The topic covered in the publication of the non-governmental organization Biciklo.me "Transportation tailored to everyone: how to improve urban mobility in Podgorica in a year" is complex and the city administration wants to approach it with maximum seriousness.
The Capital City stated this in an email to "Vijesti" requesting to comment on the published document and also answer several questions from the editorial staff. They also explained that, for this reason, instead of the proposed deadline of January 29, they will submit the answers by the end of that week.
On Friday, January 31, they sent a new email, but without a single comment or answer to the questions asked.
Among other things, they were asked for their comments on the published publication and specific proposals regarding the Sustainable Mobility Plan, as well as whether there are active cyclists and/or other employees in the services of the Capital City who support urban mobility in other ways.
"The Secretariat for Transport is active every day in the field of finding and implementing positive solutions to achieve the goal of sustainable urban mobility. In this regard, we will let the results we plan to achieve in the future speak for themselves instead of our answers to individual questions about the publication. The satisfaction of traffic participants, as well as a quality lifestyle, are the goals of this secretariat. Additionally, we thank all our associates and the interested public for their contribution to achieving the above," reads the response they submitted to "Vijesti" on Friday.
On January 25, the NGO Biciklo.me presented the publication "Traffic tailored to your needs" with specific short-term and medium-term recommendations intended for the administration of the Capital City of Podgorica, so that, as they stated, "it can respond to the numerous traffic challenges in Podgorica in a quick, efficient and fair manner at the beginning of its mandate."
Local elections were held in Podgorica on September 29, 2024. At the end of the year, instead of the mayor, Oliver Injac, elected Saša Mujović.
"The document is primarily intended for the administration of the Capital City of Podgorica, which began its four-year mandate at the end of 2024... By implementing the recommendations from this document, the administration could quickly and efficiently make visible progress in sustainable traffic management at an early stage of its mandate and create the foundations for further work in this area based on modern practices and a strategic approach. In addition, the local administration would also demonstrate political support for sustainable urban mobility, which seems to be more needed than ever, through rapid interventions," Biciklo.me stated.
The event at which the publication was presented was organized at the National Library "Radosav Ljumović" and was attended by representatives of the secretariat and other administrative bodies of the Capital City.
In a twenty-page document, the authors remind that the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan is an umbrella strategic document for addressing challenges in the field of transport and improving the quality of life in Podgorica.
They state that its application to date has been limited, but that "there are clear opportunities for significant progress in the future."
"The key prerequisite for this is the return of political support for this plan and this method of planning, which will result in concrete measures and activities aimed at sustainable forms of mobility such as walking, cycling and public transport, as well as the optimization of motor traffic," they state, among other things.
The authors of the publication also proposed renewing political support for the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, as well as drafting a new resolution on the establishment of the Coordination Body for Monitoring the Implementation of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, a possible change in the structure of that body, and specifying the manner in which that body works, including tasks, responsibilities, meeting dynamics, and reporting methods.
"Vijesti" contacted the authorities in the Capital City regarding the publication and asked for a comment on these proposals.
Fines, speed limits, more expensive parking
The authors of the publication, in the section relating to penal policy, recommend that the competent authorities focus their efforts on punishing unauthorized stopping and parking in places where it is expressly prohibited (sidewalks, bicycle paths, bus stops, green areas, roundabouts and parking spaces for the disabled).
They recommend speed limits on individual streets, including Ilija Plamenac, Radosav Burić, Dušan Milutinović, Ljubović, Nikola Tesla, Ivo Andrić, Zmaj Jovin, Meša Selimović, Milivoj Pavlović, Goce Delčev, Skopska, Đulje Jovanova, Braće Ribar, Vlada Ćetković...
Traffic calming using physical barriers should, they add, also be implemented on streets located near educational institutions and classified as state roads, such as Josipa Boza Tita Boulevard, "which in its current design poses a great danger to all road users, and is often the site of traffic accidents."
On Josipa Broza Boulevard, the so-called 8-8 street in the Stari Aerodrom neighborhood, as the Police Department told "Vijesti" last summer, 62 traffic accidents occurred in a year. That's an average of more than one traffic accident per week.
Although aware that the measure is unpopular, Biciklo.me is also proposing an increase in parking prices.
"In order to reduce traffic congestion and provide more free parking spaces for those who really need them, it is recommended to increase parking prices, especially in the city center. Although this measure may be unpopular, it could yield significant results in the long run, as it motivates citizens to consider alternative ways of moving around the city, such as using public transportation, cycling, or walking," the publication states.
And local officials to ride the bus
In order to improve public transport services, they propose that the far right traffic lanes, which "are often used for illegal stopping and parking on certain boulevards in the city," be converted into special lanes for public transport traffic.
This, they add, would significantly improve the punctuality and reliability of bus lines, especially during the morning and afternoon rush hours, and would combat the problem of illegal stopping and parking at these locations.
They proposed establishing a fast bus line Stari Aerodrom-Tološi, introducing benefits in public transport (discounted monthly tickets, a city card for public transport in combination with other benefits), and issuing free monthly tickets to local employees instead of a transportation fee.
New lanes and more money to buy a bike
In the section related to cycling infrastructure, Biciklo.me proposes the rehabilitation of existing ones, but also the creation of new cycling corridors:
"Given the significant reduction in cycling infrastructure during 2024, it is necessary to invest efforts in its expansion, as well as better connecting the existing network," they state.
Biciklo.me proposes that certain neighborhoods (Masline, Stari aerodrom, Zagorič, Donja and Gornja Gorica) be connected to the city center with bicycle infrastructure by the end of the mandate, as well as that a Blok V-Siti kvart bicycle corridor be created through the university campus.
The proposal is to increase the amount of the subsidy for the purchase of bicycles. In June 2024, the capital city announced the tenth cycle, with a budget of 30.000 euros. At that time, citizens were provided with subsidies of 50 percent of the price of a bicycle, up to a maximum amount of 150 euros per application.
Biciklo.me adds that such public calls should be announced several times a year, "in order to provide continuous support to citizens and further encourage the popularization of bicycle traffic."
Hiking map, safe routes for students
In order to protect pedestrians from reckless drivers who park on sidewalks, the NGO proposed installing physical barriers such as bollards.
By the end of their mandate, they recommended that the city administration create a pedestrian map of Podgorica, create safe routes to schools for all primary and secondary schools, create a database of dangerous locations for pedestrians, reconstruct the "Gazela" pedestrian bridge in order to adapt it to the needs of people with disabilities and people with reduced mobility, and also run campaigns "to promote walking as a form of urban mobility."
The publication “Transportation for Everyone: How to Improve Urban Mobility in Podgorica in a Year” is available on the website biciklo.me.
The authors of the document are Stefan Bulatović i Blažo Crvenica from Biciklo.me, a reviewer Aljaž Plevnik from the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia.
There are still streets that are not accessible to people with disabilities.
In Podgorica, there are still streets that are not fully adapted for the movement of people with disabilities and people with reduced mobility, because they do not have adapted ramps at pedestrian crossings, according to the NGO Biciklo.me.
They add that some of the locations that lack ramps are the entrance gate at the Children's Hospital, the pedestrian crossing at the monument to Franc Prešeren, 4th of July (near the Građevinar building), Nikola Tesla (near the Health Center)...
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