Wszyscy tak jeżdżą - book review

The title of my recent read can be translated as Everyone drives like this and is a major excuse of any Pole reproached over their misconduct behind the wheel. The core sin of Polish drivers is speeding, which since decades has been not just put up with, nearly everyone turns a blind eye on it. This pathology has become a normalcy in my homeland.

The book begins with recollections of the most notorious traffic accidents, which made the headlines in Poland in recent years, including that one. The author (Bartosz Józefiak) not only reminds excessive speed was the foremost cause of such accidents (had it not been for glaring speeding, those collisions would have ended up with minor injuries at worst), but also highlights the common denominator of the culprits’ mindsets.

A typical Polish road hog claims to have been out of luck to kill an innocent human on the road, with little remorse, blaming circumstances rather than their style of driving. Insane drivers are afflicted by illusion of control. They realise accidents happen, but tend to think they happen to someone else, not them (which statistically holds true, until a quite low probability of a mishap materialises). Traffic psychologists, who worked with a sufficiently large sample of road criminals are capable of painting a picture of a typical road hog. It is a male, aged 18 – 45, often frustrated by life, but not by involuntary celibate, yet self-confident, with large levels of testosterone and no reasonable idea how to give off it wisely. Instead of going to a gym, running, kick-boxing or another health-conducive activity, they decide to raise their adrenaline levels on public roads, putting at peril lives of each of us.

They wrongfully assert speed is not a problem. In their narrow minds public infrastructure is not adjusted to how they desire to make use of it. Besides, other traffic participants ought to be more prudent and get off their way, once they approach in ungodly haste. Law of the jungle prevails in their heads, especially when they invoke concepts of personal liberties, stifled by traffic restrictions. Has nobody told them freedom without responsibility is just a selfishness?

The author rightly points out a major part of the problem are those sitting behind the wheel to earn a livelihood and here I concur with the view the system, not the people, is to blame. Sales representatives chasing unrealistic sales targets drive like lunatics because their employers expect them to do so. Delivery couriers break traffic rules several times a day, since their targets are exorbitantly high and rates per parcel laughably low. Truck drivers need to meet deadlines theoretically out of reach, hence if devices assembled in their vehicles hinder speeding, they resort to other tricks to accelerate their journeys. Those pathologies are the price we as society pay for a having the fruits of our consumerist indulgence delivered quickly and cheaply at our doorsteps.

On top of that we have individuals living in constant haste, desperately trying to combine family and professional duties, perpetually short of time and trying to move around possibly quickly. For such reason, Poles get accustomed to being car-ridden and after a while cease to see alternatives. Such is the reason for short-distance (below 3 miles) journeys, which ought to be eliminated first.

If the car addiction has gone so far, how can it be reversed? Traffic experts remind a human being is defiant by nature and dislikes being told to change their habits abruptly. This should be done slowly, consistently, heedless of bleating car-ridden meatheads. Sticks should be complemented with carrots, i.e. cheap, convenient and reliable public transport. This especially is a problem in the Polish countryside, where in several villages you will not spot a single bus running at least once a day. Out there, in the sticks, you are trapped at home unless you have a car (usually an old, cheap, air-polluting one).

Speeding fines in Poland were substantially raised at the beginning of 2022, which led to a decline in fatalities. Still, the Polish fine schedule is quite lenient, as painful fines are charged for speeding above 30 kmph – in the range of 31 – 40 kmph above speed limit you pay PLN 800. But moderate speeding remains tolerable – for driving 9 kpmh faster than allowed you might pay mere PLN 50. The fine I received in Czech Republic for driving 59 kpmh, where 50 kmph was allowed, was over four times higher. And this is why all of a sudden most Poles morph into ultra-obedient drivers abroad.

Off to Wisła for the Corpus Christi weekend. Next posting in two weeks.

Driving skills honed

I have regularly driven a car since 2011, covered probably around 150,000 kilometres since then, have not caused a collision (may it stay so, I had one, but was not a culprit) nor an accident. With such track record I could claim to be a skilful driver, but I keep in mind complacency comes before the fall. I keep my smugness at bay and every time I sit behind the wheel I make myself realise I might have an accident before I reach my destination and do my best to avert it.

