The first cyclists on Čaka Street in Riga could be observed shortly after the street equipment had marked the possible bicycle lanes. Riga City Council emphasizes to the portal “Delfi” – this is a temporary solution, so the situation on the street among road users will be assessed, but at the same time it is indicated that they will certainly not be the last bicycle lanes to be taken into account.
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It has already been reported that experimental bicycle lanes on Čaka and Marijas streets will be installed from 1 December, agreed Riga City Council Traffic and members of the Committee on Transport.
The Department of Transport explains to the portal “Delfi” that the marking of bicycle lanes is nearing completion – on Thursday the marking of lanes is almost completed along the entire length of Čaka Street, signs will be installed and other related works will be completed in the coming weeks, but bicycle lanes can already be used.
In order for all road users to feel safe, the lanes before and after public transport stops will be cut off, as there will be public transport “pockets”. This means that the cyclist will have to stop and give way to public transport while passengers are released and picked up. Public transport passengers are released at stops at the sidewalk.
“It is still too early to draw conclusions about the results of this experiment, because by spring Aleksandra Čaka Street will have to assess the movement of public transport, congestion, impact on traffic on other streets, as well as how many cyclists will use this infrastructure,” said Austris. Keish.
At the same time, discussions in social circles have raised concerns that with the introduction of bicycle lanes on the street, there will be even greater congestion, which some Rigans have already “enjoyed” on Wednesday afternoon.
For all those who think that the cork in Čaka Street is due to bicycle lanes, horizontal paintings are currently being created in some other places, due to which there is limited traffic in several places.
– Transport Engineer (@TInzenieris) November 11, 2020
The City Council emphasizes that this is a temporary solution. “The department will monitor the situation and summarize the results on the number of cyclists and traffic flows. In the spring, summarizing the results, a decision will be made on the future traffic organization solution on Aleksandra Čaka Street,” explains the Chairman of the Traffic and Transport Commission. Olaf Regiment (JV).
At the same time, it should be reminded that the initiative portal “ManaBalss” has collected 2000 signatures against bicycle lanes on Čaka Street, which are planned to be submitted to the Riga City Council for consideration. It explains that the regulatory enactments do not establish a separate procedure for considering such initiatives, however, taking into account the many signatures of the population, it is planned to decide separately on the form in which this civic initiative will be considered by the City Council.
The regiment emphasizes that the bicycle lanes of Čaka Street will definitely not be the last – in the near future it is planned to create bicycle lanes in Ērgļu Street, in the section from Čaka Street to Barona Street, as well as in Čaka Street from Ērgļu Street to Pērnavas Street. It has also been reported that procurement on the George Zemitans bridge It is planned to create bicycle lanes up to Gustavs Zemgala Street.
“Next year’s construction season, it is planned to create bicycle lanes on Turgeņeva Street and the missing sections of Dzirnavu Street,” adds Pulks.
Already reported that one of the coalitions of the new city council The aim is to ensure that you can easily ride a bicycle in both the center and the surrounding area, thus contributing to an increase in the proportion of cyclists.
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