During the opening of the tunnel under Świna, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński promised that the problem of residents of the right-bank part of Świnoujście with access to the beach and tourist attractions would be solved. Residents and entrepreneurs from Świnoujście say, however, that the applied solution is insufficient. According to them, it now takes 40 minutes to get to the beach, and access to some attractions is still only possible from the water.
In April, due to war in Ukraine, the West Pomeranian Voivode in the right-bank part of Świnoujście has designated a protection zone around the LNG terminal. After this decision, Ku Morzu Street was closed, and the residents lost access to the beach in Warszów and two monuments: Gerhard’s Fort and the Lighthouse. It became possible only from the water side.
The inhabitants of the right-bank Świnoujście were cut off from the beachTVN24
Three weeks ago, during opening of the tunnel under ŚwinaDeputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski promised to solve the problems of the inhabitants of the right-bank part of Świnoujście.
The solution is not enough
The West Pomeranian Voivode, thanks to the positive opinion of the Border Guard and the lack of objections from the Internal Security Agency, actually changed his regulation on the protection zone. This change concerned making a part of the path on the viaduct available for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and then at the closed Ku Morzu Street, to the exit into the forest road leading to the Underground City, one of the tourist attractions. It made it possible to connect the bicycle trail with the road to the beach, prepared by the Gaz-System company.
However, according to residents and entrepreneurs, this is still not enough. As they say, the path takes about seven kilometers and leads to a different beach, further away than the beach in Warszów, which they would like to be able to continue using.
– Even before the blockade, the road led straight to the beach. We had our parking lot on the right. At the moment, we go down the viaduct to the right into the forest and we have to follow it to the beach in Przytor, a completely different district – one of the residents explains.
The road to the beach goes through the forest and takes about 40 minutesTVN24
– For me it’s not a problem, but for a mother with a child or people with disabilities who can’t drive directly to the beach, it’s an additional 40 minutes – explains another resident.
Some tourist attractions are only accessible from the water
There is still no access to the lighthouse and the fort from the land side. Tourists who want to visit these attractions must use water transport.
Agata Kucharska from the Association of Lighthouse Enthusiasts emphasizes that there are even 98 percent fewer tourists there than in previous years. Employees of places cut off from land transport fear for employment.
The West Pomeranian Voivode argues that he has done everything possible to improve access to the beach and attractions, and that it is a matter of safety and depends on the opinion of the services.
Main photo source: TVN24