This week, the people of Zagreb received the news about the new traffic regulation on Savska cesta, one of the busiest and most important traffic “bloodlines”, and not long after, the plan was put into practice with the installation of the first meters of barriers to “protect the yellow lane”. The Mayor of the City of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, presented at a press conference a series of measures to ensure faster, more reliable and more frequent public transport, and the key change relates to the yellow lanes on Savska cesta, where eight of the fifteen tram lines pass.
Yellow strip fencing
Although the yellow strip has existed at this location for 45 years, the rules are being broken more and more often, which significantly slows down traffic – anyone who has driven Savska in recent decades can testify to that. According to a study by the Faculty of Transport, cars that improperly use the yellow lane in the morning peak traffic slow down tram traffic by up to 50% on certain sections.
In order to solve the problem, the City is installing physical barriers (so-called klemmfix) along the entire route – from Veslačka in the south to Frankopanska Street in the north. Installation work began on Thursday and will last four to five nights. For drivers who respect the rules, the traffic regulation remains the same, the City says, and the goal is to prevent violations and ensure priority for public transport.
Zabrana za taksi
Along with the installation of barriers, the new measure also includes a complete ban on the use of the tram corridor for taxis on Savska cesta. The number of taxis in Zagreb has grown to about 5,000 in recent years, which is why these vehicles are now significantly slowing down trams. Taxi drivers have already been prohibited from driving on the yellow line in certain sections of the city, and now this measure has been extended to the entire Sava road.
As expected, this decision immediately raised a storm of comments on social networks, because not everyone agrees with this solution. The City claims that citizens have stated in surveys that they support more restrictive rules in favor of public transport (68% of them approve of giving priority to trams and buses at traffic lights) and that 83% of respondents support punishing drivers who drive illegally on yellow lanes. However, citizens have objections to these barriers, and they claim that it will make it difficult for cars to travel, create congestion when taxis are not allowed on the yellow lane, and make it impossible for emergency services to pass (they know how to “drive a slalom” between the yellow lane and the regular lane).
Below is a question for those who are concerned with traffic regulations in Savska cesta in Zagreb.