Residents of Pardaugava in Riga are outraged by the decisions made during the construction of a new bike route, which they believe will hinder access to private properties. Additionally, due to the excavations related to the construction, residents of the small area can no longer access their homes and are forced to use a detour through rough terrain, reports Bez Tabu (TV3).
A bike route is being constructed in Pardaugava that will connect the Riga ring at Mukusalas with Kekava. One of its sections will run along Upju Street — a small street leading to several private homes. Previously, residents of Upju Street accessed their homes via a wide gravel driveway.
A resident of Upju Street, Gennady, contacted the Bez Tabu editorial office, expressing concern on behalf of several households regarding the bike route project. According to him, the street is being divided into two lanes — one in each direction — which will accommodate both cyclists and cars. A median strip is being constructed between the lanes. Gennady is worried that the width of each lane is only 2.5 meters — a passenger car barely fits in such a lane. He emphasized that access for larger vehicles will be extremely difficult.
“Trucks drive here, they bring firewood, clear snow, and take out the trash. The width chosen is incorrect! I spoke to the workers and the foreman. He said the project is like this, nothing can be changed. What was the architect thinking when designing this? Only about the cyclists!” Gennady said.
The man pointed out other problems as well. According to him, Upju Street has been dug up for a long time, and it is impossible to drive on it. Residents have to detour through rough terrain — across someone else's private property, risking getting stuck in the mud. He doubts that anyone will clear this unofficial detour in winter. Gennady believes that the workers should have completed the section of Upju Street earlier so that residents wouldn't damage their cars.
“When the road will be opened is unknown, as no one is working. There are no workers! Winter is coming, and no one is doing anything. In summer, all the equipment was moved to another place where activity needs to be shown, and here — it’s the outskirts of the city. We have been forgotten here! If the workers hadn’t been removed, there would already be asphalt here,” Gennady said.
The bike route in Pardaugava is planned to be completed by the middle of next year. Its length will be over four kilometers — from the Mukusalas ring to the Kekava region. The work will cost nearly six million euros. The general contractor is LLC Tils.
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