the problem of traffic in thessaloniki: plans

The problem of traffic in Thessaloniki: The problem of traffic in Thessaloniki: Plans in progress, benefits, results and Plans in progress, benefits, results and

the citizens rolethe citizens role

2nd GENERAL LYCEUM OF POLICHNI

THESSALONIKI – GREECE

NIKIVELOU AIMILIA

PISTOFIDI THEODORA

DESCRIPTIONDESCRIPTIONThe greatest problem in our city is traffic jam and its impacts on our life.

It is important to present not only the current situation, but also the infrastructure works that have been planned, or are under construction (subway, submarine road).

we will try to highlight...

how the civil works in our city, are scheduled and constructed

who decides and acts

what’s the citizens’ role in the whole procedure

and evaluate their effectiveness, through a vision and sustainable Thessaloniki, with a better quality of life.

EXPLAINEXPLAIN

.

Taking into consideration the following...

1.Hundreds of vehicles stuck in a

traffic jam every day, with average

speed at peak hours almost equaling to

walking speed (6 km/h).

2. Thessaloniki, has no access to

“guided” means of mass

transportation, but has hundreds of

vehicles parked in double row,

strangling its road.

EXPLAINEXPLAIN

3. Thessaloniki is the city with the

heaviest air pollution, compared to all

middle and large sized cities of the

E.U. (pm>50μg/m3 )

4. The buses, the city’s only means of

mass transportation, for the last 25

years, functioning with no considerable

change in number or way of operation,

in a metropolitan area, that has been

multiplied in both , area and population

EXPLAINEXPLAIN

We chose to focus on the two big civil works ...

The subway

The submarine road

that promise to solve the problems mentioned before

OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS

We sought out information concerning its planning, basic

characteristics and the level of progress.

We pointed out the circulatory benefits:

1.reduction of traffic in the city center

2. rise of the average vehicles speed at peak hours

3. reduction of the average transportation time.

the subway ...

We listed environmental and urban planning benefits:

1. reduction in fuel consumption

2. reduction in emission of air pollution from vehicular traffic by 35-40%

3. creation of pedestrian walkways in the city center.

OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS


the submarine road ...

we got informed on the main specification of this work

as well as, the record of the long term arguments between part of

the citizens and the work’s administrators.

This conflict is due to considerable environmental and urban

planning disturbances it causes to part of the city, and the whole

metropolitan area as well.


Our plan is aiming at highlighting

the improvements, that should be done

to both of these works, and consider

the importance of active citizens’

participation in planning and designing

of important works, that are going to

change the face of their city.


we focused on the following subjects...

Subway

1. the benefits from the subway construction will be multiplied,

extending it to the north-western and eastern parts of the city, since

the currently designed length is insufficient

2. since, along with the subway construction, a large archeological

excavation takes place in the city, this is our big chance to combine

the construction of the underground with the protection and

spotlighting of our rich archeological past.


we regarded as very important the following citizen’s objections:

a. difficulty of citizen’s access to the coast, and construction of high

height funnels

b. destruction of the existing city parks

c. tolls are to be placed

d. change of the coastal road into double direction. As a consequence, it

has to be widened by 14 m against parks and green areas.

submarine road


e. Its submarine part is rather small, whereas the surface one is big

and ends up in the city center. This will prone to create traffic jam

in the exit

f. due to the deafening noise coming from vehicles, sound screens

will be placed alongside the coastal road, that will conceal once and

for all, visibility to the sea for the citizens.

submarine road

RESULTSRESULTS

Our team has taken action with consideration to fulfilling three criteria:

Prevention: in regards to problems that may rise

Respect: of citizen’s right to clean environment, access to parks and

better quality of life

Protection: of natural, historical and social status quo.

RESULTSRESULTS

, We contacted the municipalities

involved in the subway’s extension

and registered their opinions

We did exactly the same thing

with municipalities that are not

included in it.

Subway...

RESULTSRESULTS

We discussed with Urban Bus Organization’s management

We drew a map of our own, to

connect bus routes with the designed

subway path, aiming at providing the

best possible services to citizens in the

whole metropolitan area that is in both,

centre and suburbs, where we noted

down the arising benefits on natural,

historical and social environment.

RESULTSRESULTS

We contacted the local authorities

that supported the work’s planning.

We sought out to see how informed

the citizens were about this work.

We created a questionnaire and

analyzed the results

The majority of citizens disregard

the cornerstone points of the work’s

planning.

Submarine road...

RESULTSRESULTS

Based on the information available to us

we created a drawing, which presented a

coastal view of the city, after the

construction of the submarine road and

hung it up in a central position in the city

challenging citizens to debate about it,

and express their opinion anonymously,

on a form.

We recorded the whole project, classified

the citizens’ feedbacks and presented the

results in an event.

Conclusions...Conclusions...

Evaluating our efforts:

We believe that we highlighted,

through our activities,

the importance of citizens’

awareness and participation,

as an essential prerequisite of a

sustainable city development, fulfilling

all three criteria:

prevention, respect and protection.

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