Given the precautions I take and humility I strive to foster, I was delighted to learn my company had paid for a defensive driving course to all company car drivers. On top, I took part in a corporate competition and won a participation in another training, on a racing track. The prize has been probably the most precious one won in my lifetime, saving me some PLN 1,000 I could have paid for such event.

The defensive driving course was obligatory to all active users of the corporate fleet, consisting of whopping 1,300 vehicles, which are involved in 20 accidents (defined as resulting in at least one casualty spending at least 7 days in a hospital) yearly. My employer aims to reduce the number of such accidents to zero by 2025 – a commendable initiative for which I keep fingers crossed, yet I believe doable only by means of decreasing the number of cars in use (which would truly help the planet).

The defensive driving training was split into two sessions – during the theoretical one we analysed case studies of actual accidents and complex situations in road traffic and refreshed our knowledge of recent (imprecise) changes in the highway code.

During the practice sessions we drove around town, instructed how to do it more smoothly, predictably and safely. Needless to say one of the goals was to decrease the fuel consumption and the company cars’ wear and tear.

The second training, on a racing track was far more exciting. During the theoretical part we had truly practical exercises in first aid (commendable) and improved our skills of controlling a car in extreme situations (a waterlogged track was as slippery as thick slush) – we slalomed past obstacles, passed them by to return to the original lane or slid along a curve, trying not to lose traction.

The exercises were meant not only to teach us how to control a vehicle in dire circumstances. Our instructors showed us repeatedly a difference in speed of mere five kilometres per hour might make a tremendous difference in terms of avoiding an accident. Speed kills, you must not forget it! We were also confronted with the fear of falling into a skid or losing control over the car, however outside the public road, where nobody’s life nor health was at peril.

I hope I never have to make use of what I learnt, but if the worst come to the worst, I suppose, I would be more likely to keep a cool head.

S7 expressway – construction update

Those awaiting the annual winter timeline have to carry on patiently until 1 May 2022. Looking at the weather in April 2022, I have resolved to include the statistics for the entire month in my records. Besides, where is a little chance for the last gasp of winter in the coming days.

But last Thursday, when temperature topped above +21C, I made the most of the blast of spring, knocked off at 4:00 p.m. and cycled south of Warsaw to inspect the progress of S7 construction, on so-called section A, between Warszawa Południe and Lesznowola junctions.

The road is scheduled to be opened for traffic in October 2022 and judging by the current progress of works, the deadline is within reach. To the right – the first stop, a on service road (closed for traffic) running parallel to the expressway, south of ul. Baletowa. Sound barriers (ugly, grey concrete) are up, grass has been sown (or laid) on the slopes of viaducts carrying S7.

The first junction south of Warszawa Południe, i.e. Zamienie has been opened for the local traffic some time ago. Sadly, the new roads are anything, but cyclist-friendly and motorists do not give a damn about the 40 kmph speed limit. Hence I illegally trespassed into slip roads, to see how the works were going (and indeed builders toiled away).

I thought I would cycle through rural areas of Zamienie, along terraced houses, but soon I ran across this estate of block of flats. I hold the view if one decides to move to the distant outskirts of a city, one trades drawbacks of living in a block of flat for other drawbacks and for merit of living in a house with a garden. Asking prices of flats on Zielone Zamienie housing estate begin from 6,865 zlotys per square metre.

I thought underground garages have become a standard in new, civilised developments. Car are parked underground (with all benefits of convenience and protection from the elements of weather), while spaces around buildings are green areas which serve as leisure spaces for residences. Not in Zielone Zamienie premises – here the greenery had to give way to concrete car parks which surround the buildings from all sides.

Yes, it was supposed to be about the S7 construction, but instead of heading towards a viaduct above S7, my curiosity told me to cycle down ul. Pionowa in Nowa Wola. A yet another example of an estate built in the middle of nowhere. I hope at least the local dwellers have a grocery shop in the area. Do not ask where the nearest public transport stop is (I believe the correct answer is “around 2 miles / 3 kilometres from there”).

A short stopover in my trip (31 kilometres being the longest ride this year) by a pond in Nowa Wola. Behind it, a classic volunteer firemen’s station (remiza Ochotniczej Straży Pożarnej), with a classic watch tower. The rural area has its charm, felt most a warm spring late afternoon.

Having pedalled south, I (again illegally) got into a viaduct which will one day carry Droga Wojewódzka 721 dual carriageway over the S7. Good they have built a full junction, a pity is will be useless for years ahead. Here, looking south, S7 approaching Lesznowola junction. The progress of works indicates opening the section in October is utterly doable.

A snap looking north, from basically the same spot. The junction with DW 721 has taken shape and after the S7 is opened, will become a monument of dismal coordination of public tenders in Poland.

The last shot comes from a viaduct carrying a new road between Zamienie and Zgorzała or Nowa Wola. Needless to say, I trespassed the area illegally. Except for looking at the expressway and the service road, note the cranes in Zamienie which turn the village into a town with tens of blocks of flats and the grey detached house west of S7. Who the hell has decided to settle down so close to the noise and fumes from the fast traffic?

S7 will not give me much improvement. It may offer an alternative to ul. Puławska if I drive to my parents (no traffic lights along the way mean driving at a steady speed and lower fuel consumption if I drive at reasonable 90 – 100 kmph). To Kraków I go by train, trips to other places in Poland are infrequent (no more than 3 times a year). I hope once S7 takes the strain from ul. Puławska, public transport is finally given priority on it (after opening the tunnel beneath Ursynów as part of S2 expressway and setting up bus lanes in Dolinka Służewiecka, traffic jams on the latter and not worse than with one lane for passenger cars more, but without the tunnel).

For the sake of safety…

Sunday, 20 October, early afternoon, the other end of Warsaw. A 33-year-old man with his wife and child cross ul. Sokratesa to get to a nearby playground. The man is killed by a 31-year-old male, driving 130 kmph in his orange BMW. A dashboard camera from a city bus recorded the tragedy (0:15).

 

The accident has sparked off a debate how to improve safety on Warsaw’s roads, especially pedestrians’ safety, to take the extra mile to reduce the number of fatalities in the capital. The town hall officials have come up with setting up “30 kmph zones” across town, which stirred uproar with motorists.

The tragedy is incontestable, however I believe the discussion on exact solutions aimed at improving road safety should be freed from emotional overtone, inevitable in such circumstances. Especially bearing in mind no regulations will prohibit road hogs behind wheels of too powerful vehicles from speeding.

The town hall has compiled a list of dangerous streets in Warsaw where traffic ought to be slowed down. One of them is ul. Stryjeńskich in Ursynów, especially its section between ul. Belgradzka and ul. Przy Bażantarni (photo on the front cover of the most recent “Passa” local newspaper) where drivers dare to speed up to even 80 kmph.

Oddly enough, in 2016 civic budget an initiative to narrow the street down from 4 to 2 lanes in both directions and mark off cycling paths was one of the winning ones. Soon later, the citizens with support of the district’s mayor have dashed the plan.

Is the street dangerous? I witnessed the last accident there last month, when 3 cars collided and some of the passengers were injured, but this was the only collision since I moved in. The enquiry to the search engine reveals a serious accident is reported on the aforementioned section of ul. Stryjeńskich on average once a year, however pedestrians were involved in none of the accidents.

Recently mayor of Ursynów has put forward installing speed bumps to slow down the traffic. The idea has taken nearly no one’s fancy, including local residents (who say more systemic solutions ought to be considered) and the City Road Authority (reminding ul. Stryjeńskich is a G-category road, i.e. a main road / thoroughfare, therefore it is not permitted to install speed bumps there, at least without changing the road’s status).

