Specialist: improving air quality in Riga requires the reduction of cars in the city centre

To improve the quality of air in Riga, the number of cars and other vehicles in the city centre needs to be reduced by 20%, said the chairman of Riga City Council’s Housing and Environment Committee Edmunds Cepurītis in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds on 10 January.
He explained that discussions about the improvement of the quality of air in the capital city have only just begun. There are multiple scenarios for the improvement of quality of air. The topic of entry fees has been discussed already because it is one solution for the improvement of quality of air used in other countries around the world.
«To reduce the impact of air quality on public health, it is necessary to reduce the number of cars in the city centre by 20%. In order to improve public transport services and increase the number of cycling lanes in the city, I believe 20% of drivers would gladly consider stop using cars due to increase costs, for example,» allows the city council member.
The politician said the decision regarding possible solutions will be made once relevant studies have been completed. Adoption of an entry fee to the city centre would be one of the last possible solutions.
«The main objective is improving the quality of air in the capital city,» claims Cepurītis.
As previously reported, Riga’s low emission zone traffic reorganisation plan will be developed by the end of the year. The low emission zone is city territory that implements a number of measures to reduce CO2 emissions from vehicles, which affects not only the quality of air but also causes negative effects on public health.
There haven’t been any specific solutions voiced to help implement a low-emission zone in Riga so far.
Chairman of the City Development Committee Inese Andersone previously told Latvijas Radio said one of the possible emission reduction solutions in Riga’s centre would be the implementation of an entry fee for private vehicles during periods traffic congestion.
She explained that it is planned to establish a low emission zone in the city centre to motivate people to use public transport services and travel using environmentally friendly vehicles to help reduce air pollution and make the environment healthier and more pleasant to live and work in.