Last week Ukraine’s capital saw a strike of express minibus drivers, who threatened to hold a nationwide protest action unless their demands are met. The carriers are refusing to transport passengers because of low fares. They claim that single-trip fares ranging from 1 to 1.75 hryvnias no longer cover their expenses for gas and lubricants.
Despite the private carriers’ forecasts, transport was not paralyzed in Kyiv, and city residents managed to get to work without any special problems, although some may have had to wait a little longer at bus stops. On the plus side, there were fewer automobiles on the streets and Kyivites could breathe easier. According to research conducted by the Central Geophysical Observatory of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, air pollution in the capital has reached a critical point. Motor transport is considered the main polluter because an estimated one million automobiles produce hazardous emissions.
The Day’s experts offer their own recipes for solving the transport problem and improving the environmental situation in Kyiv. Sooner or later, every big city in Ukraine will have to tackle this problem.
Ivan SALII, member of the Kyiv Council’s standing commission for transportation and communication:
“In my opinion, the expansion of the subway may change the environmental situation and solve the transport problem in Kyiv. We need four to five times more subway stops than we have now. As for above-ground transport, preference should be given to streetcars, but not in the present form: tracks and carriages must meet world standards. In many European capitals streetcars run along small, old streets without obstructing traffic. The tracks are flush with the road, so vehicles and pedestrians can move freely. The streetcars are extremely comfortable and very quiet. So we should restore streetcars in places where the public wants them. The city also has a great opportunity to transport passengers on the ring railroad, especially in rush hour. The Ministry of Transport once toyed with the idea of stopping freight trains, say, from 7 to 10 a.m. and carrying passengers during this period. The idea also found support in the Cabinet of Ministers, but the municipal authorities are not exactly rushing to implement it. We should also not forget about trolleybuses and large buses, which can carry several dozen passengers at a time.
“As for express minibuses, they should be used in places where other types of transport are not practical. For example, Kyivpastrans now has about 500 minibuses. But we have no legal grounds to shut down private routes — only competition can do this. So if bids have been invited for a certain route, a municipal company has every right to offer its motor vehicles. I would like to mention that European capitals don’t have our type of express minibuses. In London, private carriers are responsible for buses, bus stops, and in-transport advertising.
Although they are 100-percent subsidized, they still have to meet extremely high quality standards. To avoid gridlock, we should also build underground parking lots and restrict the construction of offices and residential buildings in the city center.”
Vitalii REVA, president of the All-Ukrainian Association of Motor Transport Carriers:
“Kyiv is the only city in Ukraine with burgeoning municipal transport. There are eight municipally-owned bus fleets that purchase 100 to 150 large — and over-capacity vehicles every year. The bus fleets recently began to buy express minibuses. There are about 700 now. But the total number of on-route municipal buses is half of what it was a few years ago. The number of trolleybuses and streetcars has also dropped. So this vacuum was filled with express minibuses, which now number about 3,000 in Kyiv. Since the city does not have an approved pattern of optimum bus routes and there are no clear-cut requirements for rolling stock to be used on routes, express minibuses have flooded the entire city, even on existing bus routes. Regulations say they should account for up to 10 percent of the total number of buses, but in reality their number is three times as large.
“I still think that private transport is legitimate, even though it affects the quality of air and contributes to traffic jams, but there is no alternative to express minibuses now. It is fair that carriers are demanding higher fares because the price of fuel, lubricants, and spare parts has gone up lately, but fares have not increased. I would also recommend purchasing large buses rather than minibuses with budget funds. This will also help reduce environmental pollution. But we have a situation where the authorities are contradicting themselves: they oppose express minibuses yet at the same time they are purchasing them. I am convinced that if private transport is abolished, this will create a major transportation problem in the capital. Of course, some minibus drivers are justly accused of infringing traffic rules, driving on sidewalks, allowing passengers to ride standing up, and failing to issue tickets. They cannot do this. I think private and municipal carriers should be able to work in the same conditions, and vehicles should meet modern, high-quality standards.”
Yurii URBANSKY, deputy head of the National Ecological Center of Ukraine:
“We should develop municipal transport: trolleybuses, buses and streetcars, rather than a network of express minibuses. Unfortunately, the idea of transforming part of the railway into an above-ground subway never materialized. It would be worthwhile allowing commuter trains to run along the ring railroad, which would make it easier for residents of many city districts where there is no subway to get around. For example, if you want to get to Raiduzhne, you either have to be stranded in traffic jams on Moskovsky Bridge or use the subway, switching lines. But if there were trains running along the ring railroad, there would no problems like this. I have been to various European cities and must say that, in spite of traffic jams, you can travel easily from one point to another because there are special lanes for public transport. In my view, instead of subsidizing private carriers from the city’s coffers, it would be more advisable to use these funds to increase the number of large-capacity transportation units.”
Andrii KHOROLSKY, vice-president of the Automobile Club, Kyiv:
“I am convinced that preference should be given to electric transport on Kyiv’s streets. Municipal transport should also be able to move to a schedule so that people can know which trolleybus or bus is coming. The current problem is not the transportation system itself but its uninterrupted movement. As for expanding the subway, I think it is too expensive for the city. Economists estimate that it costs 10 million hryvnias and takes 1.5 to 2 years to lay one kilometer of subway track. You could purchase a lot of modern trolleybuses for this money. We should also introduce the following European practice: if a motor vehicle drives into the public transport lane, the police immediately stop it and give the driver a big fine. In all countries, with the possible exception of Ukraine, public transport has the right of way on roads. As for express minibuses, transportation will not grind to a halt without them, but the city authorities’ policy should be aimed at meeting the needs of Kyiv residents: if they prefer municipal transport, it should be developed, but there should also be express minibuses in places where residents want them. The environmental situation can also be improved by using electric transport and fuels other than gasoline, such as hydrogen, oils, spirits, etc.”
Larysa SKORYK, architect:
“First of all, there should be strict control of motor vehicle emissions. Automobiles should be quipped with state-of-the-art technology (e.g., special filters), because no other European capital has such a high level of hazardous air emissions as Kyiv. We need a special police squad to monitor transport-related emissions. I think it is naive to claim today, as some experts do, that streetcars will save the environment. Do you know how many problems arise when a two-car streetcar breaks down on Victory Square, which is already congested? In my opinion, streetcar lines should be laid on ring roads or a long way from the city infrastructure. But this raises the question: are they really necessary? Streetcars are hardly environment- friendly vehicles.
What would really improve the environment is state-of-the-art transport with minimum emissions. Downtown Kyiv should copy the City of London, the core, from which all above-ground transport is banned. Still, it is impossible to solve the transport problem in Kyiv without building new overpasses and cloverleaves. There should be at least six new overpasses and several tunnels, because Kyiv’s relief is very suited to them. The question of tunnels was first raised in 1985, when there was not much transport in the city. Narrow streets should be freed as much as possible from above-ground transport. I think express minibuses have the right to exist, because you may have to stand for half a day at a municipal bus stop, but private carriers should employ skilled drivers and use modern vehicles.”
