There must be a better way.

Above: Ten to seven, Tuesday evening, looking north up ul. Puławska. Still solid. Southbound, it's solid like this right the way to dormatory town Piaseczno seven kilometres away. Jeziorki's nearer to Warsaw's centre, but still four km south of this spot. Heavy, heavy traffic. An easy way to burn two hours of your day. What's the alternative? Well, here's a thought. While Puławska's chock-a-block, the railway line (below) linking the Warsaw Metro's depot at Kabaty to the outside world at Okęcie stands idle. How about a light rail shuttle between W-wa Okęcie station and Ursynów? If it can take 400 cars off the road, it's worth it. Just eight round trips a day, four in the morning, four in the evening...

Each year, urban road traffic gets denser and denser as Poland gets richer. Jacek Majchrowski, mayor of Krakow, said that during his first, four-year term of office, the number of cars registered in the city grew by 40%. What worries me is not just the cars registered in Warsaw, but the large volume that will be registered in surrounding towns and villages as the new housing developments are completed. How many more cars will the new 15-floor Sand City Towers (in Piaseczno - get it?) apartment building throw onto ul. Puławska each morning?

UPDATE, OCTOBER 2008: To the left of the railway line in the picture above will be where the S2 Warsaw southern bypass expressway will run. It will cross Puławska to the north of the bridge from which I took the top picture.

UPDATE, MARCH 2009: The trees in the picture have been cut down. The path of the express way will run to the right of the railway track.

This time last year:
Roadworks and detours, ul. Puławska
Objets trouves on the line
Zgorzała contrasts
Take the coal train
Ul. Kórnicka gets paved