By Dušan Ković
Daily stress, frustration, and anger brought on by the congested streets of Belgrade have become an unavoidable part of our lives for years now. How this impacts our overall health and mental stability is something each of us will eventually have to reckon with. Hopefully, it won’t be too late…
There’s little need to elaborate on the traffic congestion issues in our capital. We all know the story all too well. Something needs to be done. But while we wait for that “something” to happen, it might be useful to revisit the many reasons behind the current state of our traffic – or at least most of them…
The primary issue is certainly Belgrade’s infrastructure, with its network of narrow streets that offer limited capacity for the vehicles passing through. The few boulevards we do have hardly resemble those “American-style” thoroughfares. Add to that a large number of intersections, with or without traffic lights, and it’s easy to see why our city isn’t suited for such a large volume of vehicles.
Next up is the sheer number of cars on the streets. It’s too high, and that’s an undeniable fact. It’s equally undeniable that the key to reducing congestion lies in decreasing this number. Voluntarily or through regulatory measures, this is the only real solution.
The third problem is the severe shortage of parking spaces for all these vehicles. The number of zoned parking spaces and public garages is negligible, while other parking options are sorely inadequate. This often leads to drivers parking however they can manage, rather than in a way that doesn’t block others.
The chaotic – or better said, neglected – management of traffic lights is also a crucial factor. In central areas, cars seem to spend more time idling than moving. The much-needed “green waves” appear in only a few streets and boulevards – if that. A detailed feature could be written about the functioning of traffic lights here, one as extensive as a typical household cookbook! And if we add to this the large number of speed bumps, placed relentlessly on some streets with several in a row, it becomes even clearer why cars seem to crawl rather than drive.
Roadworks, aimed either at surface repairs or more in-depth construction, drag on indefinitely, often taking place during peak traffic hours, which only serves to lower average driving speeds to nearly unusable levels.
Then there’s the aggravating state of road surfaces, poorly maintained at best. Even when fresh asphalt is laid down, it lasts just a few years before needing replacement, with the same delays and extended deadlines.
City buses loading and unloading passengers at stops on major routes regularly form queues of vehicles behind them that “travel” along from stop to stop. This type of congestion has become iconic in streets like Dragoslava Srejovića in Karaburma and Mite Ružića in Mirijevo.
Many drivers might think that traffic police stationed at intersections, rather than lights, could help improve flow. But with the dozens of major intersections and others that connect to them, it quickly becomes apparent that the number of police required would exceed the city’s entire force. For this reason, officers are generally absent from intersections, as a few here and there make no impact on traffic speed or congestion.
For decades, street-cleaning vehicles operated in the third shift to avoid disturbing daytime traffic. Yet in recent years, we see them not only during morning and afternoon rush hours but throughout the day. It’s baffling and frustrating to see Dulevo-brand street cleaners, moving at the pace of a funeral procession, out on narrow streets at 6 or 7 a.m. on weekdays when overtaking is simply impossible. At least once a week, all of us have had to wait in broad daylight for rubbish collectors to empty bins before we could carry on. Even watering flowers in the summer is done early in the morning, precisely when drivers’ impatience to get to work is at its peak.
Moments like these, coupled with lapses in judgment and concentration, often lead to minor accidents. Rather than completing the European Accident Report and clearing the road, many drivers choose to leave their cars in the middle of the road and wait for the police.
And while they wait, a line of cars forms behind them in no time.
And then there’s the stalled trolleybus – a discussion hardly worth starting. The worst part is that it can’t be moved until the city’s towing service arrives, and that can take a while. This inevitably results in a queue stretching several intersections. Even when operational, trolleybuses need a perfectly smooth road to travel effectively. Damaged asphalt, deep drains, and poorly parked cars along their route are hardly conducive to smooth travel.
Navigating Belgrade’s Narrow Streets: A Perennial Dilemma
In the narrow streets of Belgrade, it’s hard to tell what’s worse – bins left in the middle of the road or cars brazenly parked in the same space. Both have such a profoundly negative impact on traffic flow that any further comment seems unnecessary. This brings to mind a quintessential Serbian traffic “speciality” – the use of the hazard lights. When a shrewd and experienced driver switches them on, it’s as if all their life’s problems have been solved. With hazard lights flashing, they feel free to drive the wrong way down a one-way street, park on tram tracks, abandon their car on a green space, block the pavement, or leave their car right in the middle of the road “for just five minutes.” As the writer of these lines, I am deeply convinced that such vehicles should be confiscated for a minimum of three months as a warning, and each repeat offence should result in a doubled penalty!
The lack of underground and overhead pedestrian crossings is a significant drawback for this city, especially since no one has even attempted to address traffic chaos from this angle.
Delivery vehicles stopped in the middle of the road while unloading goods at retail shops are yet another reason why cyclists can often travel faster than cars. Not to mention the safety hazard this presents to drivers navigating darkened streets in the early morning hours.
Aggressive driving and deliberate traffic violations could be the subject of an entire novel, whether written by drivers or pedestrians. Curbing this behaviour lies solely with the traffic police, who are clearly not doing what they should. There’s simply no excuse for it.
It’s unclear whether petrol in Belgrade is unusually cheap or if the cost of living is so high, but it’s evident that city drivers are unfazed by the fact that they are the only passenger in the vehicle as they inch through the traffic on their way to work or, in the evening, on their way home. Wouldn’t it be more economical to take on a passenger, charge a fare, and reduce both commuting costs and congestion? Apparently, this possibility doesn’t cross anyone’s mind. Regardless of drivers’ opinions, perhaps this idea could be worth pursuing. Here’s a suggestion: city authorities could launch a competition to develop a mobile app, similar to the popular BlaBlaCar app, tailored specifically for Belgrade and its surroundings. This would allow drivers willing to reduce their commuting costs to find passengers for their daily work commutes, providing a small financial incentive. Combined with optimising traffic light programming, such an app could breathe new life into Belgrade’s traffic system. And right now, that’s exactly what we need – if only as a temporary fix until a more comprehensive solution can be found.
(Danas, 04.11.2024)
https://www.danas.rs/dijalog/licni-stavovi/male-tajne-guzvi-na-beogradskim-ulicama/