While Riga's Old Town has many pedestrian-only streets, the area just northeast of the center does not. Čaka Street, pictured above, is one of several being considered for pedestrian-only designation.
RIGA — Riga’s indefatigable deputy mayor, Ainārs Šlesers, has proposed turning one of the streets in the downtown area into a pedestrian zone. Streets mentioned as possible automobile-free areas include Tērbatas, Barona and Čaka streets.
“Many European cities have pedestrian streets,” he was quoted by the LETA agency as saying on Thursday. “Such a street would invigorate life for the entire neighborhood year-round.”
Šlesers said retail trade in the downtown area had suffered as a result of the crisis and transportation has thinned out, so it was time to consider transforming a street, or several streets, into pedestrian zones.
The idea is apparently not novel, and was originally floated in 1998 under the then mayor Andris Bērziņš (whose Latvia’s Way Party has merged with Šlesers’ Latvia’s First Party in Parliament). The new proposal has been sent to the Riga City Council’s development department, which is chaired by Sergejs Dolgopolovs, a member of the Harmony Center Party. He reportedly abstained from commenting the proposal, saying that all the advantages and disadvantages had to be weighed carefully.
Indeed, it is not difficult to see the pluses of a new pedestrian street or zone in downtown Riga. Rigans would have a quaint new place to saunter without have to “go all the way” to Old Town, whose repute has been tainted by the ubiquitous presence of less-than-savory groups of foreign tourists. Commercially, businesses could enliven the street with new shops and cafes.
On the downside, no matter how they wing it, there will still be cars. If two or three blocks of Tērbatas, for instance, are made auto-free, cross-traffic will not disappear as drivers make their way from Brivibas to Čaka.
At the very least, it is welcoming to see that politicians on the City Council are brainstorming to find ways to kick-start the city’s economy.
Čaka street for pedestrians! Hahaha, now that’s a joke. This is one of the three big veins through Rīga [Čaka, Brīvības, Valdemāra]. And Valdemāra is so-so to be counted as “big” street. What a nonsence!
I think Barona street is more suitable for turning into pedestrian one. Ok, tram and pedestrian street.
I’m with Janka on this one, Barona is a pain to drive down anyway, especially with a pregnant passenger. A. Čaka cannot possibly be considered…
Chaka iela cannot became the pedestrian street. It´s so fullfilled with cars every day and there is no place for those cars.
Barona is good, and there is good small shops as well.