The communication revolution has reached Ulica Dietla. Now, as part of the Shield for Mobility, the rules of traffic organization are changing. Drivers will have fewer lanes, but there will be new parking spaces. Pedestrians can count on more space on the sidewalks. There are also roads for cyclists.
City Hall’s stand
“The renovation of Krakowska Street is coming to an end, along with the reconstruction of the intersection with Dietla Street. Taking advantage of the opportunity of reduced traffic in the area covered by the works, the Road Administration of the City of Krakow renovated Dietla Street. Completion of the above works is a good opportunity to comprehensively systematize the organization of traffic on this street” – explains Sebastian Kowal from the Krakow City Hall.
Introduced on ul. Dietl, new traffic organization solutions include freeing sidewalks from parked vehicles. “This will enable the comfort of walking and ensure social distance, which is so important in the current epidemiological situation” – emphasizes Sebastian Kowal.
Then and Now
So far, Ulica Dietla had 2 lanes in each direction. Now over 130 parking spaces will be designated on the outer lanes. They are to be built along their entire length, but additional turning lanes will appear instead of them at an appropriate distance in front of the intersections. There are also 3 kiss & ride (K&R) parking spaces for tourist buses in the vicinity of the Vistula boulevards, Kazimierz and Wawel, which is to reduce unnecessary access of coaches to the very center.
The remaining approx. 5 meters of the road on each side is shared by cars and cyclists. “The changes are made so that, as part of measures to improve the safety of all road users, the wide roadway does not encourage driving too fast, however, so that it is still comfortable and cyclists feel safe” – informs Sebastian Kowal. “Cyclists will be clearly marked with the way they move. At the same time, these changes, even with parallel parking on the road, will not restrict the passage of emergency vehicles”, he adds.
The first painted stripes of the Krakow Shield for Mobility appeared on the Grunwaldzki Bridge and Ulica Grzegórzecka and Wielopole. Public Transport Authority announced that the changes would be continued and now the time has come for Ulica Dietla. Currently, it is painted there, among others road for bicycles . On the Grunwaldzki Bridge, it was separated with separators and stakes, while on Dietla, a 2-wheeled path was painted on the road. For now, only on the side of Kazimierz, but the same changes will be introduced on the road leading to traffic from ul. Dietl to the Grunwaldzki Bridge.
Would this lead to blockades?!
“It should be noted that before the renovation of Krakowska Street, 24/7 lane parking was introduced on Dietla Street. This provided, in line with the expectations of local residents, parking spaces for them. The implemented solutions, despite the concerns of some skeptics, did not lead to the blockade of the street. At the same time, as part of the traffic organization, various solutions were tested for the duration of the works, aimed at streamlining road traffic, including improving the functioning of public transport, in particular trams, and, equally important, facilitating walking” – emphasizes Sebastian Kowal. “Therefore, changes in the target traffic organization are largely the result of experience and traffic observation. New solutions will offer residents the most effective use of the available space”.
The capacity of Ulica Dietla will improve turning off the traffic lights in almost all places. However, the new traffic organization adds the inability to travel by car straight between ul. Krakowska and Stradomska, in both directions.
The comprehensive implementation of all the new solutions at Ulica Dietla is scheduled for mid-September this year.
Citizen stand
Looking at the comments and discussion on the topic, it seems that the citizen of Krakow are split between liking the idea and totally dismissing it. Some say that the red stripes are quite vulgar and they do not blend in nicely with the historical architecture (which, IMHO, they are 100% right!), some state that having 1 lane (instead of 2) brings more traffic jams and more pollutions through the exhaust fumes… some mention that one lane will bring issues in case of emergencies (how can one yield the lane to the ambulance, firetrucks or the police?!)…
On another hand: more parking spaces! (and everyone loves that!) Mixed feelings but I think we need to see the lanes in action and see where that takes us… I, for one, wish more people would take bikes and public transport than using their own cars!
If you wish to read more, the article in PL language can be found here.
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug
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