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Thursday, September 1, 2011

Traffic at Central Station

There is a circle of sorts for traffic in the area near Central Station/Zlote Tarasy in Warsaw. This place is truly a nightmare. At one intersection, cars approach from four directions as well as trams approaching from four directions and they all have to move through this one area. There is literally no time of day or night that there isn't some sort of congestion. Add in the taxis, and it is a horn-blowing catastrophe. No one stays in their lane and everyone is out to find the quickest and shortest way through this intersection with absolutely no regard for rules and regulations. I have been stuck in this one intersection for literally 25 minutes!

As far as traffic goes in Warsaw, it is horrible. What amazes me more is that no one seems to put up a real fuss. Everyone just seems to accept that this is the way it has to be. Isn't there an engineer somewhere in warsaw who can design a program to coordinate traffic lights that there might be some relief? Or is it just hopeless unless money is found to completely overhaul many intersections here (because I am sure there are many more intersections as hazardous as the one I have spoken about).

What is the solution? America has traffic problems as well. Ask anyone on the NE corridor between DC and NYC. Chicago can be scary. And there are no words to explain LA or Houston.

Maybe the world just has too many cars. Maybe the answer is to decrease the number of people driving. At the rate we are going, I cannot imagine what will take place. Can you imagine Warsaw during the 2012 Games?! Like many I know, I think it will be time for a long vacation ...

2 comments:

  1. Designing cities for cars leads to big suburbs and empty city centres. I prefer old style european city plan, with narrow streets designed for people, not cars.

    There is not enough place in any city to allow everybody to drive by car, and if we add more lanes and parkings, people will live further away from the centre, and congestion will be worse.

    The solution is: cheap and effective public transport, good bicycle infrastructure, expansive parking places in the centre, cheap parking places near the border of the city (and good public transport from there to the centre).

    That way city can be pleasant to live.

    I don't want Polish cities to become deserts of concrete and asphalt.

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  2. Most fans coming to the cities won't drive in the city, but they will drive TO the city. Watch out on the outskirts!

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