Lviv is undergoing major changes in its transport and urban planning. Top ten changes have been accomplished in the year 2019 and what projects are planned to be realized in Lviv in the future.
1. Completion of reconstruction of the right side of the Main railway station square and prioritization of public transport
The Dvirtseva square in front of Lviv’s Main train station is undergoing revolutionary changes. It is the first space of such importance in Lviv and completely changes mobility priorities towards a high prioritization of public space, pedestrians and public transport users. This project balances the needs of all users and does not downplay any of them. In 2019, the right side was dedicated to public transport and the central pedestrian walkway has been started. This year (2020), will be completed the fountain and begins reconstruction of the left side of the square and the Chernivetska street (continuation of pedestrian walkway). Find out more about Lviv’s new central station square here on SUTP.
New accessible tram platforms now are closer to the station building
2. Launch of the first full-fledged public transport lane on Chornovola Ave
For me, public transport lanes are a symbol of democracy, since in Lviv more than half of the residents move by public transport – says Orest Oleskiv, head of Office for Transport in Lviv’s administration. Chornovola Ave is the main city artery connecting the northern parts of Lviv with the city center and southern areas. There are 23 public transit routes along the avenue. This section (approx. 1,3km in each direction) made it possible to speed up public transport for 9 minutes, but today there are delays in other sections of routes and they do not allow to fully experience the advantage of this section of the lane. Still, it’s a good move in the right way.
New public transport lanes on Chornovola Ave in Lviv
3. Completion of the first stages of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure construction along Kniahynia Olha Street and Chornovola Ave
Lviv continues slowly but surely to develop its bicycle network, for example on Chornovola Ave., Kniahynia Olha Street is a key section of the cycle network that allows the northern and southern regions to be linked together through the city center and should form the so-called “trans-urban cycle route”. Important is, that these projects form a new quality standard for the construction of bicycle infrastructure. Parallel to the bicycle infrastructure, there is a good development of pedestrian space, public transport stops, landscaping and car parking. Both projects are still pending and will need to be finalized in 2020.
New cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in Lviv at kniahynia Olha street
4. Opening of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes Memorial
Heavenly Hundred Heroes Memorial in Lviv has already become a new famous landmark. It also demonstrated to all of Ukraine that the memorial complex does not have to be majestic and monumental. The Heavenly Hundred Heroes Memorial has become a good example of high-quality public space, well-integrated into the landscape and it invites the public to come and remember fallen heroes in Kyiv Maidan demonstrations in 2013-2014. As with previous projects, it is not yet fully completed and in the second stage a pedestrian bridge over the street should be built. Besides, via Memorial site also lies a part of the central bicycle ring.
The Heavenly Hundred Heroes Memorial in Lviv, Ukraine
5. Start of the implementation of a physically dedicated tram track on Svientsitskoho and Ivan Franko Streets
The construction of a tram line to Sykhiv district via Franko and Svientsitskoho Streets was the largest infrastructure project of Lviv, aiming to facilitate the busiest road of the city with high quality public transport. However, this multimillion-dollar project came to naught when the tram constantly got stuck in congestion in the daily rush hour at the Academy of Arts area. The tram needed a 25 minutes’ drive for the next 300m, therefore people get out and walk on foot. This was daily stress for thousands of people. After the installation of delineators, the tram travel time on this section was reduced by more than 15 minutes. Moreover, traffic jams did not increase, as the additional lane was created by eliminating several (~45) illegal parking spots for cars on the roadway.
6. Release of the first 10 new Electron trolleybuses
Through its cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Lviv has been the largest purchaser of new trolleybuses since the Ukrainian independence. These 10 trolleybuses are the first batch of 50 purchased ones to arrive in the first half of 2020. In Lviv, there was a critical situation with the number of rolling stock of trolleybuses. Due to the lack of trolleybuses, 1 route (no. 10) was closed in 2018. The small release of new trolleybuses and the technical fatigue of the old stock prevents them from competing with buses. The new trolleybuses are 100% low-floor and also feature a better configuration that includes air conditioning for the passenger compartment.
New Electron trolleybuses for Lviv communal operator Lvivelektrotrans / LCC (c)
7. New bicycle lanes on Sakharov Street and Horodotska Street
We are very cautious about bicycle lanes. As a cyclist, I fully support this kind of bike infrastructure. It’s an easy, cheap, and effective way to keep your bike moving on the streets. In these areas it was the only way to install the bicycle infrastructure and it fully justified itself – said Orest Oleskiv.
New bicycle lane after road-diet on Sakharov street
8. Opening of Rudanskoho Street as pedestrian zone
The center of Lviv is gradually becoming more open to pedestrians. The first pedestrian area outside the central pedestrian area was Les Kurbas Street in 2015. Proved itself very well and got heavily overcrowded in summer due to the good weather conditions. In 2019, Rudanskoho Street, another semi-dead alley where only cars were parked, became an attractive public space. The project considered the problems of Les Kurbas Street and physically restricted the number of users in summer time to prevent overcrowding.
Rudanskoho street after reconstruction became a pedestrian zone
9. Opening of the pedestrian alley on Copernicus Street
An alley on Copernicus Street along the wall of the church of St. Lazarus could be called a place of fear for a long time. After reconstruction, it has become a good public space that attracts Lviv residents. For me, perhaps the most important part of this project was the consolidation and quality landscaping of the slope.
10. New buses in operation
After the procurement of new 150 low-floor 12m diesel (Euro V) buses for Lviv communal enterprise ATP-1 (leasing for 3 years) over 85% of them are in operation on 18 urban routes. It was the biggest procurement of bus rolling stock in Lviv since 30 years. It led to appreciable improvement for passengers on few city districts, but still it’s not enough for the whole bus network. In 2020 Lviv expecting on new loan with EIB and a procurement of additional up to 100 new diesel (Euro V) low-floor buses for ATP-1.
Electron low-floor diesel (Euro V) buses on Lviv streets
The article is based on the following sources: sutp.org
