There is inactive hope for Łódź collective communication

The problems and solutions for Łódź public transport were discussed by nearly 100 experts, officials, social workers and residents curious in the topic. The gathering was held at the Faculty of Management of the University of Lodz on February 2, 2024. The debate “Public transport in Łódź – local and metropolitan reflection” was organised by the Institute of civilian Affairs.

The debate began with a welcome on behalf of the University of Łódź given by prof. Tadeusz Markowski. Then, on behalf of the Institute of civilian Affairs, I presented to the audience the task “City in the Movement” in which the event was organised.

During the debate: prof. Tadeusz Markowski and Łukasz Kamiński, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

There were social Łódź people, people of science, traffic management specialists from Warsaw, as well as Łódź officials, among others: Ireneusz Jabłoński – erstwhile Vice president of the City, Marek Lisiak – erstwhile architect of the city, Alina Giedryś – erstwhile manager of the Road and Transport Board in Łódź. What is highly enjoyable besides was many young people, possibly students who were attracted and curious in the debate.

It is worth noting that the Institute of civilian Affairs celebrated its 20th birthday on February 2, 2024. The debate was so of symbolic importance to its organizer.

Iceland and communication solutions

At the start of the meeting, its participants went on a journey to... distant Iceland. Representatives of the Institute had previously visited its capital, Reykjavik, looking for abroad inspiration as part of the task “City in Movement”. The gathering in Iceland was besides an chance for inspiring talks. Paul Bartosz, president of the spatial planning committee for the Reykjavik agglomeration, invited to participate in the debate.

You can ask: “What does Reykjavik gotta communicate in Łódź and why should we be peculiarly curious in transport and spatial planning there?”

The capital of Iceland is an example of a city which for most of the twentieth century was designed and developed only on the basis of car transport.

The decision-makers had an approach very akin to that which inactive presents many people in Łódź – Public transport was to service only and only those who, for any reason, could not decision their own car.

As a consequence of specified reasoning and action, a city was created completely dominated by car infrastructure, looking like 1 large suburb with a small, historical center inside.

Paweł Bartoszek talked about a long and hard process of change, which was initiated in Reykjavik, among another things, thanks to his activity, which consists in completely reversing the current trends.

Residents of Reykjavik, a city that could now be called a paradise for motorists, want something else, namely, a real city life, the anticipation of utilizing efficient collective communication, urban walks like in Paris, a city friendly to pedestrians, as well as a bicycle infrastructure that Copenhagen itself would not be ashamed of.

Reykjavik. Street with calm movement, photograph Łukasz Kamiński

The example of Reykjavik shows us in which direction the improvement of communication of specified a city as Łódź should besides go.

Since Reykjavik, in which more than 80% of the journey is now carried out by car, and for decades collective transport has been very poorly developed, wants to decision towards ecology and sustainable transport, Łódź, which has much greater traditions and resources in these areas, should make in this direction.

The interest raised by this talk in the Chamber showed how crucial it is to establish and keep global contacts.

Summary for Łódź and the defender report

The key point of the programme was the presentation of the 140-page “Guardary study on Łódź Collective Transport in the context of the implementation of the city's transport policy”.

The publication was created as part of the task “City in motion” and was authored by the urbanist and besides known Łódź socialist Kosma Nykiel.

Cosimo Nykiel, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

A very crucial asset of Nykiel's Cosimo is, on the 1 hand, professionalism and love to analyse complex issues and, on the another hand, the ability to usage accessible language for a wide scope of audiences, which is very clear erstwhile reading the report. This alternatively extended publication can be read in virtually 1 breath – and it is simply a very engaging reading.

Conclusion of the report

During his presentation, Kosma Nykiel presented the most crucial conclusions of the report. The image that emerges from it is not, unfortunately, optimistic.

Despite many years of investment in city transport infrastructure, the quality of Łódź transport does not improve, and frequently even worsens.

It turns out, for example, that on already renovated routes – i.e. on these tram tracks, which were to be the glory of the city and the reason for pride in its modern transformations – The trams did not accelerate, but slowed down their course. A decrease in the frequency of their movement is besides clearly felt.

This, of course, translates into an always little attractive group communication in Łódź, resulting in the dominance of the car in urban space and any associated consequences specified as traffic jams, occupying green spaces or pavement spaces by parked cars. The tools that were expected to reduce the presence of cars in the city centre are completely out of operation. For example, there are immense gaps in the paid parking area to avoid paying the fee. In addition, as Kosma Nykiel, the Łódź Municipal Guard, showed, compared to her counterparts from Poznań or Wrocław, practically does not function.

