If intense snowing in Latvia’s capital city continues on Friday, the 1st of December, the option to use “blizzard tickets” will be extended, said Mayor of Riga Vilnis Ķirsis in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds.
According to him, the decision to offer motorists the “blizzard ticket” option – leave their car home and use their technical passport as a ticket in public transports – was correct.
“It’s best to prepare for the worst scenario,”
said Ķirsis, stressing that meteorologists say it is possible it will snow on Friday as well. The mayor stressed that each car on the road during snowing makes it difficult to clear the road of snow. Previous experience proves that “blizzard tickets” work, and estimates indicate that around 10 000 cars usually stay home in such situations.
The decision regarding the possible continuation of “blizzard ticket” option to Friday will be made by afternoon, said the politician.
“Snow-clearing efforts right now are the biggest possible. However, clearing snow during snowfall is like fighting a windmill,” the mayor concluded.
Efforts to clear public transport stops, pedestrian crossings and bicycle-related infrastructure of snow continued this Thursday, as LETA was informed by Riga City Council.
The city council reminds that heavy snowfall started in Riga on the night to Thursday. According to the forecast, it will continue the whole day. The layer of snow on the city’s streets is up by 15 cm, making conditions difficult for both vehicles and pedestrians.
Shortly after midnight city services started the first round of snow-clearing efforts. Since then there have been three runs. Snow-clearing efforts on stops, pedestrian crossings and bicycle infrastructure still continue.
Riga municipality invites residents to be patient and keep in mind that under the current weather conditions snow keeps piling on in a very short period of time. Residents are advised to work remotely whenever possible or plan their trips in advance and keep in mind they may have to spend more time than usual on the road.
Also read: Meteorologists warn of intense snowing in Latvia
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