Drivers fined for parking on unmarked asphalt area in Riga

Residents near Ķengaraga Street in Riga are being fined for parking on a small asphalted area despite the absence of signs prohibiting it, LSM reported. One driver was fined 30 euros for parking where it was allegedly impossible to enter without breaking traffic rules.

The driver, Jānis, said he was willing to pay but wanted to understand what rule he had broken. He said drivers regularly received fines for parking there and argued that a sign or road marking would make the restriction clear.

The asphalted area is connected to a courtyard road, and drivers can leave it without crossing the grass. Riga Municipal Police declined to comment on Jānis’s case because he has appealed the fine.

Police said officers had issued 54 penalty decisions at the address this year. The figure covers various traffic violations and does not refer only to parking on the asphalted area.

The reason the area’s status is unclear is that it does not appear on the city map, the report said, indicating that it is illegal. The report did not establish how officers assessed the basis for the fines.