A special lane for public transport has been equipped in Vitebsk
The innovation has been implemented on the initiative of the traffic police department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Directorate. The experience of other cities in Belarus and European countries served as a benchmark.
– A separate lane for public transport is designated to increase the efficiency of traffic flow, – says Viktor Kosenkov, head of the traffic management organization department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Directorate's traffic police. – For example, on the section of Frunze Avenue from Freedom Square to Lyudnikov Avenue, the rightmost lane is usually occupied by parked cars. And when they pull out, public transport is forced to change lanes and slow down. In fact, only two out of three lanes are free on this section. Buses, trolleybuses, and minibuses have to move into the middle lane. This creates inconvenience for the general traffic flow and reduces road safety.
According to the interviewee, parking and movement of any vehicles other than scheduled buses, trolleybuses, and minibuses are prohibited on the public transport lane. Drivers who ignore this requirement will be fined one basic unit (24.5 rubles) by the traffic police.
– Unhindered movement along the dedicated lane will help public transport adhere to its schedules more precisely, – emphasizes Viktor Vladimirovich. – At the same time, the road's throughput capacity increases, as the other two lanes of the avenue are freer.
However, some citizens believe that this situation will lead to an increase in traffic jams. Viktor Kosenkov, on the contrary, is confident that thanks to the innovation, traffic congestion will decrease.
– As the experience of Western European cities shows, the presence of such lanes encourages citizens to give up car trips and switch to buses, trolleybuses, and minibuses, – the interlocutor reasons. – After all, the more efficiently public transport operates, the more citizens use it.
Meanwhile, public transport on Frunze Avenue does not always run in the "dedicated lane"; some trolleybus drivers, out of habit, drive into the middle lane.
– Yes, not everyone has gotten used to the innovation yet, – notes Viktor Kosenkov. – Although before its implementation, we met with the administration both at the Vitebsk Bus Depot No. 1, and at the Tram and Trolleybus Administration, and at organizations carrying out minibuses transportation, and told them about the special lane.
– Will new dedicated lanes for public transport appear in Vitebsk in the future?
– We will study where they should be implemented, – says Viktor Vladimirovich. – For example, on Lenin Street between Freedom Square and Victory Square, there is a narrow section near the Holy Protection Cathedral, with only two lanes, so it is problematic to introduce something similar there.