Raivis was running errands and enjoying his day off on Saturday. That day he drove past educational institutions in Mežciems, where it is prohibited to drive faster than 30 km/h on working days. The man recalled that it was a day off, reports the program “Bez Tabu” (TV3).
However, on Monday he received a fine via email from the Riga Municipal Police. The letter stated that he drove past educational institutions at a speed of 45 km/h, thus exceeding the allowed speed by 15 km/h. At the same time, the police did not take into account that the violation was recorded on Saturday, which was a transferred working day for state and municipal institutions, but not for private enterprises.
The driver believes that the actions of the police were unfair, as not everyone was working that day. Moreover, as Raivis points out, foreign guests cannot be aware of such transferred working days in general.
“I was driving on this street on Saturday. Yes, it was a transferred working day, but not for everyone. On Saturday, this sign does not have to be followed – it only applies on working days. At first glance, it seems like I violated the rules, but what if a foreigner comes here, for whom Saturday is a day off, not a working day?” Raivis protests.
The chief communications specialist of the Riga Municipal Police, Ieva Lukaja-Apalupa, refused to answer questions from “Bez Tabu” in person, without explaining the reasons. She also did not disclose how many potential violators were recorded in this location on the transferred working day. She did not respond to the journalist's phone call and SMS — the comment was only sent in written form via email.
Response from the Riga Municipal Police: “The Cabinet of Ministers' order is legally binding and defines the status of the day for the entire legal system. Thus, on January 17, 2025, it was considered a working day in traffic regulation, and the speed limit of 30 km/h fully applied to all vehicle drivers.”
At the same time, it is noted that on January 17, educational institutions were conducting educational processes, so enhanced speed control near them was especially important for ensuring the safety of children as the most vulnerable participants in road traffic.
However, Lukaja-Apalupa omits that two nearby schools were closed to students on the transferred working day. The only exception was the kindergartens located more than 200 meters away, which indeed operated on Saturday.
An independent jurist not associated with this case disagrees with the opinion of the Riga police and believes that the fine should be canceled.
“The Cabinet of Ministers' order is an internal regulatory act that is mandatory only for state and municipal institutions. It does not apply to private entrepreneurs and residents. Since this order is not mandatory for residents, the road sign did not apply on this Saturday. This can be regarded as an ordinary day off. The person has every reason to appeal the imposed fine, and in my opinion, the chances of winning this case are quite high,” says jurist Janis Berovskis.
The Road Traffic Safety Directorate reminds that the sign was installed due to the proximity of educational institutions. According to the agency, on such a day, the capital's police could conduct control in other locations.
“Even on transferred working days, it is necessary to comply with the rules concerning working days. Of course, in this case, there is a problem: far from everyone, especially foreigners, is aware of transferred working days. In such specific situations, one should not get carried away with fines and enhanced control,” believes Juris Teters, a representative of the Road Traffic Safety Directorate.
Raivis appealed the fine to the police chief, but the decision was upheld.
After addressing the chief of the Riga Municipal Police, the “Bez Tabu” program finally managed to obtain information about the number of fined drivers in this location on the transferred working day.
“There were 96 cases of speeding recorded, of which 59 were forwarded for further consideration and decision on imposing a fine.”
Considering that each fine amounts to at least 40 euros, as in Raivis's case, the municipal budget was replenished by 2360 euros on the transferred working day.
Raivis decided not to give up and will most likely seek justice in court.
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