From today, a new traffic regime applies in central Skopje, with several changes that directly hit drivers who pass daily along the stretch near Juzen Bulevar and the tobacco plant. The goal, the city says, is better vehicle flow - a phrasing the people of Skopje hear with every redesign, to mixed results.

Specifically, the street next to the "Iv" café, running from Juzen Bulevar toward Kisela Voda, becomes one-way, with a new traffic light for a left turn onto "Esenin" street heading toward the airport. The street next to the Market Inspectorate, leading to the tobacco plant, reverses direction. And from Juzen Bulevar, a left turn is no longer allowed toward the airport or the tobacco plant.

On top of that, "11 Oktomvri" street has been narrowed from three lanes to two to make room for new planters. A change that in some cities means nicer space for pedestrians, and in others - just less flow and bigger jams. Which of the two it'll be in Skopje, the first working week will tell.

Traffic redesigns are routine, but the question is whether there's a plan behind them or improvisation. Drivers will adapt - they always do. The question is whether in a few months a new change will follow that undoes this one, as Skopje has seen many times before. Because the most expensive traffic reform is the one you build, then reverse.