Kompatibilnost pomorskog i cestovnog prometa Velebitskog Podgorja
The compatibility of the sea and road transport of Velebit Podgorje

Summary/Abstract: The feature of the region of Velebit Podgorje is the greatly accentuated mountain range, which without transitional zones it approaches the sea and the Kvarner archipelago. A significant feature of Velebit Podgorje on the infertile karst soil is its scarce inhabitation. The area of Velebit Podgorje by its size and position in the macro-region is unique and incomparable with other regions in Croatia. The fundamental definition of this area is the lack of a critical constellation of central settlements, which could become initiators of development on the local level. Another feature of this area is the natural geomorphological, botanical and ethnological particularity of Velebit, due to which a great part of the surface area has been declared protected, such as the Nature Park, and after that with a narrower coverage the Northern Velebit National Park. The third feature of this area is the strategically significant point of the exist of the continental area to the sea and the junction with the route which follows the coastline which represents the main course of the Adriatic tourist road, and in the near future the course of Adriatic-Ionian motorway as well. This area also has a certain transit role because in Jablanac, Prizna and Stinica there are ferry terminals, which provide transport links to Krk, Rab and Pag, the largest islands of the Kvarner archipelago. The climate of this region has substantially influenced the significance and role of maritime traffic in this area. The winds are characteristic of the climate of the Velebit region, especially the ‘bura’.The configuration of the land causes the direction of the ‘bura’ to change at a particular point fromNE to SE and intermittently reach a speed of up to 120 km/h. All of this is the reason why maritime traffic in this region is poorly developed, particularly between the settlements along the coast, and this is also evident in the lack of nautical tourism ports. Bearing in mind that for the development of this region the connectivity of sea and road transport is of special importance, as well as the building of the corresponding transport and communal infrastructure, in this paper the authors investigate the possibilities of the construction of new, as well as the improvement of, existing ports, plus the better transport connectivity of coastal settlements and the corresponding links with the mountain regions of Velebit. The developed sea transport and constructed transport infrastructure can be an accelerator of the development of this region principally in the domain of tourism, the development of ecological agriculture, livestock breeding, forestry and manufacturing industries, the exploitation of renewable sources of energy(wind), the development of small businesses, mariculture and various other service activities.

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