Thread by @MarekJozefiak

Polish govt announced today its largest in history, worth over 60 bln💶plan to expand motorways as a part of 'sustainable development'🥴

At the same time 🇵🇱govt is scraping for money to fund railways.

A thread on how Poland is stepping on the gas towards car-centered culture:

As a part of the plan PL govt plans to build 2500 km of express roads (max speed 120 km/h) and motorways (140 km/h) until 2033.

Ruling party PiS praises itself on constructing 2000 km over last couple of years.

In 2033 Poland is meant to have a 8000-km network of fast roads.

It's quite funny that the Polish prime minister said that the new plan to build motorways is part of 'sustainable development'.

He's got jokes, right? Anyway...

PL govt plans to spend on fast roads over 60 bln EUR. 'The funding is secured for this purpose' - said PM Morawiecki.

At the same time, Poland is scraping for money to pay for its railway program.

Why? These are paid with EU money, and as PiS npr.org/2022/11/14/113…

is in conflict with the EU, the money is not flowing in.

Lack of funding 'derailed' the railway sector already in 2021.

Instead of contracting 17 bln EUR of railway investments, Poland only managed to contract 3 bln EUR.

These two factors: massive funding for roads and lack of funding for railways may lead to even more car-centered culture in Poland.

This obviously raises climate policy questions.

Transport emissions in Poland rose at the highest pace across all EU countries.

Transport CO2 emissions in Poland are skyrocketing over last two decades.

They've eaten up pretty much all the CO2 reductions, which Poland made in electricity and heat production.

Polish transport sector emits right now approx. six times as much as @Ryanair.

The EU played a big role in this process - without the EU funding Poland wouldn't have been able to expand its fast roads network (the maps show fast roads in PL in 2002 and 2022).

But that's only part of the story.

Another one is the decline of railways in Poland which happened after 1989.

In late 80s some one billion passengers used Polish railways in a given year.

Since then the number of passengers dropped three times.

After 1989 the railway network was deliberately downsized by Polish governments.

On one infamous day - April 3rd 2000 - railways have stopped operating trains on over 1000 (!!) km.

Trains were deemed 'unprofitable'.

Has any politician ever said the same about cars?

For contrast, here are the new railways constructed in Poland after 1989.

Yes, you may need to put on your glasses.

The narrative over transport started to shift in the past few years. Ppl started to notice the downsides of the car-centered society.

Some 14 million Poles are affected by 'public transport exclusion'.

Here is a map of 🇵🇱towns without access to trains from few years back:

This is where politics stepped in. Current right-wing government has pledged to rebuild Polish railway.

President Andrzej Duda even held a famous photo opp at an abandoned railway station in a small town.

This was a powerful message that PiS cares about smaller towns.

Ambitious plans were announced.

1789 km of railways are in the pipeline.

But so far zero kilometers of railways were actually built or even had their construction started.

What's next?

If Poland wants to meet climate targets from #Fitfor55, Poland should massively electrify its transport and transport emissions should drop by over 40% - according to a leading climate policy think tank @ForumEnergii.

But obviously none of this is happening.

Governmental plan to expand electric cars is a laughing stock.

The state-owned e-cars factory 'Izera' which was meant to be constructed by 2024 looks like that now (the construction hasn't even started):

So where the Polish transport policy is headed?

To the 'jakoś to będzie' land (pron. yakosh to bendye; 'somehow it's gonna be fine'). It is the promised land of Polish politics.

Somehow. Some day. It's gonna be fine. Just don't worry, OK?

Jakoś to będzie.