How to get out of Łódź traffic? The Institute advises

Łódź – 1 of the largest Polish cities – has been struggling with serious transport problems for a long time. Although crucial funds are spent on renovations and upgrades, collective transport has been losing passengers for many years to individual car communications. More and more trafficked streets and settlements where green areas slow give way to increasing parking lots – this is the price that residents gotta pay for the decreasing popularity of trams and buses.

Why is it what it is? due to the fact that to this day the key provisions and doctrine of the 1997 Łódź transport policy stay on paper.

For 3 decades the next Łódź authorities have been filming a communication spiral of death. Raising MPK ticket prices, eliminating tram lines, reducing the frequency of their flights – all this caused residents to halt believing that public transport could meet their needs. After all, the travel time increased and the quality of travel deteriorated. So the boaters moved to the cars that are in traffic today. The proceeds of ticket sales fell. The authorities argued that public transport costs were besides high. And they raised ticket prices. This death spiral is simply a mechanics known for American cities, which is shown in a documentary ‘Transferable’.

Time to change

I remember, as already in the 1990s, we – socially – called for investments in urban and suburban trams. We promoted buspases and bike paths. We were defending the tram lines utilized to be erased. The decision-makers knocked on the forehead, calling us crazy, and at the same time letting us into traffic...

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The study answers the questions: “How do I get out of Łódź traffic?”, “How do I reconstruct public transport to boaters?”, "How to improve the quality of life in Łódź?".

Is that possible? Yeah. We request strong, grassroots and civic force on the city's authorities. Welcome to reading, public debate and cooperation.

Report – hero of the debate, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

‘The Guardian study on collective transport of Łódź in the context of the implementation of the city's transport policy was presented on 02.02.2024 during the debate "Public transport in Łódź – a local and metropolitan reflection" held at the University of Łódź. The study is part of – or to the end – ‘City in the Movement’ project,conducted for more than a year by the Institute of civilian Affairs. The study was written by Łódź Social, Kosma Nykiel, president of the “Lodz All Forward!” association.

We encourage you to read the report!

Photo of the debate

Prof. dr hab. Tadeusz Markowski, UŁ, debate on Łódź public transport 02.02.2024, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

During the debate, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

Ireneusz Jabłoński, erstwhile Vice president of Łódź, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

Cosimo Nykiel, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

Those curious added, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk