The Sava Bridge in Zagreb was renovated last week along with the adjacent bus and tram stops, reported vecernji.hr on April 12th, 2017. The whole area was repaved, potholes were filled, road markings painted to designate bike lanes and pedestrian zones. Bus stop shelters are to be installed next, as well as new public toilets. The entire investment is worth around 1.5 million kuna, but it’s still getting called cosmetic due to the fact that only minor issues are being fixed at the moment, while a large-scale renovation project is supposed to be carried out in the fall.
The image above shows the bridge after the renovation was done. It could use some more work, but at least the road markings look good. Well, someone in the City of Zagreb decided the pavement needs an extra touch-up. Just a few days after the end of renovation, the road markings on the bridge were removed – poorly – and a new set was painted on using a somewhat different layout. Take a look at the “after” picture:
The bike lanes were moved to the center of the pavement, dividing the pedestrian area in two side parts, while previous markings are still partially visible. Just typing this out feels extremely ridiculous – it’s hard to imagine the actual thought process behind the official decision that led to this outcome. Two options come to mind: either someone in the City council wasn’t able to sleep at night because the first pavement layout turned out asymmetrical, or some extra money needed to change hands. If you need help guessing, take a look at this visual reminder of what is considered repairing pavement cracks in Croatia:
Photo source: I to je Zagreb Facebook
