fees (introducing fiscal mechanisms) for theuse of road infrastructure

Undertaking actions mitigating the impact of the operating of theroad system on surroundings

TRAFFIC SAFETY Establishing an entity responsible for traffic safety on roads

Creation of a Warsaw Road Traffic Safety Database as well as a systemfor monitoring and assessing the effects of implemented projects

Isolating funds for actions aimed at limiting traffic hazards

Developing and implementing a speed management system in thecity

Actions aimed at use of automobile safety equipment (seatbelts andchild safety seats)

Introducing road traffic safety audits as well as audits of transporta-tion solutions with respect to the needs of the disabled when assess-ing modernization and new street designs

Establishing an assistance center for accident victims and their fami-lies

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SUBSYSTEM TASK

BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION Institutional reinforcement of the development of the bicycle system

Development of the bicycle system, including the public bicycle sys-tem

Integration of the bicycle system, including the Warsaw Municipal Bi-cycle, with other city transportation subsystems

Guaranteeing safe use of the bicycle

4.5 PRIORITIES

Implementation of the development strategy for the Warsaw transportation system will re-quire significantly greater funding than what was made available over past years. In order toimplement tasks specified in the Strategy it will be necessary to take advantage of project fi-

nancing through European Union funding andtake advantage of the potential found inmechanisms such as Public–Private Partner-ships (PPP). Revenue generated by collectingtolls paid by drivers entering the city centermay most certainly constitute a source offunding for investment projects as well as op-erating and maintenance costs, provided thatthe revenue will be used exclusively to supporttransportation.

The results and effects of actions taken, par-ticularly those involving major infrastructuralprojects, will not be achieved until after manyyears of operation. Thus, in addition to ac-tions with long term effects (construction ofthe ring–road system, construction of thesubway system, railroad system moderniza-tion), it will be necessary to utilize any avail-able means to ensure the generation ofshorter term benefits to slow the process ofdeterioration of public and individual trans-portation travel conditions.

It is for this reason that priorities have been di-vided into two categories:

Organization and modernization actions,andCapital investment actions.

Krakowskie Przedmieście Street

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Organization and Modernization Actions

Among priority actions in this group, primarily thefollowing should be considered:

Implementation of an integrated traffic manage-ment system, taking into account the priority oftrams and busses as well as restrictions on auto-mobile traffic in selected areas,Improvement in the quality of public transporta-tion services (rationalization of the tramway andbus line systems, modernization of tram routes,revitalization of the railroad system and the re-placement of its rolling stock),Elimination of the backlog of street and facilityrepair and modernization projects,Improvement of the parking system (expansionof paid parking system – SPPN, and expansion ofPark & Ride system), Actions aimed at improving road safety, andDevelopment of bicycle traffic, particularly inDowntown Warsaw and on routes to publicmass transit hubs.

Capital Investment Actions

Priorities in this group should include:Completion of construction of the No. I subway line and commencement of constructionof the central section of the No. II subway line,Construction of new tram routes, expanding the rail transportation service to encompassnewly developed areas of the city (routes with the best economic indicators),Construction of new bridge routes and bridges across the Vistula River, andConstruction of a street system providing ring road connections around the central areaand connected to the planned expressway bypass system as implemented by national levelroad administration.

4.6 SOCIAL COSTS AND BENEFITS

Implementation of the transportation system development strategy based upon the principle ofsustainable development will generate costs and benefits for the society. These will be directly de-rived from the adopted transportation policy as well as contradictions in certain objectives oftransportation system development. On the one hand, Warsaw will seek to improve its trans-portation system and, thereby, create conditions supporting economic development and entre-preneurship associated with easy access to the city transportation system. On the other hand, itwill be necessary to focus on protection of selected areas of the city against excess vehicular traf-fic and develop a friendly city attitude towards its inhabitants as well as protection of air purity.

Major social costs of strategy implementation will be related to the need to impose certain lim-itations. Strategy implementation will be conditional upon achieving a compromise betweentransportation, business, economic, and environmental objectives as well as the ability to makethe appropriate choices.

Bicycle parking

The primary social costs of strategy implementation will be linked with the following two aspects:The need for inhabitants to finance the development and operations of expanded publictransportation system, andRestrictions relative to unhindered use of automobiles in central areas of the city (Zone Iand Zone II).

The main transportation–related benefits for the society will include:Ensuring comfortable travel with convenient external and internal connections, includingby means of public mass transit,Improving the reliability of transportation system performance,Improving travel conditions and comfort (shortening journey time, improving traffic flows,introduction of modern rolling stock, improvement in waiting conditions at stops, and im-plementation of information systems),Improving the conducting of transit traffic in the Warsaw area;Improving traffic safety and protecting passenger lives and health,Mitigating differences in transportation services in various areas of the city,Facilitating non–motor traffic, including bicycles and pedestrians,Ensuring easy access to transportation systems for people with disabilities, andEnsuring easy access for rescue services in emergencies.

