July the 28th, 2023 – There are serious Zagreb traffic issues causing problems across the board, mainly owing to construction. It seems as if this summer is worse than before. But why? It’s a case of putting bureaucracy ahead of public interest, yet again.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, almost every summer we have the exact same scene happening here in Zagreb – the city turns into a confusing construction site and it becomes almost difficult to find a road where there is no “digging” obstructing the passage of cars.
The answer to why we always witness a “fit of diligence” during the hot summer months hasn’t changed over the years. The city’s roads are paved in the summer because the temperatures are ideal for that, and most of Zagreb’s residents are spending time on the coast.
However, HRT notes that many people have quite rightly been getting the impression that numerous open construction sites which have seemingly suddenly popped up have created never-greater crowds and complications.
Traffic through dug-up streets, closed underpasses and railway bridges have become the norm and have caused significant Zagreb traffic issues. It’s literally as if the people of Zagreb have become hostages of a special traffic regulation that has appeared from nowhere and apparently has no end in sight.
Marko Ševrović, an expert in road traffic safety from the Faculty of Traffic in Zagreb, emphasised that the simultaneity of the large amount of works currently being undertaken has caused huge Zagreb traffic issues.
“There’s currently a situation in which works are also being carried out on alternative routes and this leads to what we have today,” he said, adding that he believes that there should be better coordination between all the bodies that are carrying out the current works across the city.
“There is a situation where works are also being carried out on alternative routes as well and this leads to what we have today,” he said.
“The fact is that there’s a problem with public procurement, contracting works and a whole series of related issues. The administration and bureaucracy are consistently put before the people. “Ultimately, the city must function and the people who work in it during the summer ensure GDP growth, which is what makes the state function, but the state absolutely must find a way to provide mobility to people,” emphasised Ševrović.
He pointed out that very little attention is currently being paid to how the works will affect the mobility of Zagreb’s residents at all. As he says, this is much more taken into account in Western Europe when it comes to such matters.
“When engaging in some kind of works that are sensitive in regard to infrastructure, it affects the economic activity of people and that shouldn’t be ignored,” he said, adding that people would generally be in favour of the works being carried out at night to relieve most Zagreb traffic issues, despite the fact that it is more expensive.
