Imagine this – Zagreb turns into a total lockdown zone every time Marko Perković Thompson holds a concert at the Hippodrome! Three phases of traffic blockades, closing avenues, streets, bridges, trams not running, bus lines rerouted, and parking? Forget about it! There simply isn’t any! The city official Andro Pavuna explained that all this is done for “citizen safety.” But is that really the reason or just an excuse for a total city lockdown?
The first phase starts late on Friday, July 4th, when streets like Kajzerica, Središće, Zapruđe, Većeslav Holjevac Avenue, Croatian Brotherhood Street, Vukovarska, Dubrovnik Avenue, and several others will be closed. The crowd is expected to arrive overnight, and the zone will remain closed until Sunday morning!
The second phase is on the concert day, July 5th, when avenues and streets will be closed depending on the number of pedestrians. Police will close traffic as soon as the number of people crosses the “safety threshold.” The third phase is a backup and includes closing the Adriatic Bridge, Horvaćanska, Selska, Savska, and Slavonska avenues, as well as suspending tram and bus traffic on those routes. Imagine – if a large number of people start walking from the western part of the city, the city will be practically paralyzed!
And parking? “Honestly, we don’t know where people will park,” says Pavuna. Most potential locations are not city-owned, and renting private lots for a private concert? That’s a question.
ZET (public transport) will be engaged as much as possible, but tram and bus capacities are not enough to transport all visitors. Pavuna urges people to walk because driving cars is practically impossible due to closed roads and lack of parking spots.
Cleaning crews will work intensively, with 20 cleaners, 10 garbage collectors, and 18 waste removal vehicles, but some areas may look messy on Sunday morning due to prioritizing roads.
The Croatian Institute of Public Health issued recommendations for concertgoers due to high temperatures and crowds: bring enough water, wear light clothing, hats, sunscreen, avoid alcohol and heavy food, don’t skip medication, and bring it with you. They also recommend carrying papers with personal data and emergency contacts.
The medical point will have about 50 medical workers, and hospitals are ready for emergencies, but no major problems are expected.
All in all, Zagreb will be practically locked down, and citizens will wonder if it’s worth enduring such chaos for one concert. Is this organization or occupation? What do you think? Is this over the top or is safety really the priority? Drop a comment, let’s see who’s for and who’s against this traffic apocalypse!
