Highways to hell
Decision-makers no longer able to deny that the transport network needs updating have begun the process of planning what decisions need to be made.
Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Transport, Eugeniusz Wróbel, is wringing his hands over the decision-making process in Warsaw. "If we are now in a collapse when it comes to Warsaw's transport facilities it is the result of two main problems: There are too many decision makers in Warsaw, and they are afraid of making difficult decisions," he says, adding that once a decision is made, it is rarely effectively communicated to different levels of the administration.
He gives the initial agreement on building the second terminal at Okęcie airport as an example. "The number of unrealistic assumptions was huge, and preparing an amendment to the contract took six months." The Marshal of the Mazowieckie Voivodship, Adam Struzik, confirms that there are problems. "The key decisions in connection with the efficient functioning of the Warsaw hub belong to the government and central authorities. We are involved here with the sin of neglect," says Struzik. He complains that the local government's opinion was not taken into consideration over the location of the future central airport, when the Transport Ministry's interdisciplinary work group was discussing it.
Not ready for take off
Arguments over the location of Poland's new central airport have lasted for years, and time is running out. Last year Polish airports served about 11.5 million passengers. Okęcie airport has the capacity to serve about 3.5 million, but last year it already had some seven million passengers. Even after the current round of expansion it will only be able to handle 10 million passengers a year.
According to Marek Serafin, the head of the department of the connections' network management at PLL LOT, when talking about the new airport the crucial question is not if but when. "The lack of the central airport limits the development of LOT as the main user of Poland's major airport. Also air transport for the whole urban agglomeration in central Poland is reaching saturation," says Serafin. He claims that the new airport has a real chance to become a regional transit hub, but Poland can have only one central airport. "International experience shows that it is impossible to maintain both Okęcie airport and the new central airport [as major international hubs]."
Nose to tail
Warsaw roads also have serious shortcomings. "The existing road network in the capital has for years been overburdened with traffic, and at the same time it is not technically adjusted to transport needs in Warsaw," says the General Director of National Roads and Motorways, Zbigniew Kotlarek. "The number of cars registered in Warsaw exceeded one million a long time ago," says the director of Municipal Roads Management, Marek Mistewicz. Now there are about 400 cars per 1,000 Warsaw citizens. According to Mistewicz, about two million cars a day drive on Warsaw roads.
The General Directorate of National Roads and Motorways' (GDDKiA) program of road investments has been divided into three levels: Warsaw's expressways, Warsaw's ring roads, and voivodship roads. This is especially important in light of the migration of citizens to the suburbs and that traffic in Warsaw is currently only directed to the city center. In order to move from one district to another one almost always has to drive through the center.
The entire program for Warsaw, which is planned for 2007-2013, is valued at zł.16 billion. In 2006 the Warsaw branch of GDDKiA plans to spend zł.1.7 billion. "If this is completed by 2013, the traffic will remain how it is in some places, and only the growth will be consumed by the new routes," says Mistewicz.
Green lobby
Road improvements take so long due to a variety of reasons. "There are protests against anything we try to develop. The environmental protection law has especially caused limitations and setbacks, which very often lead to delays in the development of certain programs," claims Kotlarek. Mistewicz admits that decisions related to environmental conditions are behind the delays to many road investments. At present, ecological groups are complaining that technical and financial problems are always blamed on environmental factors, arguing that Poland has to obey EU law.
The newly amended public procurement law has also caused setbacks. "We calculated that the losses resulting from road users stuck in traffic at the Wołoska junction in Warsaw amounts at zł.1.2 million," said Mistewicz. And because of the pattern of Warsaw roads, any repair or investment means serious interference in traffic flow.
Speed is the answer
Another link in Warsaw's transport network is the railway. The challenge now is not only to attract more passengers, but also to provide commuter services to the airport. Although Warsaw's train station is conveniently located in the city center and is fed by seven main lines, only 20 percent of the 600,000 daily visitors to the capital use the trains.
The answer is faster trains. One of the first steps to speed up journeys is the modernization of the Łód line, so that the journey time between Warsaw and the country's second-biggest city will be cut in half. Also, next month PKP plans to renovate the tunnels at Warsaw's Central station, which is great timing - right at the start of the holiday season. Still, one can always go by bicycle...
