ABSTRACT
In 1995 the author reviewed the state of urban transport in Poland, looking in particular at Warsaw (Judge, 1996). Amidst all the adverse developments since 1989 - soaring car ownership levels, awful traffic congestion, air pollution and urban sprawl - he concluded that though the prospects for promoting sustainable development policies did not seem initially that hopeful, there were nevertheless some positive signs. He noted especially that "a most encouraging piece of news was that. .. Warsaw City Council approved nem con a sustainable transport policy after 18 months of controversy" (Judge, 1996: 42). This was the first and only time since the independent city council commenced after 1990 that it had passed any measure without opposition (WGMB, 1995). Almost five years later pessimistic observers, commenting on the first meeting of a newly initiated Warsaw Transport Round Table in February 2000, were noting that, of the many measures proposed in 1995, only two had been implemented to any significant extent: namely, a decision not to increase the road capacity of routes to the centre beyond the traffic capacity of that area, and a decision to install a metered street parking system. Critics noted that the former was probably due to lack of funds, while the latter had only been recently installed and was surrounded with controversy.