The figures and graphs presented by the Łódź social and urbanist were ruthless. It could be concluded that, despite the noisy declarations of the city authorities about building a green metropolis, we truly are striving to build another Reykjavik in Łódź, and not the contemporary one, which Paweł Bartoszek spoke about, but the 1 from the last century, based on the dominance of individual motorization.

To reverse this trend, urgent changes are needed – above all, the introduction of a "green wave", a precedence in light-signalling for collective communication and an improvement in the frequency of trams and buses traffic.

Discussion and breath of optimism

The discussion led by the expert on the past and past of public transport of Łódź, prof. Kamil Laughterowski, was attended by prof. Remigius Kozłowski – specialist in urban logistics, Kosma Nykiel, Maja Jasińska – social boat and passenger MPK, Olaf Swolkien – representative of the Association of Greens Federation – Krakow Group.

(from the left) Dr. Jarosław Szustek, Dr. Anna Górka, Prof. Remigius Kozłowski, Maja Jasińska, Kosma Nykiel, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

Specially for this occasion, representatives of the “Warsaw Tramwaje” company came to us from the capital, high-end specialists who, on a solid technological basis, implement in practice the precedence for trams in the light signal of the capital.

Dr. Anna Górka develops theoretical foundations for controlling the traffic of trams as part of his work in the Department of Traffic Control and Transport Infrastructure at the Faculty of Transport of the Warsaw University of Technology, while his cognition in this field is implemented during work for the city carrier “Warsaw trams”.

Dr. Jarosław Szustek, a postgraduate of the Warsaw University of Technology, is simply a major traffic engineering specialist in the Department of the improvement of the Tramway strategy of the Infrastructure Maintenance Office in the company “Warsaw Trams”.

A large absentee, however, was the invited typical of the Łódź City Hall. Unfortunately, the city authorities did not take advantage of the chance to present their own viewpoint in the debate.

The first question was: "What does moving collective communication in Łódź look like from a passenger perspective?".

Maja Jasińska has dispelled all illusions. On the basis of her own experience, she described a strategy not adapted to passenger needs. She pointed to, among others, besides low the frequency of courses or late trams and buses.

Only these 2 problems are a immense challenge erstwhile planning travel. How do we go with a bus when, for example, the tram we're driving is going to be late and we can't catch another bus? specified a situation would possibly origin little confusion if urban communication were to run at a higher frequency. Unfortunately, on any lines buses run even erstwhile all half an hour...

In contrast to this picture, Olaf Swolkienia's statement, which described a reasonably decent functioning public transport strategy in Krakow, sounded.

It is interesting to note that Kraków trams are designed to give passengers as many seats as possible – So attention to passenger comfort can be manifested even in specified details.

Another interesting item is the fact that in Krakow the traffic of trams in the city centre was improved not only by introducing a "green wave" in the light signaling, but besides by... removing the light signal where it is not deemed necessary.

When the guests from Warsaw were to speak, everyone expected another pessimistic and very unfavourable comparison between the 2 cities. After all, it is known that Warsaw presently has very good transport.

To our large surprise, however, it was from the guests from Warsaw that the top breath of optimism came. It turns out that Łódź communication is rather close to a crucial success.

As part of fresh renovations, a very modern traffic control strategy has been created in our city. The immense problems of Łódź transport – the fact that our trams are frequently impunctual and evidence very large delays on routes – is mostly due to the fact that this strategy is not decently programmed. So we can make up for this deficiency comparatively rapidly to accomplish a immense improvement in the quality of collective communication.

Good transport – how do they do it in Warsaw?

The discussion with the Warsawians during the debate began with a description of the well-functioning communication strategy of the capital. Even erstwhile there are no traffic jams in the streets, the inhabitants of the capital enjoy collective communication. So they choose it of their own free will as an attractive offer of movement. “How do you do that?” he asked representatives of “Warsaw trams”.

“First of all, we do this” – said Dr. Anna Górka. And that first message caused an audience applause.

"The share of the company Tramwaje Warszawskie is to make the trams run faster. The solution is rather unusual, due to the fact that the company itself does so. The company itself managed to make the trams drive faster, but that's due to the fact that it just counted that it pays off (!).

We talk here mainly from the position of the passenger, which means that the passenger will drive faster. But we besides request to remember that trams, driving faster, are besides cost-effective for the carrier.

... If the trams do not stand at the intersections, they do not waste time, we in fact as a company besides save. So the same timetable is able to accomplish a smaller number of vehicles. In fact, we are able to spend little money on electricity, due to the fact that the same trams, in order to accomplish the same timetable, simply consume little energy, due to the fact that they little frequently halt and decision on the lights. And this stopping before the traffic lights generates the biggest costs of the tram. Our investigation clearly shows a difference in energy consumption of about 13% (!).

