Public transport is losing out

  • 2000-09-14
  • Jorgen Johansson
RIGA - The number of passengers carried by Riga's public transport has dropped from 772,000 in 1998 to 247,400 last year, while the number of cars has gone up. Since Jan. 1 last year, the number of cars increased by 12,680, bringing the total to 175,767 Jan. 1 this year.

Rudite Revelina, director of the transport unit in Riga City Council's traffic department, said the number of cars in Riga goes up every year.

"The situation will be better, I hope, when we realize we need to preserve the environment," Revelina said. "We will go back to public transport."

Revelina said more and more people are taking the increasingly popular minibuses and taxi buses.

"New investments let us buy 20 new buses last year in December," Revelina said.

Still, new buses are not enough to lure people from the minibuses, which follow the same route as the public ones except they don't only stop on the certain designated bus stops.

Daniels Liepins, head of the public transport section in Riga City Council's traffic department, said the Council is working on improving the public transport network and level of service by buying new buses and equipment.

"It will take a long time to convince the public that public transport is better," Liepins said.

Riga City Council's traffic department is also trying to get people to ride bicycles more. In order to promote bicycles, the traffic department has declared Sept. 23 a cyclists' day in Riga. This action is believed to increase the number of people using bicycles.

Liepins said it will be free of charge to participate on the route around some of Riga's main streets.

"There will also be some sport activities in the park in front of the Congress Center," Liepins said.

The bicycle pedaling is set to begin at 11 a.m. and the sport activities will take place from 3 p.m.