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Abstract
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Decision-making in transportation policy in Polish towns has recently become much more complicated than hitherto, for a number of new circumstances and conditions must now be taken into consideration. Some are typical of worldwide processes, some, however, pertain specifically to the situation in Poland. As in many other countries, especially in those developing rapidly, the following phenomena have had to be considered:
-the intens~~cation of urb~isation processes,
-the rapid development of motorisation and its consequences,
-the improvement of the inhabitants' living conditions and their consequent growing mobility,
-the changing situation in energy production (fuel crisis),
-the growing importance of preservation of the natural environment. Urban development
In 1975 an administrative reform was introduced in Poland, in co~~ue~~ of which 49 voivodship (districts) were created in place of 17 existing hitherto. This resulted in the sudden emergence of a considerably large number of new voivodship seats, ie. towns which are chara~terised - together with a few other so-called national growth centres -by the quickest growth in the number of inbabit~ts, of new places of employment, of territorial development, efc. To make one realise the scale and range of this phenomenon it is enough to say that some of these towns are to double the number of their inhabitants in less than twenty years. This must naturally change most decisively the conditions of transport service in the towns in question: the average distance between the origins and destination of trips (e.g. between the place of living and the place of work) will increase, and new districts situated further and further away from the centre must be included in the public transport system. A similar process - though on a somewhat smaller scale -can also be noted in other towns of Poland. This means, in general, a great increase of transport work in al1 modes of transportation, which is the result of the growth of the number of people living in urban areas, the increase of the average distance of travel, and the general growth in the mobiiity of people
Language: en |