The morning accident near the Tīlderi cemetery in Salaspils has once again drawn attention to the intersection that local residents have long considered accident-prone. According to them, there have been at least ten accidents here in the last two years, and traffic intensity continues to rise.
Andrei was driving to work towards Riga when his trip unexpectedly ended in a serious accident. According to preliminary information, the driver of a Hyundai was exiting the road along the Tīlderi cemetery and was about to turn left towards Salaspils. The maneuver began at the moment when Andrei's Volkswagen was already too close.
In an attempt to avoid a collision, the driver sharply turned the steering wheel to the left. However, instead of hitting the Hyundai, his car crashed into a BMW that had stopped on the road, waiting for an opportunity to turn towards the cemetery. As a result of the strong impact, the front ends of both vehicles sustained serious damage.
"She said she didn't see me and pulled out. It was literally two seconds. I tried to brake, but it was already too late. At least I didn't crash into anyone else," Andrei told the show Degpunktā (TV3).
The driver of the Hyundai refused to explain the circumstances of the incident in detail.
Although this time serious consequences for people were avoided, the accident once again highlighted the issues with traffic organization in this area. According to local residents, the left turn here has long been considered one of the most dangerous maneuvers.
The problem has become particularly acute in recent years as new residential complexes are actively being built around Salaspils, increasing the number of vehicles.
"My daughter constantly drives children here. This intersection is really very dangerous," said an acquaintance of the BMW passengers who came to pick up the accident participants.
Local residents claim that there have been at least ten traffic accidents at this intersection in the last two years alone. Meanwhile, the flow of traffic continues to grow, while the existing traffic scheme remains unchanged.
In the opinion of the residents, the situation requires not just targeted measures but a complete review of traffic organization. Among the possible solutions, they mention changing the turning scheme, installing additional traffic control measures, or other actions that could help reduce the risk of new collisions.
For now, the intersection near the Tīlderi cemetery remains one of the most problematic points on the approach to Salaspils. The latest accident has shown that the issue of safety here remains unresolved.
