The city failed, so they took matters into their own hands. Kraków has a Night Cycling Roads Authority, which takes care of the city's bicycle infrastructure after dark.
In May 2014, a referendum was held in Krakow, which initially was supposed to concern only the organization of the Winter Olympics, but eventually included three other key issues for the city - the construction of a subway, the organization of a general video surveillance system and the expansion of bicycle infrastructure. The most positive answers were given to the last of the questions. According to the results of the referendum, the city has added more than 100 kilometers of roads for bicycles over the past ten years. Despite the fact that today Krakow is crisscrossed by a dense network of bicycle paths, in numerous sections this infrastructure leaves much to be desired, while in some places it is dangerous and has been in urgent need of modernization for years. Faced with the indifference of the Authorities, matters into their own hands decided to take the citizens of Cracow, who organized themselves into a group repairing bicycle paths under the cover of darkness.
New overruns on bicycle paths in Krakow
© Night Management of Bicycle Paths
Night Management of Bicycle Paths
The Night Management of Bicycle Roads, because that's the name of this grassroots initiative, has been fighting high overruns and curbs in bike paths for a year. The method of the fight is simple - after dark, representatives of the Board find the highest and most dangerous curbs, and then , using construction materials purchased at their own expense, create gentle overruns. Initially they used concrete mix, but now the work is done with cold-drying asphalt, trowels and bricks, with which they level the layers of construction materials. This year they have already used 250 kilograms of the mix, which has created a significant number of crossings and curb ramps. A manhole, which protruded from the roadway and posed a danger to cyclists using the paths, was also recently worked on. Thanks to the work of the Night Bicycle Road Administration, moving around the city by unicycle is safer and more comfortable, and wheelchair users also benefit from the solutions. It might seem that the activities of the grassroots organization deserve only praise. However, representatives of city institutions take a different view.
New overruns on bicycle paths in Krakow
© Night Bicycle Roads Management
city bounces the ball
Last Friday, the Roads Authority of the City of Krakow published a feverish communiqué calling the grassroots activities of the Night Bicycle Roads Authority "a kind of happening" and calling for a halt to the work. Criticism from the city institution is based mainly on the alleged impermanence of the solutions used by the Night Board and potential problems with water drainage at the curbs. ZDMK is therefore encouraging people to enter the dialogue page. As stressed by members of the initiative, which is certainly much more than a "peculiar happening," the lack of dialogue is definitely due to the attitude of ZDMK, which for years has dismissed residents reporting the need for alterations. It is in these places, forgotten by ZDMK, that those associated with the Night Bike Road Authority are active. The range of excuses is said to be wide - from the high cost of redesigns, to potential waterlogging, to the usual "it can't be done." As can be seen from the actions of the Night Bicycle Road Administration, ZDMK's argumentation is at odds with reality, as new driveways are being built, puddles are not, and it costs a few dozen zlotys to build such a structure. It's not much more expensive to use a ready-made element, as rubber-made ramps for overruns can be bought for as little as two hundred or even a hundred zlotys.
New overruns on bicycle paths in Krakow
© Night Bicycle Roads Management
The response from the city's Bicycle Infrastructure Team, which was established in July by Mayor Aleksander Miszalski, is somewhat different. According to the Team 's communiqué, the activities of the Night Bicycle Road Administration are no longer a "happening," but rather a spectacular way of drawing attention to a problematic issue. As they inform:
The body, which has recently begun activities on the development of bicycle infrastructure, will also work out solutions for its ongoing improvement - on a continuous basis on the basis of maintenance work and relatively simple corrections in infrastructure and traffic organization, which at a low cost and rapid implementation in the field, are capable of improving the comfort of all vulnerable road users. The related recommendations and proposed action plan will soon be presented to the mayor of Krakow and all members of the Bicycle Infrastructure Development Team.
New overruns on bicycle paths in Krakow
© Night Bicycle Roads Management
years of omission
However, the Night Cycling Roads Board has its own, very simple demands- from the city authorities they are demanding 100 repaired curbs by the end of the year and full regulation of the situation with overruns within the next three years. The demands are not unfounded - according to the decree of the Minister of Infrastructure, a fault on a bicycle path can be no more than 1 cm. The local law is even more restrictive in this matter, because according to the "Bicycle Infrastructure Standards", an ordinance of the Mayor of Krakow, such a fault can have a maximum depth of 4 millimeters, and ultimately there should be no fault at all. Unfortunately, in Krakow we are still dealing with a legal fiction. After many years of omissions and unkept promises, residents have taken charge of the repairs, and in return have only faced criticism from the authorities.
