They operation principle is the same as traffic signals, they help drivers to know better the direction of the skewer, whether it is correct for their direction of movement. If the direction of the skewer is incorrect, by clicking the button on the distant control panel, the driver connects the current receivers to the network and thus prevents the falling of the trolleybus’s ‘mustaches’ – current receivers or driving towards a wrong direction.
The blue arrows appeared more than a half a year ago and have already created positive change: the cases of fallen trolleybus “moustache” have decreased and the speed and mobility of trolleybuses have increased: using the old connection, they drive at about 5 to 10 km/h, using the new connection, they can drive at 25 to 30 km/h, that is 20 km/h faster.
“Frequently falling trolleybus “moustache” used to create a lot of obstacles on the road. It used to delay not only trolleybuses, but also buses that were unable to pass them. Therefore, the public transport often used to fail to follow their schedule, which had negative effect on the reputation of our public transport. This novelty will improve the work of drivers, will ensure safety and will improve overall traffic of the public transport”, says Virginija Uzdanavičiūtė, the Head of the Advanced Analytics Department of JUDU (Municipal Enterprise “Susisiekimo paslaugos).
The blue arrows are installed in the itineraries of all 16 trolleybuses, more precisely, in 35 sections of contact network of trolleybuses, the total length of which is 144 kilometres. Currently, in Vilnius, there are 27 of them, and 53 more will be installed by the end of the year.
JUDU is responsible for organization of public transport services, car parking infrastructure in the city and the promotion of sustainable modes of travel. In 2022, more than 170 thousand passengers used public transport services every day, who, this year, evaluated their trolleybus or bus travels with 8.32 points out of 10, which is the highest score since 2019. The company also ensures fluent organization of city traffic and together with Vilnius municipality installs innovative solutions, which help to create a walking city Vilnius.