I believe there are several better ways of calming down the traffic, with narrowing down lanes as the primary one. If a lane is narrower, a driver naturally reduces speed to stick onto the lane. As lanes are narrower, the northbound and southbound lanes should finally be separated and junctions with minor roads (ul. Jaworowa, ul. Małej Łąki) properly marked.

Traffic should definitely be slower, yet it should be smooth. A speed bump reducing temporarily speed to 30 kmph means motorist would decelerate ahead of it and accelerate after it. Everyone who has some notion about driving knows a vehicle consumes more fuel when it accelerates and less when it moves at steady speed. So what ought to be done on major roads is adjusting them to lower, yet reasonable steady speeds rather than putting on the table poorly analysed solutions on the spur of the moment.

Looking forward to seeing no more accidents on this stretch of ul. Stryjeńskich.

Unluck, fate, inattention, thoughtlessness or something else

Thursday, 13 December. Knocked off and left the office much earlier to make up for doing overtime and to foster not entirely private, not entirely business relationships, i.e. to hand Christmas keepsakes to some people whose helping hand come in useful. The last place I was about to visit was Renault garage in Konstancin. The car refuses to break down and pays back for taking care of it, but in case of unexpected defect a cordial garage manager might come with aid. Was a quarter past three or so, I drove down ul. Drewny towards Konstancin.

The sight of brake lights and then emergency lights ahead of me were a kind of alarming. A queue of cars came in a standstill before a pedestrian crossing. I walked out, to disgruntlement of other drivers, sitting in their cars, who deluded the road would get unclogged quickly and my vehicle would block the road. I expected to see a minor rear-ending rather than sight of a woman and two children run over by a passenger car, a scene I would wish nobody to witness.

It turned out among drivers who had stopped by there were two doctors and people better than me trained in first aid who looked after victims of the accident. After being assured the injured had been taken care of and the ambulance and the police had been called in, I made away from the terrific scene. I sincerely own up to feeling like passing out at the sight of blood or mangled human body and though the obligation rescue a fellow man is stronger than anything else, I prefer to leave handling such accidents to people who are better prepared to do it.

The scene laid bare a full array of patterns of human behaviours in such situations. Reassuringly, there always are ones who stop over and help, but several selfish traits come to the light even when badly injured accident victims are a few steps away. Firstly, sensation-chasing – I would not dare and find it inappropriate to take photos or shoot films in such situations. Secondly, impatience – standing face to face with an accident in which there could have been fatalities is a sufficient reason to get you out of rush, while several drivers’ biggest worry was how to pass the scene by and carry on with their rush.

The police are looking for eye witnesses of the accident – meaning drivers of cars whose brake light I saw had not even bothered to stay at the scene and talk to the police which is crucial to find out what circumstances of the accident were, especially whether the driver was speeding.

Sadly, the debate between commentators at TVN Warszawa’s forums turned into a squabble between defenders of the motorised and of pedestrians. I don’t know who is guilty of this accident, but as a pedestrian, as a cyclist and as a driver I realise all traffic participants exhibit too little attention, predict too little, fail to stick to the rule of limited trust to other traffic participants. As a driver, I realise pedestrians and cyclists are weaker, less predictable and less responsible road users, therefore I am to think on their behalf as well and predict when and where they might appear out of the blue on the road. As a cyclist, I prefer to use public roads as rarely as possible and use cycling paths, pavements and roadsides, even if bumpy and I realise despite much stride made, there is too little respect for cyclists and too much enmity towards them. As a pedestrian, I still feel inferior to vehicles, a stance I had been taught at home and at school and watch out twice before crossing a road, especially if I realise a driver might not see me. As a fan of eco-driving, I also prefer to wait until cars move by, as each braking and acceleration consumes fuel and causes fumes emission…

The very experience of missing being an eye witness of the dreadful accident by one cycle of traffic lights on a preceding intersection also reminded me we constantly live on the edge and a bit of luck, stroke of fate or some other factors might decide whether we live, die or our lives change forever, as the life of driver who ran over the pedestrians will never be the same, regardless of charges he faces. The frightful event has also reminded me to be grateful for basic things: being in good health, with clear conscience and not being stricken by a sternly distressing life event.