Primary non–transportation benefits for the society will include:Ensuring rational spending of public funds within the transportation system for capital in-vestment and operational projects,Stimulating the spatial development of the city, spatial order, and prevention of city sprawl—better use of urban land,Increasing the level of integration throughout the whole of the agglomeration and relativeto more distant areas,Creating opportunities for the increasing activeness of city inhabitants,Creating conditions to foster development of the economy and tourism,Reducing the negative impact of transportation on the natural environment, human health,and cultural and historical values,Strengthening the capital city nature of Warsaw and its prestige—nationally and interna-tionally, andIncreasing social participation in developing transportation policy and transportation systemdevelopment.

4.7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Primary environmental hazards resulting from the operation of the transportation system arelinked to noise, vibration, and air pollution emissions. The assumed transportation policy andits implementation strategy will foster a reduction in the most significant transportation haz-ards by:

Favoring energy–saving means of transportation for both passengers and freight that are lessharmful to environment, defined as:- Development and promotion of mass public transit use, especially rail transportation, to

ensure its high share in total travel, and- Restrictions on automobile traffic in selected areas of the city (the historical center and

recreational areas) and the transfer of this traffic from areas concentrating residential

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and work use to ring roads, which are isolated from the built–up zones and ensure con-tinuous traffic flow,

Improving the efficiency of use of transportation modes, including better traffic manage-ment and improvements to traffic flow,Bringing about a decrease in traffic, especially automobile trips, Creating conditions fostering the development of bicycle traffic and facilitating pedestriantraffic, including the establishing of pedestrian zones,Restricting to a minimum new route encroachment into the valuable substance of the city,andFostering and supporting the application and enforcement of exhaust and noise emissionstandards for vehicles as well as proposing low–emission renewable fuels.

The attached graphic portrayals from the “Conditions and Directions for Spatial Developmentfor the Capital City of Warsaw” Study, adopted on October 10, 2006 by way of Resolution No.LXXXII/2746/2006 of the Warsaw City Council, provide illustrations to the above priority strate-gic actions targeting the transportation system. They present the directions of transportation sys-tem development:

Road and Street System: Classification – Development DirectionsPublic Mass Transit – Development DirectionsZones of Differentiated Transportation Service and Parking Conditions – Development Di-rectionsSubdivision into zones of defined traffic solution principles taking into account road trafficsafety criteria

Panoramic view of Warsaw

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Road and Street System: Classification (Source: “Spatial Development Conditions and Directions for the Capital Cityof Warsaw” Study)

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Public Mass Transit (Source: “Spatial Development Conditions and Directions for theCapital City of Warsaw” Study)

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Zones of Differentiated Transportation Service and Parking Conditions (Source: “Spatial Development Conditions and Directions forthe Capital City of Warsaw” Study)

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The level of the motorization coefficient is not reliable due to difficulties connected with defining the actual number of automobiles registered andused on Warsaw’s roads. The inaccuracy of the official registers suggests that this coefficient of motorisation is, in fact, not reliable.

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SOURCES:

The Spatial Development Conditions and Directions Study, Mayor of the Capital City of Warsaw, Resolution No. LXXXII/2746/2006 passed by the City Council of the Capital City of Warsaw on October10, 2006.

The Warsaw Transportation System Sustainable Development Strategy up to 2015 and Sub-sequent Years, including the Warsaw Public Transportation Sustainable Development Plan,City Hall of the Capital City of Warsaw, April 2009.

Report on Road Safety in the Capital City of Warsaw in 2008, Municipal Road Authority(ZDM), Warsaw, March 2009.

Report on Road Safety in the Capital City of Warsaw in 2009, Municipal Road Authority(ZDM), Warsaw, April 2010.

Internal (unpublished) materials of the Road Engineering and Traffic Office, Warsaw, 2010.

Central Statistical Office – Website available at www.gus.gov.pl, 2010.

Municipal Road Authority (ZDM) of Warsaw – Website available at www.zdm.waw.pl, 2010.

Minister of Regional Development, Guidelines on Expense Eligibility under the Infrastruc-ture and Environment Operational Program, Warsaw, 2009.

Identifying and Selecting Possible Development Variants of an Integrated Traffic Manage-ment System in the Capital City of Warsaw, Based on Analyses of Previous Studies, to Be Im-plemented in the European Union 2007–2013 programming period, Transplan Consulting,Warsaw, 2009.

Capital City of Warsaw Parking Policy until 2035 Implementation Guidelines. WYG Interna-tional, Warsaw, October 2009.

The Warsaw Report on Cycling 2010, Road Engineering and Traffic Office of the Capital Cityof Warsaw, 2010.

the transportation system of warsaw: sustainable

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