As Lithuania struggles to curb traffic deaths and stop the deterioration of its roads, experts are pointing at a success story just down the road – Poland.
Vidmantas Pumputis, an expert from the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Vilnius TECH University, said people in Lithuania used to criticise Polish roads, contrasting them negatively with their own. Now, the situation has reversed.
In 2010, Poland adopted a strategic plan for the development and expansion of roads, which included €24 billion in investment from the Polish budget and European Union funds over 15 years. The aim was to create modern, comfortable, and safe roads.
This followed Warsaw designating roads as one of Poland’s seven top priorities.
“Many acute problems have been solved like eliminating pedestrians, cyclists, tractors from main roads,” said Pumputis, adding that the auxiliary traffic was moved to side and access roads.
All the contracts are tendered on a design-build basis, according to Pumputis, which means that the design and construction services are contracted by a single entity.
Only national roads receive attention from Warsaw, while all minor roads are the responsibility of the municipalities.
According to last year’s data, Poland had the lowest number of fatalities in the European Union over the last 10 years.
Lithuania has now earmarked €784 million in next year’s budget bill for road maintenance and management, less than this year. Critics say this will not be enough to stop the deterioration of the country’s road infrastructure.
In July, Spinter Research conducted a representative survey, which showed that road construction and repairs are among the top ten most pressing issues for Lithaunian population.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
