“I was flying feet first”: Riga residents are outraged - the city has turned into a solid ice rink 0 52

The Riga City Council officially reported early in the morning: since the night, the roadways have been treated with anti-icing material, dozens of units of equipment are working, and mobile teams are treating the sidewalks in the historic center. However, in reality, this day has become a series of falls, skids, and nervous messages on social media for many residents.

Considering the existing weather conditions in the capital, the Riga City Council announced that:

• since the night, the roadways have been intensively treated with anti-icing material;
• since early morning, 41 units of equipment have been working on the roads;
• 38 units of equipment for servicing the sidewalks were supposed to start working at 12:00 — at the time when the most icing is expected;
• in the historic center, sidewalks stretching 162 kilometers are being treated by four mobile teams, primarily where pedestrian traffic is highest.

The local government emphasizes that the cleaning and treatment of sidewalks is carried out centrally: after a snowfall, sidewalks are cleared to a width of 1.5 meters and treated with anti-icing material. Sidewalks at yard entrances, as before, must be cleaned and treated by property owners or managers. Property owners whose plots border the sidewalks can receive 50 kilograms of free sand, and managers and homeowners are advised to monitor the condition of roofs and clear them of snow and ice.

On paper, the system looks logical. But in practice, a completely different picture emerges.

“No one cares about ordinary mortals”

In one of the Riga social media groups, a lively discussion unfolded under a post about an accident in a yard that occurred on an icy road. “No one cares about ordinary mortals. The higher-ups always have one answer: we didn’t expect such weather conditions,” writes a participant.

Some users are convinced that the system of responsibility is arranged so that in the end, the ordinary person — the driver or pedestrian — remains guilty: “How nice it is to shift your responsibility onto others! As they say, a bad dancer is always hindered by something,” comments another participant, reminding of the need to assess the road conditions themselves.

Another commentator recalls a conversation with a police officer after a dangerous situation on “black ice”: “The police officer told me: it’s your problem, you didn’t manage the vehicle. My arguments about black ice and the inaction of services led to nothing… You need to be more careful on the roads in winter; everything depends only on you and your ability to drive.”

Yards and sidewalks: who is really responsible for what

One of the most pressing questions is about yard roads. Some residents are convinced: here, the local government washes its hands. “It seems to me that they are not responsible for the roads in the yard. We have a different management company; they definitely don’t take responsibility,” writes a commentator. “RNP is responsible for the sidewalk, not the roads for cars, unfortunately,” clarifies another anonymous participant.

“While I was flying feet first”: Riga residents are outraged - the city has turned into a solid ice rink, even in the very center.

At the same time, there are examples of the opposite experience — where janitors come out early and do everything they can: “Everything depends on the janitors. In our yard, the janitor had already treated the road by half past eight. And this was not her only outing to the yard,” says Natalia.

“Janitors are working, sidewalks are being treated, at least in our yards. But it seems to me that the roadway is not their area of responsibility. I didn’t go anywhere today because of the weather,” admits Svetlana.

However, many comments describe the opposite picture: “No one is treating the sidewalks; as for the roads, forget it. All the steps were icy yesterday during the workday,” shares one participant. “Yes, it’s terrible! We barely kept our feet. Especially slippery on the cobblestones. It’s not as slippery on the asphalt; we walked on the roadway to the car,” writes another. “I stepped out of the house and went down on the cobblestones feet first and landed on my back,” recounts another resident.

There are also complaints about the organization of cleaning itself: “There are no janitors now who are responsible for the sidewalks, for snow removal. Now there are mobile teams that come once a week and pretend to work,” believes Ekaterina.

Another user defends the workers: “Janitors really have a lot of work, several sites, snow, and some even have to wash the entrances too. And these janitors are often women, not men! For pennies, someone cleans as best they can, and many don’t care. You can treat it yourself, and you won’t have to wait for anyone,” writes a user.

Pedestrians: falls at the doorstep and on the steps

From the comments, it is clear that the ice has hit pedestrians the hardest. People are reporting falls en masse: “I’ve already fallen,” briefly admits one anonymous participant. “Today is very dangerous. Don’t go out unless it’s absolutely urgent. I barely made it to work; there’s just ice everywhere on the sidewalks, and this is the very center,” writes another.

Another Riga resident recounts: “I fell when exiting Gulbja laboratorija on their three steps; my son fell on the way to practice. A pure ice rink. They could at least sprinkle something.” Some note that due to the ice, they literally “walked like a duck”: “I went out with my dog, and we both waddled. Our yard is treated, but the streets are a nightmare!” “I’m watching from the window as people fall; it’s awful… Just ice,” writes another resident, who ultimately decided to stay home.

Some commentators recall that in case of a fall on an uncleared area, one can seek compensation: “I read an article the other day: if you fell due to ice on an uncleared road, you need to call an ambulance and the police to document the fall, after which you can claim from the management company, which must pay for the damages,” reminds Karina.

Drivers, janitors, and winter tires

Against the backdrop of yard accidents, the question arises: who is to blame if the car skids? Some are sure — the municipal services, others — the driver. “So, the question is not whether winter tires are needed, that it’s a residential area and you need to drive very slowly, controlling the car? Are the janitors to blame?” asks an anonymous participant. “You should have chosen an appropriate speed, not just floored it. In winter, our yards are treated well if they’re sprinkled twice in the season. It’s incredibly slippery, but no one crashed into a wall,” writes a user. “Author, well, this is purely your responsibility, and you shouldn’t shift it onto anyone else. You saw the condition of the road,” harshly summarizes another participant.

Some suggest taking a philosophical approach to what happened: “Say ‘thank you for the money’ and be glad you got off cheaply from bigger troubles,” writes Ilona.

Management companies: “neither salt nor sand helps”

A separate layer of discussions is the position of housing management. Residents in one building were directly told that in conditions of “ice rain,” known methods are ineffective: “Our housing management told us that in such conditions, when there was ‘ice rain,’ anti-slip methods do not work; neither salt nor sand will help. So I assume that RNP wouldn’t have helped you much today,” writes Ekaterina.

Against this backdrop, comments about janitors who treat the sidewalk in pouring rain sound almost sarcastic: “Damn… it’s raining outside, I’m looking out the window, and the janitors are walking around sprinkling sand on the sidewalk. Have they completely lost it?” wonders a resident of Latvia.

Public transport, delays, and the choice to stay home

The ice has affected not only yards and sidewalks but also transport schedules. One train passenger shares her experience: “I took the Jurmala-Riga train; it was delayed by 40 minutes, and now the whole carriage has been sitting at the Lielupe station for 20 minutes waiting to go. It seems to be a strange day for everyone today,” writes Elena.

It’s no surprise that many ultimately preferred public transport or stayed home altogether: “That’s why I took public transport; it’s very slippery,” explains one participant. “Today I chose to stay home and watch series… I’m looking out the window at people falling; it’s awful,” admits another.