Transport
Speed enforcement on Latvian roads is becoming increasingly widespread, and the results are clearly visible, and millions are collected in fines, Latvian Television reported on 1st April.
Latvia’s national airline, airBaltic, has requested a short-term loan from the Ministry of Transport. The airline cites the rise in aviation fuel prices caused by the military conflict in the Middle East as the reason for its request, according to airBaltic's statement on 31st March.
From Tuesday, March 31st, 23 stationary video cameras will begin operating on Latvian roads to record administrative violations, the State Police said.
During Easter, electric trains on all four lines will run on a holiday schedule from April 3rd to April 6th, the passenger train company Vivi said.
On Thursday, April 2, the maximum speed limit of 70 kilometres per hour (km/h )will be reinstated on the Dienvidu Bridge exits, according to the Rīga City Council’s Department of Outdoors and Mobility.
Starting April 1, stricter rules will apply to users of electric scooters and other similar vehicles. These rules will particularly affect travel on sidewalks in urban areas, where so-called self-propelled bicycles are becoming increasingly common. The industry, unsurprisingly, is unhappy with this, Latvian Radio reported on 30th March.
In rural areas, the cost of transporting pupils and maintaining roads is rising. Although the Saeima adopted a temporary solution to the sharp rise in fuel prices by reducing the excise tax on diesel fuel by 15.2% from April 1 to June 30, this does not resolve the situation for local governments, Latvian Radio reports on 30th March.
New average speed monitoring sections will go into operation on the Liepāja and Rēzekne highways on Thursday, March 26, at 8 a.m. from Apšupe to Tiltiņi and from Varakļāni to Kristceļi, as well as from Greiškāni to the 108th kilometre of the A12 highway, according to "Latvian State Roads".
To reduce noise levels in nearby neighbourhoods, the Rīga Airport plans to make changes to its Action Plan and is seeking feedback and suggestions from residents, Latvian Television reports on 24th March.
On Tuesday, March 24th, the Cabinet of Ministers (CM) approved amendments to the Road Traffic Regulations proposed by the Ministry of Transport (MoT). One of the areas subject to stricter regulations is bicycles and electric scooters, including a ban on self-propelled bicycles on pavements.
In the lethal accident that occurred Saturday in Prauliena Parish, Madona Municipality, neither of the two drivers who died had a driver’s license, the LETA news agency reported from the Vidzeme Regional Administration of the State Police.
In Estonia, construction work on the main line of the Rail Baltica infrastructure project has begun almost throughout its territory. Estonia has set the construction of the track as a priority. However, as in Latvia, not everything is going smoothly, and the completion of the railway currently lacks significant funding. The responsible minister is optimistic that the money will be found.
The fence along the Latvian-Russian and Latvian-Belarusian borders has been completed, but work on the smart infrastructure is still ongoing. Due to this work, the condition of several dirt roads in the border municipalities of Balvi County has deteriorated to the point where it is difficult to drive on them , LSM's Latgale editorial reports.
Despite the ongoing war in the Middle East, rising fuel costs, which have been increasing for more than two weeks now, are not currently prompting a rise in public transportation fares in Rīga, as stated by the capital’s mayor, Viesturs Kleinbergs (Progressives), in an interview with Latvian Radio on Thursday morning.
Estonia’s “Elron,” Lithuania’s “LTG Link,” and Latvia’s “Vivi” announced on Wednesday, March 18, in Tallinn the launch of a procurement process that should result in modern regional trains beginning to run on the new Baltic mainline in a few years.
On March 19th, at 08:00, two more sections of road will be monitored by average speed cameras, according to state road company Latvijas valsts ceļi (LVC).
The Riga Municipal Police have concluded, following increased enforcement efforts, that minors are increasingly using micromobility devices, and that some are unable to produce the required documentation or violate traffic rules, Latvian Radio reported on 17th March.
Drivers are gradually starting to arrive at garages and tyre shops to change their winter tyres for summer ones. Among them is Aivis, who has decided that the tyres need to be changed because he does not plan to drive this car for a while.
Defects on the newly opened Mūkusala Promenade have caused widespread public concern on social media in recent days. They will be rectified by the contractor as part of the warranty, Latvian Television reported on 16th March.
At some point, Latvia’s national airline, airBaltic, must have private capital and it should be listed on the stock exchange, Transport Minister Atis Švinka (Progressives) said in an interview on the Latvian Radio program "Good Morning" on 16th March.
The municipal public transport company in the Latvian capital, "Rīgas satiksme" (Rīga transport) plans to sign contracts for the purchase of 120 new buses within about a year, reports Latvian Radio.
The national airline "airBaltic" will need money at the end of the year to continue its operations. Last year, turnover grew by 4% and losses decreased almost three times, but this is not enough. The airline is pinning its hopes on attracting external financing, but if this fails, it will have to ask the state for a handout – not for the first time. Additional risks are also posed by the war in the Middle East, which is affecting the global aviation industry, reports Latvian Radio.
Latvia is not using part of a loan facility provided by the European Union – 2.2 billion euros remain on the table. The company "RB Rail", which is responsible for implementing the troubled Rail Baltica railway infrastructure project, says not using the loan to the maximum extent is a strategic mistake.
In 2024, 4 out of 10 Latvians didn't use public transport at all, according to Eurostat data published on March 11th.
On March 12, at 08:00, new average speed control cameras will come online on six more sections of state highways in Latvia, so drivers are being forewarned.
On the night of Saturday, March 7, the first repatriation flights from Dubai arrived at Rīga Airport. These flights were organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the airline airBaltic due to the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East.
Latvian airline airBaltic has announced it will operate a third repatriation flight from Dubai to Riga.
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will launch three daily flights on the Rīga-Copenhagen route from March 8th, significantly increasing the frequency and capacity of flights between the two capitals, RIX Riga Airport has announced.
Next week, students have a break from school, which often means that some parents take their children on trips. The security situation in the Middle East also affects travellers from Latvia. Cancelled flights, uncertainty about trips that have already been purchased, and questions about insurance—what are passengers' rights, and what can they expect from tour operators and insurers?
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