No more traffic jams in Gliwice

Growing number of cars, traffic jams, traffic peaks, bottlenecks make lives of drivers difficult in almost every Polish city. In Gliwice, we have been working on providing solutions to improve city traffic for years. The existing intelligent traffic control system has recently been expanded by Poland’s one of a kind innovative solutions. One of the novelties consists in giving priority green light to buses and privileged rescue services. Special transmitters offer them a quicker and safer ride through an intersection with traffic lights.

In case of buses – depending on how late they are running – the system offers additional seconds of green light for them to leave the intersection. When it comes to police, emergency ambulance services or fire brigades, traffic lights, when necessary, turn into a mode when all other road users get a red light.

This helps shorten the time necessary for rescue services to get to where they are needed. We also installed new signs which can display different content and provide drivers with most important information about traffic, accidents and possible alternative routes. Moreover, we expanded the automatic parking space detection system, which allows drivers to find a parking place and park more quickly. Additionally, we developed a mobile application which helps citizens of our city plan the best city drive through route. The application is intuitive and user friendly.

Upon selecting any option in the menu, a map of Gliwice opens where you can find e.g. information about journey time on selected routes, weather conditions and many more. The data is kept up to date thanks to the information received form sensors and devices installed at all intersections with traffic lights, main city roads, and also on buses. Today we can say that the app enjoys great popularity. The system we implemented is open, which means that new functions can still be added.

I learnt that a state-of-the-art traffic control system was implemented in Gliwice from TV. At that time, I only remembered that there would be no more traffic jams like before. I thought: what a relief. It was a piece of information which couldnot have been ignored because when you are a parent to two, often tired and crying babies, and you have to travel with them somewhere almost every day, every additional minute spent in the car increases tension and favours frustration. Fewer traffic jams mean less stress. I am happy that the city thinks about car users and creates systems which help travel more smoothly and more quickly. This is also a factor families consider when choosing where they want to live. Today, it is not only about a job well done, but also about how long it takes to get there, how much time I will spend in my car travelling to a day-care facility, to the doctor or to do some bigger shopping and back.

Our family lives in Trynek. Since the implementation of the system, there have been fewer traffic jams indeed, traffic goes more smoothly. You can really feel the change. When we go to visit our parents at the seaside, at night we often have to wait for the green light at an intersection, even though the streets are empty and it is not necessary to wait. When we come back, we travel smoothly through Gliwice because if there are no cars at an intersection – we get green light immediately. When we visit our relatives in Zabrze, or even much smaller Tarnowskie Góry, we also see the difference – even small cities get jammed, and in Gliwice, even though the traffic is heavy, cars move more smoothly.

Because we have kids, we rarely use public transport. However, some of our friends still travel by buses and they appreciate the application which shows bus arrival times. They know whether they need to hurry.

We are also fond of other conveniences. Most of all, the boards informing about free parking places and traffic jams, because nobody wants to find themselves in a place which is difficult to leave. All this helps save some of our precious time, especially since almost everyone is in a hurry.