A woonerf has been created in Sopot. It is the first of its kind in the city. How was it laid out and who will it serve?
what is a woonerf?
Contrary to the common opinion of some traffic participants, a woonerf does not mean throwing cars off the streets, but reducing their priority and putting them on an equal footing with pedestrians and cyclists. This solution emerged in the Netherlands in the 1970s. It was caused by a crisis in the amount of space for pedestrians and a raw materials crisis. When creating woonerfs, it is primarily about traffic calming.
The authorities of Sopot decided on such a solution. The choice of a woonerf was dictated by several external factors - protection against flooding, the need to improve safety and reconstruction of infrastructure.
After many consultations with residents of the area, we decided that by planning an investment to protect the lower terrace of the city from flooding, we could simultaneously calm traffic and change the appearance of this part of Sopot. I am convinced that it will be one of the most beautiful public spaces in Poland. The balance between bicycle, car and pedestrian traffic is a solution used in many European cities and, as experience has shown, it greatly improves the quality of life not only of local residents, but of all users of these spaces," points out Marcin Skwierawski, deputy mayor of Sopot.
woonerf on park street
© Sopot City Hall
sopot solution
The woonerf implemented in Sopot is almost one kilometer and four hundred meters long, the longest section of which is on Parkowa Street. Protection against flooding is based on new rain channels, as well as limited but nevertheless present greenery.
Streets where it was decided to introduce a woonerf
© Sopot City Hall
The entire length of the woonerf has a maximum speed limit of twenty kilometers per hour for automobile traffic. Parking has been arranged and designated in appropriate places. It was decided to standardize small architecture, as well as to introduce a paved surface.
in search of people, or a real evaluation of the woonerf
The evaluation of the solution introduced by the Sopot municipality will have to wait, although there are already voices of criticism. As RMF FM journalists point out, the issue of parking and gentrification comes up in conversations with residents of Parkowa Street. Locals are afraid of the lack of parking, but also of being pushed out by tourists, who will sit the entire holiday season on Parkowa Street.
A woonerf, like any urban space whether it's a green square or a four-lane road, requires adaptation and getting used to. The Sopot solution mainly lacks greenery - the existing one at the moment is dwarfed and low. With the final assessment should wait, but it is encouraging that in Poland we are increasingly using the tool of the woonerf.
How the woonerf will serve will be judged after a few months
© Sopot City Hall
