Elblag (Poland)
Elbląg is a city of 127,000 inhabitants, located in Elbląg county in northern Poland, 50 km southeast of Gdansk. It is a port on the river Elbląg, thus having access to the Baltic Sea.
Elblag's Integrated Public Transport Development Plan for the years 2013 to
2020 is a continuation of the previous seven-year programme. It is an operational
document providing detailed measures to complement the Elblag Development
Strategy for 2001 to 2015 and the Elbląg Development Strategy 2020+, which is now being developed.
The plan's main aim is to create the necessary conditions for the rapid transportation of passengers and goods. It gives priority to collective transport and and other sustainable transport modes. The document stresses the importance of tram services as the most reliable, environmentally friendly and economically efficient means of transportation.
Elblag is proud to be one of the few cities in Poland with a new tram route, built within the EU Operational Programme "Regional Development". For the EU's 2014-2020 financial period, Elblag is preparing a project concerning a new tram route in the centre of the city.
Elblag is developing a system of bicycle paths with accompanying infrastructure. At the end of 2012, there were 36 km of bicycle routes, 33 km shared-use foot and bike paths, and 3 km for bicycles only. Bicycle routes are being built as part of road reconstruction and construction projects. In the next two years, after the completion of projects connected with the main voivodship roads within the city (no. 503
and no. 504), the length of the cycling network will exceed 40 km.
The bicycle roads are made of concrete blocks, but new ones will be made of bituminous pavement, the most convenient and desirable material from the bicyclists' point of view.
Since 2012 the city has been developing its bicycle parking system. In the first year 222 U-shaped stands were installed, mainly in front of the schools. The stands are in convenient places and easily locked to a bike frame. By the end of 2013, another 164 such racks were planned for installation.
In 2012 the first bicycle contraflow lane appeared, enabling cyclists to ride safely and conveniently against traffic on one-way streets.
Besides infrastructure changes there have also been also been promotional and informational activities, including family bicycle tours, bicycle orienteering events within the city, workshops on urban bicycling, meetings at schools, a women's cycling day, the European Car-Free Day, etc. These activities encourage citizens to change their habits and to minimise the private car transport.
The city works in cooperation with the municipal transportation company Elblag Trams Ltd., private transportation companies, the regional train network managed by Polish Railway Regional Transportation Ltd. (PKP) and the regional bus services managed by Polish Car Transportation Ltd. (PKS).
Summary updated: September 2013
