Slaskie

14th August 2009

The A4 motorway at Katowice was blocked this Thursday evening by hundreds of motorcyclists protesting at the fee they pay for using it. The motorcyclists are upset that they pay the same as cars for travelling along the stretch and are campaigning to get the motorway’s owner Stalexport to reduce their fees. They claim that they shouldn’t pay as much as other road users because they don’t do as much damage to the road surface. The protest took the form of a go-slow; at the toll gate each rider stopped, dismounted, removed their helmet and gloves, slowly and deliberately counted out the change, studied the receipt before reversing the process and riding off. “Who said you have to hurry while doing it?” one protester told reporters.

The company is not moved by the bikers’ claims, pointing out that the charges are calculated and confirmed by the Ministry for Infrastructure. They also politely explained that the charge is not for wear and tear of the road surface, but for right of passage.

Construction has started on a controversial concrete barge in the Papal Square in Sosnowiec. The barge is a reference to the John Paul II’s favourite song, titled ‘the Barge’, and which was sung to him on his visit there in 1999 by 300,000 of the faithful. The idea to build a barge-shaped memorial to him arose soon after, but the plans were complicated and went through many variants before being approved. The final design incorporates the 40m long, 13.5m wide barge into a park with an amphitheatre. The inside of the barge construction will provide the technical area for the amphitheatre, with the stage forming its roof. Plans to place a sail on top depend on the costs, with the boat costing about ...