By the end of the month, the city will be under snow, meteorologists guarantee us. Meanwhile, four private companies are responsible for cleanliness. Questions about how snow is cleared were raised at the Committee on Communication and Transport of the Riga City Council.
"Horrible, nothing has been cleared!"
The head of the Department of Environmental and Mobility of the Riga City Council, Kristaps Kauliņš, stated that his employees work in a 24/7 mode, relying on weather forecasts (from 4 different services!). "This is an algorithm," noted the director. The main thing is to have the streets cleared by rush hour. Therefore, last Friday, they relied on the capabilities of the equipment.
– We decided that it is not necessary to declare "snow tickets," – said K. Kauliņš, referring to "common sense." The resources in the Department are used economically. For example, snow removal is not entrusted to third-party companies, but is carried out by them.
– I drove down Brīvības Street – horrible, nothing has been cleared! – exclaimed deputy Ringolds Balodis. He was explained in simple terms:
– A grader can drive on a rural road and clear the snow in one go, but it is impossible on Brīvības Street. Therefore, we used a combined method. It was impossible to remove all the snow during the snowfall, but this work continues.
In general, this is his first winter season in office, Kauliņš justified himself.
To this, Mr. Balodis, a lawyer himself, said that in Mr. Kauliņš, the legal profession has lost an outstanding figure. "If he hadn’t gone into road engineering, he would have become a lawyer," countered the director.
How Much Does It Cost to Clear a Square Meter?
– People were stuck in traffic for a long time, unable to take their children, – the deputies continued to express their outrage. They are also outraged by the accumulation of dirty ice around the "Stakīša posts." The terrible condition in the yards – although snow removal is mentioned in the bills from RNP. The company itself, as it turned out, does not clear the snow – but orders external services. Clearing 1 square meter costs 7-10 cents plus VAT.
LETA.
Your author noted the condition of small streets – as well as inter-block passages.
The department management claimed that 70 units of equipment were working on the streets of the city, even clearing bike paths! Roberts Rosenšteins, head of the street maintenance and transport structures department, emphasized that the work of all units is confirmed by GPS tracking and video cameras. By the way, the cleanliness of the streets can cost merchants a lot of money – contractual fines were applied in the amount of 10,000 euros.
It Will Clear Up on Its Own
Another female deputy demonstrated impressive photographs of the snow-covered spaces of Riga to Mr. Kauliņš. Somewhere he promised to clear it very soon, and regarding some places that are snow "depositories," he said:
– Here we will wait for spring.
Then, supposedly, everything will melt – and they will conduct a sanitary cleanup.
Well, for the stuck residents of Riga, they are currently offered to report snowdrifts. On working days, from 8 AM to 6 PM, citizens can report uncleared snow to the municipal free phone 1201.
