Riga Municipality Surveys Residents on Traffic Changes in Grīziņkalns

The Riga municipality is conducting a survey among residents about traffic organization changes in the Grīziņkalns area, implemented earlier this year. The survey aims to assess how the changes have affected daily commuting and the neighborhood environment, with the goal of further improving traffic solutions.

Residents, business owners, and other visitors to the area are encouraged to participate. The survey is anonymous and takes only a few minutes to complete. Multiple submissions from the same computer are allowed. The survey is open until July 24.

The changes in Grīziņkalns included reducing parking spaces, introducing paid parking, installing a modal filter, and closing Vārnu Street to through traffic. The municipality stated that these measures were taken to improve traffic safety, reduce transit traffic, and create a safer environment for all road users.

However, many residents opposed the changes. Over 2,000 signatures were collected on the initiative portal “Manabalss.lv” calling for their reversal. The initiative author, Vjačeslavs Makarovs, argued that the changes lacked justification and impact assessment. He noted that closing Vārnu Street turned adjacent streets into transit routes, and that the modal filter was criticized by the Emergency Medical Service and the State Fire and Rescue Service.

Following the objections, concrete barriers were removed, and transit traffic on Vārnu Street was only restricted by traffic signs. In May, the Riga City Council tasked the Department of External Space and Mobility with evaluating a collective application to cancel the changes. The department is expected to report possible solutions within three months.