Last weekend the streets in Riga were bustling with activity – snow was being removed to clear the way. Because air temperature at night dropped as far as -17° C, sand and salt mixture was used to coat the streets instead of a salt-containing liquid.
As reported by Riga City Council, small streets were also cleared of snow so that resident are able to park their cars. On Monday it is planned to go over these streets again using smaller snow-clearing machinery. Streets that remain inaccessible will have road signs prohibiting parking.
The city council reports the biggest volume of snow was removed from Old Riga and Freedom Square, as well as different parking spots. Municipal services will continue clearing bicycle lanes on Monday. Pedestrian walkways are also a priority – in many places snow-clearing is done by hand in Riga.
This weekend Rīgas satiksme cleared parking spots of snow. Work was carried out during the day and at night.
As of 6 December more than 1 800 m3 of snow has been carried from parking places in Riga. This is equal to about 121 heavy trucks worth of snow.
The company services more than 6 000 parking places in Riga. Parking places in the city centre and Old Riga were cleared of snow first. Work is done 24 hours a day. 24 vehicles are engaged in snow-clearing operations.
Territory managers and residents can carry snow from cleared areas to three locations in the city: Lidlauka Street (12 150 m2) and two other locations at Rītausmas Street 35.
Before bringing snow over, however, a notification should be sent to ptl@riga.lv. The notification should contain the carrying vehicle’s registration number, the name and surname or name of the company carrying the snow, as well as the volume of snow being brought over.
There are multiple companies clearing snow from the streets, pedestrian walkways and bicycle lanes in Riga: AS Ceļu pārvalde, SIA Roadeks, SIA Rīgas Tilti and SIA Pilsētas eko serviss.
Read also: Winter in Latvia shows off its «muscles» – air temperature may drop to -25° C this week
If residents have questions related to the maintenance of streets and walkways during winter, they can turn to Riga City Council Transport Management Centre (8 000 36 00) and Neighbourhood Population Centre (8 000 08 00).
For road traffic to go safely, drivers are urged to be extra careful, pick an appropriate driving speed, maintain a safe distance from other traffic participants and plan their route in advance.