Łódź has experienced a widespread failure of its traffic control system, leading to transport paralysis at key points in the city. Problems with traffic lights at numerous intersections have forced the authorities to establish a crisis team. Although the situation initially suggested an external attack, officials have officially ruled out a cyberattack. Technical services are working to restore the infrastructure, but drivers and public transport passengers must expect massive disruptions.
Cyberattack Ruled Out
Experts and the crisis team have officially confirmed that the failure is not the result of third-party actions or a cyberattack.
Establishment of a Crisis Team
Due to the scale of the city's paralysis, special crisis management procedures have been activated to coordinate repairs.
Technical Problems with the ITS System
Traffic signals at many intersections are operating in emergency mode, causing traffic jams and delays in public transport.
Since Tuesday, February 24, Łódź has been grappling with a major transport crisis caused by a failure of the integrated road traffic control system. The scale of the problem is so significant that the city president decided to establish a crisis team, which includes representatives from the Road and Transport Authority and cybersecurity experts. Traffic lights at dozens of intersections have stopped functioning correctly, most often switching to a warning mode of flashing yellow light. This is causing complete chaos, especially during rush hours, when drivers must rely solely on their own interpretation of general traffic rules and vertical signs. City authorities and IT services conducted a thorough analysis of system logs to determine the cause of the failure. Official statements confirmed that the hypothesis of a potential cyberattack has been definitively ruled out. The most likely cause is indicated to be an internal software error or a failure of the central unit managing the city's ITS network. ITS systems in large agglomerations are extremely complex, meaning that fixing the error could take many hours, or even days. The modernization of Łódź's traffic control system was one of the key elements of the city's transport revitalization in the last decade. Similar digital systems, introduced en masse in European metropolises since the 1990s, significantly increase communication efficiency but are simultaneously considered critical infrastructure with a high degree of technical sensitivity. The Road and Transport Authority (ZDiT) is appealing to residents to avoid the city center and use detours if possible. The situation is being monitored continuously, and police patrols have been sent to the most congested intersections to manually direct traffic. Despite these efforts, delays in tram and bus services are reaching several minutes, affecting thousands of people commuting to work and school. Technical services announce that work on restarting and reconfiguring the system will continue until resolved, and the crisis team will remain active until full stabilization of the road situation in Łódź is achieved.