The highly-anticipated rollout of the Mevo 2.0 bike-sharing system in Trójmiasto has been delayed yet again, this time due to the risk of structural defects in the bikes themselves.
Users of the same bike-sharing system in Stockholm reported technical defects in the bike frames, causing officials there to suspend the system earlier this month.
In a press conference on Tuesday, officials from the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area and representatives from CityBike Global reassured the public that they are working on finding an appropriate solution to the issue, prioritizing the safety of cyclists and residents. Two alternatives are currently being considered: strengthening the frames of the existing bicycles or changing the bike manufacturer.
Tests of the Mevo 2.0 system officially started in April of this year, but local officials emphasize that public money has yet to be spent on the project. Local representatives believe there will be a quick resolution to the current situation, with Dagmara Kleczewska, the Mevo project manager, assuring residents that the system will be launched later this year.
Local elected officials have expressed concerns about the likelihood of successfully implementing the Mevo 2.0 system, with some questioning if delays could push the system’s launch into autumn, with a risk that the program would then be suspended due to weather conditions in the region.
The previous contractor of the popular Mevo 1.0 bike-sharing system is currently being sued for failing to repay money owed to users after the system’s abrupt collapse.
Source: Radio Gdańsk
Russian President Vladimir Putin used his World War II Victory Day address to prepare the public for a long war in Ukraine and portray Russia as successfully resisting the West.
In his annual May 9 speech, Putin claimed “a real war has been unleashed” against Russia and that Russia has repelled “international terrorism” and will continue to “defend” residents in Donbas.
Victory Day has become one of Russia’s most important public holidays, celebrated in Moscow and other cities across the former USSR with traditional parades of soldiers and military equipment. The leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia attended this year’s parade in Moscow.
Hours before the start of Victory Day celebrations, Russia launched multiple attacks across central and eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials claim to have shot down 23 of 25 rockets fired, with no casualties reported.
The attacks came shortly before a visit by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was in Kyiv yesterday to discuss “European integration, defense matters, and sanctions against Russia” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio, euronews, dw.com
The United States recently announced a new USD 1.2 billion security assistance package for Ukraine to help the country continue to defend itself against Russian aggression.
The new aid package will reportedly include additional air defense systems and munitions; equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s air defense systems; anti-drone ammunition; and 155 mm artillery rounds.
A statement released on Tuesday by the US Department of Defense said Washington would also provide Kyiv with commercial satellite imagery services and support for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States for its support and for “this sign of solidarity with Ukraine shown on a symbolic day for us – Europe Day and the Day of Victory over Nazism in WWII. Together we’re moving towards a new victory.”
Today is day 441 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Source: Polskie Radio
Today marks the Day of Remembrance for victims massacred in the village of Ponary during the Nazi German occupation of the Kresy, the northeastern borderlands of the Second Polish Republic.
From 1941-1944, some 70,000 Jews, 20,000 Poles, and 8,000 Soviet prisoners of war were murdered by occupying German forces in the village of Ponary, now Paneriai, near the present-day Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.
A solemn ceremony, complete with full military honors, will be held in Gdańsk to honor their memory. It will include official speeches and prayers, a memorial appeal, and the laying of wreaths and flowers at the memorial.
The ceremony is scheduled for 14:00 today at the Ponarski Monument (Pomnika Ponarskiego) in the Siberian Quarters (Kwaterze Sybiraków) of Lostowicki Cemetary, about 150 meters behind the monument to the Golgotha of the East.
Piotr Borawski, Deputy President for Entrepreneurship and Climate Protection for the City of Gdańsk, will lead the commemorations.
More information on memorial activities throughout the month of May is listed in the “Patriotyczny maj” section of the City of Gdańsk website: www.gdansk.pl/wiadomosci/Patriotyczny-maj-w-Gdansku,a,241755
Source: gdansk.pl
Weather
Today will be clear and sunny, with no chance of rain and a light breeze coming in from the southeast. Temperatures will peak at a daytime high of 19°C or 67°F before dropping to a low of 6°C or 43°F overnight. Similar weather is expected tomorrow, with sunny skies and warm temps continuing into the weekend.
Elizabeth Peck
