Traffic jams in Ivano-Frankivsk cannot be solved by simply building new roads. Mayor Ruslan Marcinkiv is convinced that the main focus should be on developing rapid public transport, which will be a real alternative to private cars. He mentioned this in an interview with 'Firtka'.
Public Transport in Ivano-Frankivsk Aims to Increase Speed to 30 km/h
According to Ruslan Marcinkiv, there are practically no opportunities left for widening streets in the central part of the city. Due to dense construction, it is impossible to implement such projects without demolishing buildings.
'Where can they be widened? In the central part of the city, you can't just demolish houses', the mayor noted.
Instead, he proposes to make public transport faster and more comfortable. In his opinion, buses and trolleybuses should move at an average speed of at least 30 km/h. Currently, this figure stands at only 18-20 km/h.
'Public transport must move faster, then people will use it more. It must be accessible and travel no less than 30 kilometers per hour', Marcinkiv stated.
In fact, it is about increasing the average speed by approximately 1.5 times. According to the mayor, this will encourage residents to leave their cars at home more often and switch to public transport.
Traffic Jams in Ivano-Frankivsk: What Solutions Does the City Government Propose
In addition to developing public transport, the mayor also emphasized the planning of new residential districts. He stated that developers need to immediately provide enough parking spaces and road infrastructure to avoid repeating current problems.
'New microdistricts definitely need to be built with the possibility of normal parking. Where new neighborhoods are being built, it should take these aspects into account', he emphasized.
At the end of the conversation, Marcinkiv also suggested that in a few decades cities may have a completely different mode of transport. He said that in about 30 years, people may move using drones, and the airspace will need to be organized just like today's road traffic.
Ivano-Frankivsk, like many Ukrainian cities, has been facing a rising number of cars in recent years. As a result, the development of public transport and modernization of road infrastructure is increasingly becoming one of the main topics of the city's transport policy.
It is worth noting that in 2026, Ivano-Frankivsk opened a new public transport route connecting the Positron microdistrict with the European square.