That's a lot. Of course, not everywhere we are able to get perfect conditions, specified a full precedence as we have on any of our routes, but it is very felt. And these are the arguments that simply pierce into the city authorities, into decision-makers in the city.

If we are able to truly show that it will be cheaper and faster, then this is slow becoming a standard” – concluded Dr. Anna Górka.

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And finally, it's time for the long-pronounced air of large optimism. We will find him in Dr. Jarosław Szustek's message from “Warsaw trams”.

"It has hit me so far – which was due to a presentation that treated the study and at the beginning of the debate – that there is simply quite a few complaining that bothers me, due to the fact that I like to look at affirmative things, and in Łódź there would be quite a few specified affirmative things.

First of all, the fact that upgrades took place, even if all the targets have not been met, is simply a large plus; that infrastructure has improved, including this infrastructure, which is utilized to control traffic, and what remains to be done is to reprogram light signals.

This can besides be seen from this side, that if you wait long on the lights in Łódź, it means that there are immense reserves, due to the fact that the light signal is not effective now.

These reserves at many intersections are a large and comparatively tiny effort to extract them and improve the timetable(!).

This will not be a method that would duplicate Warsaw's experience, due to the fact that we started with the runs as far distant from the centre as possible. There were fears that the center would jam...

W Łódź I would propose going in a different way, that is to say, starting from the center, where it is truly bad and hard to make things worse, but with comparatively tiny corrections it can be shown that it can be done.”

Importantly, our guests from Warsaw – high-end traffic control strategy programming specialists – declared their willingness to actively assist in the processes they were talking about.

So I thought that the situation could be summed up in a reasonably simple way. Dear ruling Lodz! Dear people liable for public transport in Łódź! You have truly good equipment and you have very good instructors who want to teach you how to usage it.

Now there are no excuses. Transport in the city needs to improve. Here and now!

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Join us!

A breeze of the 1960s.

Prof. Remigius Kozłowski – another vote in the debate – he made a alternatively unexpected request to build a subway in Łódź, arguing that in specified a large city as Łódź it is impossible to supply efficient transport without specified solutions as metro or multi-level intersections for cars.

It was rather interesting that the prof. actually presented an approach that dominated urban planning and transport in the 1960s. This is how American cities and Reykjavík were designed in the twentieth century.

He besides stated that in Łódź we must have our own metro, even due to the fact that even in Reykjavik there are 4 metro lines.

This message caused rather a shock in the courtroom. The debater himself had to intervene by correcting that there was no subway in Reykjavik.

This speech greatly revived the debate, its participants entered into a polemic with prof. Kozłowski.

From disagreement on logistics from the 1960s. The 20th century and specified city planning have revealed the lessons that participants could draw from the debate together.

Those curious added, photograph by Rafał Tomczyk

Conclusions of the debate

Firstly, we urgently request to introduce a “green wave” for trams in Łódź, thus improving the velocity and frequency of their movement.

There are no excuses specified as ongoing renovations or infrastructure shortages, due to the fact that as it turns out, we do not full usage the reserves we have.

We have equipment even more modern than in Warsaw, we want to aid from experts from Warsaw – Let's usage it!

Secondly, erstwhile improving our collective communication strategy in Łódź, we should take an example and draw inspiration from another cities in Poland and in the world. First of all, it is crucial to usage the experiences of Warsaw, due to the fact that it is the experience gained by the company “Warsaw trams” that is peculiarly valuable and even essential for usage in Łódź conditions.

Thirdly, the Łódź tram infrastructure must be renovated and modernised. A lot has been done, and there's a lot to do. However, renovations should be more efficient and rational than before.

Fourth, repairs to hard infrastructure are not enough. We request appropriate management of the strategy that we have and which is created in the framework of renovations. At the minute in Łódź, it is not even known which vice president is liable for transport.

There is no 1 in the city that could be identified as liable for this basic, very crucial area of its functioning. This needs to be changed urgently.

The debate lasted until late evening hours. There were besides very interesting voices from the audience. Among others, the erstwhile Vice president of Łódź Ireneusz Jabłoński and erstwhile manager of the Road and Transport Board of Alina Giedryś took the floor.

A fistful of individual reflections

After welcoming the participants, I sat from the side to see at the same time what was happening in presentations and discussion panels and audiences.

I've seen over a 100 people perceive to the debate. People of a very different age, but mostly young people, that is, those who belong to and depend on the future of our city. The choice of specified a debate as a way of spending Friday evening is not apparent to young people, but they have chosen our event.

And I realized that there is inactive hope for Łódź public transport despite many problems.

This Hope is in them.

What we're doing truly makes sense! – I thought.