Every day, several drivers break the regulations in the newly opened tunnel in Świnoujście. More videos of these situations were published in the social media of the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways. The city ensures that all violations will be reported to the police.
Tunnel under the Świna River opened last week. Once – just after opening – we informed that there are incomprehensible and risky offenses of drivers in the tunnel. Photos of them last weekend were published on social media.
However, a few days have passed and the situation has not changed, say road builders and representatives of the Świnoujście City Hall. There are about 15 gross violations every day, they claim and publish more recordings.
Maybe it’s a state of panic
– Any violation of the rules is perfectly visible and each will be reported to the police. There may be several reasons for driver confusion. However, the consequences will be just as severe, regardless of the reasons for such behavior – assures Jarosław Jaz, spokesman for the City of Świnoujście. Among these reasons, he mentions that the tunnel has not yet appeared on electronic maps. “Maybe it’s making them panic,” he suspects.
As he points out, the signage has already been improved to make it more visible. Drivers were also urged to exercise caution and attention. But that didn’t help.
Turning, reversing, overtaking
Mateusz Grzeszczuk z GDDKiA notes that among the sins of drivers passing through the tunnel under Świna, the most common ones are turning around, attempts to reverse or overtaking. “It’s a matter of irresponsibility. It is about the safety of all tunnel users – he emphasizes.
– The entrances to the tunnel are marked, so drivers know that they will reach the tunnel. Inside, there is a double continuous line and markings which lane leads in which direction – adds Grzeszczuk. It also ensures that every case will be reported to the police.
Risky behavior in the tunnel in Świnoujście
Mandates for crooks
Mariusz Podkalicki from the Safe Driving Academy has no doubt that this is just road slyness. “They accidentally enter the tunnel. They do not know that there is monitoring of how far the road leads, they waste time to safely turn back, so they act thoughtlessly – he believes.
“You have to be punished severely. After a dozen or so fines and publicizing the case in the media, the practice should end, he predicts.
24/7 monitoring
The tunnel is monitored 24 hours a day by 140 cameras, and there is also a sectional speed measurement that checks whether drivers are driving through the tunnel at the legal 50 kilometers per hour.
An almost 1.5-kilometre crossing running under the Świna River permanently connected the islands of Uznam and Wolin. The construction of the tunnel consumed over PLN 900 million, nearly PLN 776 million comes from EU funds. The missing funds were provided by the city of Świnoujście from its own budget.
Main photo source: GDDKiA