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Description
In this project, we are carrying out watchdog activities on the functioning of public transport in the City of Wrocław. We believe that good urban transport is necessary for the city to operate efficiently, be smog-free and take care of the climate. We are checking how the local authority is meeting the transport objectives set out in the existing documents. The citizens of Wrocław are demanding improvements to public transport, but the measures implemented so far are insufficient. During the pandemic, the discussion was interrupted, and now the issue of transport is becoming even more urgent due to the influx of people who fled the war in Ukraine. Therefore, as part of the project we are organising debates with experts and a round table with local officials. We provide training sessions for young climate activists in the field of transport. During the workshops, we check whether and to what extent the announcements of the Citizens'' Panel on transport have been implemented. We conduct public consultations in the most transport-excluded settlements. We check what residents think about transport policy in Wrocław. We are developing a knowledge base of announcements and promises, analyses, and reports on the future of Wrocław''s tramways and urban railways. All activities will be very widely reported on the internet. We are implementing the project in partnership with the Bender Society (Towarzystwo Benderowskie) and the Youth Climate Strike.
Summary of project results
Efficient public transport is one of the most important challenges of every global metropolis, including Wrocław. The most important reason for taking action is the environmental and climate aspect. Reducing car traffic is crucial when it comes to fighting smog. According to research by the Lower Silesian Smog Alert from February 2021, 77 out of 77 locations examined in downtown Wrocław exceed the World Organization''s standards for nitrogen dioxide. Secondly, the contribution to climate protection is important. Without a significant expansion of public transport, it is also impossible to reduce CO2 emissions from cars. Road transport is the only growing carbon dioxide emitter in Wrocław. The current condition of public transport in Wrocław is not satisfactory. According to research conducted by CEM Institute for Market and Public Opinion Research in Krakow in May 2020, as many as 44% of respondents assess the quality of Wrocław public transport as poor. The first ever Citizens'' Panel organized by the city hall in the fall of 2020, with a majority of over 90% of votes, recognized the need to build new tram and city rail routes. Unfortunately, these results do not translate into action. The documents adopted by the city council, such as the Wrocław Mobility Policy of 2013 and the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of 2020, provide for priority for public transport, in particular the construction of tram routes and the railway system. Therefore, watchdog activities are important to check to what extent the city office fulfills their implementation. In our opinion, there was also a lack of debate on transport in Wrocław. Since the beginning of 2020, when the pandemic began, public discussions have practically ceased. The context of the war in Ukraine was also important, which reinforced the need to expand public transport. Many refugees came to Wrocław, most often not by car.
We organized 15 debates with experts and activists, including: acceleration of trams, development of tram networks. Many decision-makers in the field of transport appeared at the debates, including: Arnold Bresch from the management board of Polskie Linie Kolejowe, Bartosz Jungiewicz from Koleje Dolnośląskie, Jerzy Michalak from the Marshal''s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Paulina Tyniec-Piszcz and Aleksander Łoś from the Municipal Office, MP Michał Jaros, MP Jolanta Niezgodzka. We also organized a Railway and Bicycle Round Table. For the first time, we have examined the transport preferences of residents of Wrocław''s peripheral housing estates in such detail. We were also the only ones to assess the state of implementation of the citizens'' assembly''s promises. We have created final reports summarizing demands and needs in the field of trams and railways. In 14 problem analyses, we described, among others: existing tram and railway plans, necessary urban rail stops, directions for expanding the bicycle path network and building pedestrian and bicycle footbridges. We developed two final reports (tram and railway) which summarized the demands. The reports were published with translations into English and German. On the Hipermiasto website, we have collected a lot of knowledge about transport. We promoted sustainable transport through examples, including from abroad. Study visits to Paris and Barcelona helped in this. 70 maps were also published. We have published 20 interviews with experts. We organized two press conferences about the railway junction. In August 2023, a press conference on free trams in Wrocław was organized, combined with a symbolic happening of naming one of the trams on line 18 after Franklin the Turtle. We created eight podcast episodes that focused on transport and climate issues, but also on the project itself. We sent out 30 press releases. We published a total of 786 posts on Facebook.
An important point of the project was the fight to include the reconstruction of the Wrocław Railway Junction on the basic list of the National Railway Program. We engaged residents in joint action, and we persuaded politicians and officials to deal with the problem. We managed to collect 1,197 signatures for the Citizens'' Legislative Initiative, 1,067 signatures for an application to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, and 1,300 applications sent by residents to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The voivodeship assembly almost unanimously supported our resolution regarding the Wrocław Railway Junction. We also managed to obtain a positive opinion from the Kąty Wrocławskie commune and a positive response from the municipal office in Miękinia. As a result of these actions, officials and politicians announced the return of a common ticket for MPK Wrocław and Koleje Dolnośląskie. We undertook numerous interventions, requesting direct changes. Successes include, among others: investment announcements, e.g. bicycle connection of the Wrocław Osobowice station, renovation of ul. Ruska towards the promenade and renovation of ul. Świdnicka. At our request, the Sieradz city council adopted a resolution to support the construction of the Wrocław-Warsaw High Speed Railway. As a result of our activities, the Wrocław Tram Program of 2024 was announced, which includes, among others: routes to Psie Pole, Gądów Mały, Księże Wielkie, in ul. Dry. We obtained specific declarations from city councilors regarding the bicycle network as part of the Round Table. Thanks to our activities, tram and railway issues have become important in public discourse, which was visible in the local government election campaign in 2024. All the above results will benefit residents, especially public transport passengers. We actively involved young people in our activities. Through numerous training courses, we increased the competences of young activists, including: in the field of transport, law and journalism. We have also strengthened partnerships with the Wrocław Bicycle Initiative, the Youth Climate Strike and the School Climate Conference.