Is narrowing streets a good idea?
Within the last few years, there has been a trend in Warsaw to tighten roads, especially in the city’s center (e.g., Swietokrzyska Street). I know the reason for it is understandable. It is ecology. From a passers-by point of view, it is also a good idea. I walk and do street photography frequently. I like it when it is convenient to walk not only in the city center but in the whole of Poland’s capital. Still, what if there is an emergency (e.g., the Russians will bomb the capital of Poland), and people will have to run away? Will they stick in a massive traffic jam?
Undoubtedly, yes. For today, all these issues may seem science-fictional. After all, Poland is a NATO member.
When we remind ourselves that war in Ukraine occurs, is narrowing streets still an excellent idea? While writing about all these things, I remembered the pictures from Kyiv during the first day of the Russians’ invasion on the 24th of February, 2022. Kyiv’s residents were fleeing the capital of Ukraine hastily. There were enormous traffic jams on five lines on massive roads out of the city. What would happen if a similar issue appeared in Warsaw? Undoubtedly, many people could not flee Poland’s capital.
That’s why I wonder whether narrowing streets in Warsaw is a good idea.
For today (I wrote this text on the 9th of May, 2023), Putin still cannot capture the Ukrainian Bakhmut city. Luckily, the Russian orcs have been bleeding out for many months. Undoubtedly, Russians will lose the war against Ukraine. Still, Putin has nuclear weapons in his national arsenal. Now, we can return to the beginning of this text. What if Putin decided to use atomic bombs and shells, e.g., Warsaw? Today, I cannot imagine such a scenario. Thus, it is the end of this writing.
