Review article
The Strategic Development and Impact of Traffic on Transportation Demand in Varaždin County
Igor Franolić
; Lukom, Ludbreg, Croatia
Marin Dugina
; Ivan Seljanec High School, Križevci, Croatia
Petar Feletar
; Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Strategic traffic planning may be defined as the systematic, integrated and long-term consideration of activities aimed at achieving societal objectives. At the same time, it is an effort to co-ordinate the social interests of different instances, whether at the urban, local or national level. When analysing transportation demand as a part of strategic traffic planning in Varaždin County, the point of depature is to view traffic as a complex dynamic system involving numerous structural components which evolve in both time and space. Traffic demand or traffic requirements depend upon a number of structural features of traffic and the community.
Scientifically-informed insight into the major phenomena which generate transportation demand in regular-service passenger road traffic within Varaždin County and a better understanding of the impact of different forces, including demographic, spatial, economic, functional, settlement and traffic factors, could allow the development of bus services which would raise bus transportation capacity in regular-service and, in particular, long-distance passenger traffic above the level of economic logic at which they currently stand in Croatia.
It should be noted that, over the past few years, many efforts have been made to expand (motorways) and upgrade the road network in the Varaždin region. The population and the economic and developmental infrastructure are mainly concentrated in the city of Varaždin. Most of the municipal seats lack the capacity required to underpin the development of their respective areas. Consequently, public passenger transportation is becoming an indispensable prerequisite without which it would be difficult to conceive of traffic in the foreseeable future. It has far-reaching social and ecnomic significance due to its role of linking neighbouring settlements with their local centres as well as the city towards which they all gravitate.
The supply of transportation services in the area of the Varažin County relies on the introduction of regular passenger services tailored to the needs of most of the population. The development of traffic infrastructure is a prerequisite for further development of the County, where trunk routes suffer the burden of freight traffic in transit which passes through inhabited areas and causes traffic congestion. There is an urgent need to construct bypasses in order to redirect traffic. As an industry, public passenger transportation plays an important role in the daily commutes of citizens due to their need to go to work or school. Problems arise from efforts to streamline the utilisation of available transporation capacity while efficiently meeting transportation requirements.
In addition, the reconstruction of the Podravina trunk road as well as the construction of the Varaždin-Krapina road and the reconstruction of existing local roads would make the County a compact entity in terms of traffic infractructure and, thus, foster economic growth in the region.
Keywords
strategic traffic planning; road network optimisation; traffic infrastructure; transportation demand; Varaždin County
Hrčak ID:
77734
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2010.
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