Viskaļi residents raise pedestrian safety concerns with Jelgava mayor over Platones Street

At a meeting held in a café in Jelgava, residents of the Viskaļi neighbourhood told city council chairman Mārtiņš Daģis about problems for pedestrians. The main topic was Platones Street, where traffic calming devices have recently been installed but there is no pavement. The issue matters because residents are concerned about safety, especially for children walking to school.

The mayor opened by asking where residents would like to put a Christmas tree in the neighbourhood. No answers came. Daģis explained that this year the municipality plans to place festive decorations in the city's neighbourhoods, not only in the centre as before.

Traffic calming on Platones Street

At the start of the meeting, people ironically mentioned the crash on Platones Street on 11 October, when a powerful UK-registered passenger car hit the traffic calming devices at high speed. Daģis acknowledged that the municipality is acting and learning, and reminded attendees that neighbourhood residents themselves voted for these measures.

After the meeting, the outlet Zemgales Ziņas spoke on Platones Street with an elderly woman. She said locals have nicknamed the devices, which resemble Christmas tree baubles, the council's Christmas present, and that they fit in there. Even so, she said the most pedestrian-friendly solution would be to build a pavement. Platones Street had become a busy transit route, and parents could not feel confident about children walking to school along it.

The mayor's explanation and other issues

Residents also asked the mayor about building a pavement. He said a large street reconstruction project with five million euros of EU co-financing is already planned for Viskaļu Street. In his view, improving two streets in one neighbourhood would not be proportionate to other neighbourhoods whose residents complain of similar problems. Platones Street would nevertheless not be forgotten.

Residents also raised the difficult crossing of Rūpniecības Street before the overpass, where there has long been no proper pedestrian crossing by the roundabout, and where all pedestrian traffic has been diverted because of overpass repairs. One resident suggested paving Loka Street with the milled asphalt to be removed from Viskaļu Street. Daģis replied that when planning future roadworks, the city will consider where milled asphalt goes.