THE CYCLING TRANSPORTATION PROJECT SUMMARY OF PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS

Good morning Mr/Mrs chairman, ladies an gentelmen. My name is Antoni Szczyt. I am a head of Communication of Municipal Engineering Department in Gdańsk. I would like to present the cycling transportation project My presentation consist of 6 parts.

Key words: I.Introduction II.Existing cycleways III.Public consultation IV.Resolution V.Planned cycleways VI.Conclusion

The City of Gdańsk is a leader among Polish cities as regards the construction of cycleways networks. For many years, we have consistently been implementing a modern cycleways development programme, thanks to which both the residents and tourists have a chance to use the bicycle as an alternative means of urban transport and to cycle for leisure, which translates into reduced exhaust fume emissions into the atmosphere, especially as regards greenhouse gases and chemical compounds harmful to the environment which go together with public transport and car use.

THE EXISTING CYCLEWAYS NETWORK IN THE CITY OF GDAŃSK

The photo shows a map of existing cycleways in Gdańsk. In the foreground we can see the centre of the city. On the left we can see the boarder between Sopot and Gdańsk. On the right we can see Sobieszewo Island. In the background we can see the Baltic Sea. In the middle we can see two coloured lines: Red and yellow. The yellow one shows cycleways which were made firstly. The red one shows cycleways which were made later.

On 11 May 2006, a meeting chaired by Mayor of the City of Gdańsk Paweł Adamowicz took place in the Gdańsk City Office. The aim of the meeting: To present cycleways developed under the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and the Gdańsk Long-term Investment Plan (WPI); to present the principles of the Gdańsk Cycling Programme.

CONSULTATIONS

Due to the extensive development of cycle routes in Gdańsk, the Mayor decided to place “The Cycling Transportation Project ” on the Gdańsk City Office website ( and invite the residents of Gdańsk for public consultations until the end of June

I.The Consultations The consultations began when the discussion forum on “The Cycling Transportation Project ” was opened on the Gdańsk City Office website; they lasted from 20 May to 30 June During the consultations, 17 comments and motions were submitted in electronic and written form.

II. The comments concerned: introduction of new cycleways in Gdańsk, construction of bicycle parking areas in railway stations, task schedule, cycleways standards, funds earmarked for the construction of cycleways in particular years.

The participants in the meeting supported the Mayor’s programme for building cycle routes, which will make it possible to: continue the development of the existing cycle route network in the city use EU funds for completing this venture connect the cycle route network with Sopot and Gdynia create a network of routes in the entire urban area promote cycling in a clear and effective way

Resolution of the Gdańsk City Council on the adoption of transport development programme in the Gdańsk city area under a project entitled: “Cycling Transportation Development in the Tri-City Urban Area ” and an expression of will to enter into the joint development and implementation of this project with City of Sopot Municipality and City of Gdynia Municipality.

The photo shows cycleways planned for construction in Gdańsk under the Cycling transportation project There are three types of lines. As you may have noticed the most striking sight in the photo are blue lines. These are „planned new cycleways. Their length is 85 km long. Brown colour shows existing cycleways. Their length is 65 km long. Pink colour shows upgrade of existing cycleways. Their length is 15 km long.

CONCLUSIONS

The aim of the cycleways construction programme in Gdańsk is: – to have a suitably designed dense network of cycleways in the entire city – to have a network of municipal roads included in the cycleways network of the entire Urban Area – to connect the Tri-City’s cycleways network with the European cycleways network: R10 around the Baltic – the Baltic Sea Cycle Route (the Hansa Circuit), a total of 7,930 km, R9 from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea, Gdańsk–Pula, a total of 1,930 km.

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