Dubrovnik’s mayor announces traffic solutions for tourist hotspot

Dubrovnik

The Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Franković, spoke to RTL Danas about changes to traffic in Dubrovnik aimed at solving traffic congestion. 

Franković stated that his administration has implemented several measures to ensure the sustainability of tourism in the past six years.

Dubrovnik has had a number of overcrowding issues in the past during the tourist season, but it has since become an example of a well-managed city. 

The challenges faced by the city now are related to its suppliers, and these will be addressed in the coming weeks. Vehicles will be allowed to enter the city from 5:00 to 7:30 am, after which no vehicles will be allowed on Stradun.

The mayor acknowledged that the highest concentration of supply vehicles occurs between 6:45 and 7:30 am, so limited slots will be introduced for all suppliers, with no more than 10 vehicles allowed at any one time. He believes that these new rules will bring order to the city as of next Friday, he told RTL.

Regarding traffic congestion around the city walls, the mayor stated that priority will be given to local residents. 

The liberalisation of the taxi market in Croatia has led to lower prices, but in Dubrovnik, there are many taxi drivers. For example, in 2019, there were 280 taxi drivers, while now there are over 7,000. The streets of Dubrovnik are not big enough for this many taxis, so special traffic regulation zones will be established, and access around the traffic core will be limited. The most important priority will be given to the citizens of Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik has had issues with overcrowding

Franković also addressed the issue of cruise ships in Dubrovnik, saying that the problem has been resolved, and they have agreed not to have more than two cruise ships in the city at the same time.

 He added that there is always the possibility of exceptions, but it is not crucial. The city manages the arrival of ships and guests. In 2017, cruise ships stayed in Dubrovnik for four to five hours, but now, no ship can stay for less than eight hours, and often, they stay for ten or more hours. 

According to a study by the University of Dubrovnik, the city had more guests last year than in 2019, but they were better distributed throughout the day, week, and month. The issue is not the absolute number of guests but how they are distributed over a period.