Analysis of traffic safety in Wilson Square. SkySnap and ZDG TOR together for ZDM Warszawa

The project to green Wilson Square is an initiative of residents of the Żoliborz district, who wanted to change the appearance of the sidewalk and the square. The project was submitted as part of the civic budget and envisages removing concrete and replacing it with new trees, shrubs and flowers. The goal of the project is to improve the aesthetics of the square and make it more friendly to residents. Thanks to the involvement of the local community, Wilson Square has a chance to become a green oasis in the heart of Żoliborz, offering residents a pleasant place to relax and meet.

The traditional approach to road safety is mainly based on analyzing incidents that have already occurred – collisions, accidents or reports from residents. Meanwhile, the solution proposed by the PROBRD service allows going one step further. Thanks to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (BSPs) and advanced video analysis tools, it is possible to record the actual behavior of traffic participants and identify potential dangers – before real incidents occur. The system allows the automatic capture of dangerous maneuvers, unusual trajectories or speeding violations, as well as the tracking of traffic volume and the length of queues that form. Thanks to this method, the analysis is not limited to an assessment of the past, but enables a proactive approach to improving safety.

The scope of work also includes planting vegetation at the edges of the sidewalk and planting shrubs at the southern entrance from Mickiewicza Street. Upon completion, a hedge will be created along the sidewalk, which will contribute to the greening of the public space. In addition, shrub plantings are planned on both sides of the walkway, especially near pedestrian crossings, which will increase aesthetics and safety. The project also includes the replenishment and maintenance of existing tree rows, as well as the protection of new greenery through the introduction of fences in sensitive areas.

The scope of work for the Wilson Square greening project includes deconstructing part of the square in front of the Vistula Cinema, greening the edges of the sidewalk in front of the cinema, and creating a hedge along the sidewalk on the north side of the road. The project also includes replenishing existing tree rows and planting new trees and shrubs in place of unnecessary concrete slabs. The contractor selected in the tender will complete the work on Wilson Square within 60 days. Thanks to these measures, Wilson Square will get a new, friendlier look, and residents will be able to enjoy green spaces in the heart of their neighborhood.

The Wilson Square survey was conducted at two key times of the day – the morning and afternoon traffic peaks – and lasted a total of four hours. Analysis of the data showed that the average speed of vehicles traveling through the intersection ranged from 18 to 21 km/h, with a marked slowdown during peak traffic hours.

Despite the generally low speeds, the PROBRD system recorded nine instances of speeding, as many as five of which occurred at the entrance from Mickiewicza Street. This suggests that even in places perceived as relatively safe, there can be local, recurring risks – especially depending on traffic conditions or infrastructure configuration. It is also worth noting the changes planned for the western inlet of Krasinski Street, which are intended to improve the aesthetics and functionality of the area. In addition, the forming traffic jams and the length of vehicle queues were analyzed, especially in the context of Mickiewicza and Slowackiego streets.

📍 Krasinski Street (in the morning): congestion of 290 meters, which blocked the entrance from one of the side streets, affecting the fluidity of the entire traffic system.
📍 Mickiewicza Street (afternoon): queue reaching 200 meters, in addition – a noticeable problem with the bus bay, which, due to its insufficient depth, prevented the free passage of a stopping bus, thus blocking the right lane. Thomas Woodrow Wilson Square, as an important transportation hub with bus and streetcar stops and a subway station, plays a key role in the city’s transportation system.

The study’s conclusions clearly indicate that monitoring only collisions and accidents is not enough to effectively improve road safety. It is important to analyze so-called critical events, which do not end in an incident, but can lead to recurrent risks. With the PROBRD tool, it is possible to get a complete picture of traffic dynamics: not only what happened, but also – how, when and why potentially dangerous situations occur. This, in turn, makes it possible to plan effective corrective measures – from changing intersection geometry, to correcting traffic signals, to reorganizing bus bays and other infrastructure elements.

The initiative of Zoliborz residents to green Wilson Square is an excellent example of local community involvement. They first submitted a project, which then went through the process of voting on the project. The district’s residents submitted the project as part of the civic budget, which underscores their activity in improving public space. The residents’ idea to remove concrete and increase the amount of vegetation shows that the neighborhood residents wanted change. They submitted the project to green the square to improve the aesthetics of the public space and to fight the effects of climate change.

The initiative of residents of the Żoliborz district was crucial in the creation of the project to green Wilson Square. Residents submitted the project as part of the civic budget and voted on it, which allowed for the opinion of the capital’s conservation officer. The project was agreed with the city’s historic preservationist, which guarantees that the new greenery will not harm the historic character of the square. Residents wanted to change the appearance of the square and make it more welcoming, and the Wilson Square greening project is the first step in this direction. Thanks to their involvement, Wilson Square has a chance to become the green heart of Żoliborz, a meeting and resting place for all residents.

The analysis conducted by SkySnap and ZDG TOR for ZDM Warszawa is an example of a modern approach to designing transportation solutions. By using precise data and advanced tools, it is possible to design interventions based on real needs – not intuition, but facts. The team recommended, among other things:

• Optimizing bus bays to avoid lane blocking,
• A review of traffic signals, taking into account observed conflicts,
• Further directional analysis, especially for the entrance from Mickiewicza Street,
• Incorporating PROBRD monitoring into the planning process for major intersection upgrades.

Development perspective and recommendations

The project also includes the planting of greenery along Saska and Odyńca Streets to improve the aesthetics of the public space.

In addition, changes are planned for the west side of the roadway to improve the comfort of road users, as well as to include Thomas Woodrow Wilson Square as an important traffic hub.

The civic project, which includes five streets, also includes renovations and greenery plantings, allowing for community involvement in decision-making processes.

The project was carried out by SkySnap in cooperation with TOR Economic Advisory Group, on behalf of the Warsaw City Roads Authority. SkySnap team responsible for the implementation of the study: Szymon Sekuła, Kamil Choromanski, Konrad Sosnowicz. It will be carried out by the contractor selected in a tender for the greening of the square. The planned work on planting new trees and shrubs in Wilson Square will not cause traffic obstructions.

SkySnap is a fast-growing Polish technology company specializing in infrastructure monitoring and inspection using drones and advanced digital technologies. SkySnap also offers solutions that help secure new greenery in public spaces, which is key to protecting newly planted plants. On the one hand, like a service provider, SkySnap helps companies make decisions by providing accurate information from spatial data, and on the other hand, Skysnap builds artificial intelligence-based tools for automated measurement and analysis of critical infrastructure using data from drones or other imaging sources. The city projects that the contractor selected will complete can use SkySnap’s technology to monitor the progress of the work and ensure high-quality implementation.

Łukasz Czerwiński – Co-Founder & CEO: lukasz.czerwinski@skysnap.pl
Paweł Wójcik – Director of Business Development: pawel.wojcik@skysnap.pl
Tomasz Kozłowski – Co-Founder & CTO: tomasz.kozłowski@skysnap.pl