Gość: flip
IP: *.p.lodz.pl
09.08.03, 20:13
Nudzac sie latem, sporzadzilismy taki list, ktory niniejszym publikujemy do
wiadomosci PT Ogolu.
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dr inż. arch. Jacek Wesołowski,
Politechnika Łódzka, Instytut Architektury i Urbanistyki
4th August 2003
Mr. François Lamoureux
Director-General for Energy and Transport
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium
Dear Sir,
I take freedom to attract Your attention to plans of Poland’s transport
infrastructure improvement included in the National Development Plan, the
TEN Central-Eastern European network extension (called TINA), which are
supposed to be submitted for the financial backing of the EU over the
forthcoming years. I am referring in particular to the position of Lodz,
Poland’s second biggest city, in the proposed railway network.
This position is already extremely inconvenient, with lines practically not
maintained or virtually inexistent (i.a. lack of Southbound connection) and
poor level of services. The national InterCity network of relatively fast
rail connections does not serve Lodz at all, owing to dramatic state of
infrastructure and lack of railway lines. This all takes place in case of a
city which still has c750,000 inhabitants and about a million in its
metropolitan area, which is a big academic and cultural centre, and which,
having been for over a century a monocultural textile centre, struggles to
find a new economic basis for its existence while suffering from all the
well known troubles of the transition period.
The solutions proposed are predominantly based on the development of an
extensive road infrastructure, while the rail system is left severely
underdeveloped. The city’s position will remain much worse than that any
other Polish city of comparable size and will dramatically hinder Lodz’
competitiveness on national and international markets and in socio-cultural
exchange. It barely meets the calls for regional development and cohesion
policies that are aimed at arriving at prosperous and consistent trans-
European realm. It goes without saying that my city, the capital of a once
vital and still highly populated region, needs direct access to multi-
directional rail network on national and international scale. Yet, the
proposed plans for Lodz and its region will, in my opinion, lead to serious
discrepancy between transport modes, to further development of de-
urbanisation which we have been observing already, as well as will
discourage the city from running effective regeneration policies. These
threats will become the problems of the Union itself, once Lodz finds
herself in the common European realm. The sooner they are addressed, the
smaller the problems will have to be coped with later. It is short-sighted
to expect the million inhabitant urban area can be cured without much
struggle and investment or that it will disappear miraculously as
yesterday’s headache.
I am aware the national plans have been created as official work of
professional groups and have been passed by the highest authorities in my
country. I cannot say why these shortcomings in planning have ever occurred.
I may only suspect they are direct consequences of the pre-1989 planning,
which had always perceived Lodz as a predominantly manufacturing centre. As
planning here had long been cut off from experiences of the better developed
realm, it may reasonably be accused of lack of comprehension what
sustainable development really is, and what regeneration policies really
look like. Whatever the causes, I feel deeply alarmed by the outcome.
Thus, in the capacity of a scholar interested in town and transport planning
as well as in the capacity of the citizen of Lodz aware of its cultural
assets and deeply interested in seeing my city prosperous, sustainable and
socially sound, I take freedom to ask You to check if my critical opinion is
justified once the process of appraisal of Poland’s development plans
arrives at a stage of looking into details. I would also ask You to look
after spending EU subsidies in accurate proportions between transport means,
also when perceived from regional perspective of one of the biggest cities
in Central-Eastern Europe. The process of modernisation should not, at any
given stage, stimulate processes that would lead to further imbalance in
social and economical areas as well as in the environment.
Yours sincerely,
(-)Jacek Wesolowski
attachments:
a) TINA rail network map
b) Poland road & rail network development in National Development Plan
