1. Park and
Ride Metro Stokłosy
When the
ground-level, open-air car park for commuters near Metro Stokłosy was closed in
October 2013, the revamped parking facility was scheduled to be opened on 15
Janaury 2015. The completion deadline has been met, since by all accounts the
car park was finished before the end of 2014, yet it took one quarter more for
the general contractor to fix all glitches, put finishing touches and for town
hall clerks to issue the occupancy permit for the car park.
At long
last, P+R Stokłosy was opened on 1 April 2015. It was supposed to be opened
at 4:30 a.m., but when I pulled up there around 7:00 a.m., a chap from
technical crew told me the facility was not yet opened. Turned away, I had to
drive, for the last time so far, to P+R Ursynów. Quite probably, the car
park staff were under-informed, or played an April Fool’s Day’s joke on me.
During the press conference staged on the same day by the Public Transport
Authority and some officials from the town hall, including deputy mayor, parked
cars could be seen in the background.
The car
park has the parking charge collection system identical to the one at P+R
Ursynów. Once you drive in, you need to collect a parking ticket from the
machine. A regular charge for parking is 100 PLN, however it can be cancelled
if before leaving the facility a driver authenticates they are in a possession
of at least daily public transport ticket. For the time being the system is
defunct and gates are opened all the time. Beware though and do not try to use
P+R Stokłosy as an overnight garage for you vehicle. On 2 April I witnessed
some dim-witted chaps who left their rickety lorry there for the night-time
maintenance break and found a billing note beneath wipers. A board with the list of rules and regulations is in front of the entrance, so ignorance of law is not
an excuse.
It has been
a subject of a heated debate among inhabitants of Ursynów, whether this huge
box of painted concrete (the facility will serve also as bus terminus) is a
blot on the landscape of Al. KEN, the thoroughfare of Ursynów. Developments on
both sides of Al. KEN have been put up in 1990s or later, upon completion of
underground line and are quite uniform. P+R Stokłosy’s structure is a
misfit. Park and Ride facility at Okęcie tram and bus terminus, of similar
architectural style, fits much better the surrounding area.
The car
park offers space for almost 400 cars and only 20 bicycles. As for the latter,
the number of spots for bike users is horrifically low, while the car parking
capacity in the first weeks of usage is utilized in less than 20%, although
users of alternative P+Rs have been duly notified P+R Stokłosy had been
opened. The new car park has four levels, but from my observations in afternoon
(around 5 p.m.) the ground level is not filled up, let alone the empty spaces
above it.
Despite
some grumbling, I generally appreciate the new car park. It shortens the
distance covered by car each day and lengthens the distance covered underground
(I sometimes feel like a mole, spending over 20 minutes in the morning and in
the afternoon below ground), moreover it helps avoid the most congested in
afternoon section of ul. Puławska between ul. Poleczki and ul.
Płaskowickiej (hint: ul. Taneczna, Krasnowolska, Poloneza and Ludwinowska come
up as excellent detour). All
in all, it brings some time and money savings, yet you have to use your brains
to work out swinging east to leave a car there is superior to taking a
straight-forward route to P+R Wilanowska for instance.
2. Ul. Mleczarska – progress report.
Traditionally,
we start from the south, although when yesterday I strolled there to inspect
how works moved on, I walked southwards (snaps by Szajsung).
The section
from ul. Syrenki almost up to the railway crossing is nearly finished. The
pavement on the east side is ready, as the cycling past on western side of the
street is. The very road still lacks the top-most abrasive layer of tarmac and
most probably it will not be laid until the very last days of construction
(heavy vehicles use this road to reach construction site, to the decision to
leave this section a little unfinished is reasonable).
I wonder
whether all arrangements between the investor and owner (PGNiG Termika) or
administrator (DB Rail Schenker) of the rail track running to Siekierki plant
have been finalised. Not a single step has been taken to initiate modernisation
of the railway crossing, while on both sides of the tracks construction of the
road is more or less advanced…
The section
between the tracks and ul. Energetyczna has taken shape since the beginning of March. Pavement and cycling path have been marked out. Laid curbs indicate the
road will be slightly winding. One can also see an intersection with a road
running into plot of former bus and trolleybus depot (torn down a few years
ago). Cart well before horse. Modern lamps post have been put up yet the old
ones, carrying overhead electricity wires, remain. The development could do with
a more comprehensive approach.
Looking at
four-lane ul. Energetyczna towards ul. Puławska. One can discern where two roads will
run, yet without peeking at plans beforehand, one will not make out where a
huge roundabout, replacing traditional intersection of ul. Mleczarska
and ul. Energetyczna will be
built.
The section
between ul. Energetyczna and ul. Mleczarska is least advanced. The new road will be shifted west in
relation to its previous trail. The nut tree first from the left will have to
chopped down to give way to the cycling path.
And the
last photo (finer playing part of an intruder), taken from the corner of ul. Krasickiego in NI and ul. Mleczarska. The fence of the
property at the south-west corner of the intersection was pulled down and new,
makeshift one, put up. Some pipes have also been laid underground, below the
dug up parcel of land parallel to the road. According to my neighbour
(allegedly having it on good authority), works will kick off here for good in
May and completion deadline of 30 June 2015 is not in question. We shall see :)
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