Warsaw Southern Bypass – further east through Ursynów

Out for a longer Sunday early-afternoon walk through the neighbourhood to behold and share with the readers the progress of works commencing on POW (Southern Warsaw Bypass = Południowa Obwodnica Warszawy) construction site. I should have begun with a decent photo taken at the very end of S2 expressway (where cars do a U-turn to get onto ul. Puławska towards city centre) from where a view to the future route splays out, but I have not grabbed the smartphone a week ago, waiting for traffic lights to alter, the opportunity missed. Today, I have taken the camera with myself. Pardon quality of some pictures, as they were taken against the sunlight.

To the right, a former field east of Auchan hypermarket premises. This used to be a truly untouched terrain, an area cherished by MTB riders (nice bumpy paths) and dog-minders taking their animal friends for long walks. Those days are now a memory. The ground is fenced off, little is going on around so far.

Looking in the opposite direction, at blocks of flats on the northern side of ul. Płaskowickiej. Where I stand, Ursynów Zachód junction will be built, while ul. Indiry Gandhi (unfinished, straight ahead) will be extended and become a dual carriageway carrying the traffic into the expressway. Dwellers of these blocks must be truly delighted to find this just outsie their windows. (PS. watch out for the yellow banner on one of the balconies – a two-bedroom flat is up for sale)

Getting closer to what used to be a roundabout (now a regular intersection with traffic lights) where ul. Płaskowickiej and ul. Pileckiego cross each other. Here is where the lanes onto the tunnel are dug. Somewhere around here two large chimneys, lacking anti-fume filters (for which locals have called out for), will be erected. Again, properties in the area are bound to lose value, especially since even after the construction is completed, noise and fumes will become the order of the day around here.

Strolling further east, I reach the intersection with ul. Stryjeńskich. Construction site is fenced off on both sides; the roundabout still functions. The only three streets to remain passable through the entire building period are: ul. Stryjeńskich, Al. KEN and ul. Rosoła. Traffic chaos is probably inevitable, yet indispensable. In the distance, caretaker Stanisław Anioł, marvellously painted on the wall of a nearby block.

Not far later, I run across remnants of Bazarek na Dołku. A huge squabble sparked off around the place appreciated by locals and doggedly defended by merchants and their allies. I have not kept track of news on the matter of fair recently, but judging by the number of stalls on the former site of Natolin Północny bus terminus, the new location for merchants is on the other side of Al. KEN. Besides, I wonder how many people still prefer local marketplaces like that one to super- and hypermarkets.

Between Al. KEN and ul. Lanciego I cross ul. Płaskowickiej in a place where it is forbidden to take a snap through a hole in construction site’s fence. I cannot spot what I most wish to see, namely the uncovered tunnel of the underground line. Since the underground rail tunnels are quite shallow, expressway builders will need to dig beneath them (the bypass was planned there back in 1980s when the underground was built, hence no obstacles should appear along the way). Nevertheless, I fear there might be troubles and the southern part of Ursynów might be cut off from the rest of Warsaw underground-wise after an accident similar to the one which flooded the Wisłostrada tunnel in August 2012.

I admit to have known little about eastern fringes of Ursynów, there were very few occasions to venture there and there comes the sight east of ul. Nowoursynowska. Before Ursynów began to grow into a housing estate in 1970s, it consisted of fields, meadows and some farmlands. This squalid place appears to be a remnant of old days; hopefully in a while it will give way to some more civilised development.

At the edge of Ursynów, looking east from the escarpment towards Wilanów. Here the expressway will come out of the tunnel and run near recently built blocks of flat at the southern end of Miasteczko Wilanów. I still wonder how many people check zoning plans before spending thousands of zlotys on a property. For me personally, dwellings in the vicinity of POW have been ruled out of search long ago, despite lower (do not confuse for “more attractive” prices).

Looking forward to delivering some more news on the topic!