Riga to move accessible parking space after wheelchair safety concerns

Riga City Council will move an accessible parking space on Dammes Street in the Imanta neighbourhood after wheelchair users raised concerns that reaching the pavement requires travelling along the road, LSM reported.

The 18-metre-long parking space was built for people with mobility impairments, but there is no direct route from it to the pavement. Wheelchair user Ieva said she must go onto a pedestrian crossing, enter the roadway and travel along it to reach her car. Traffic moves in both directions on the street, leaving little room for a wheelchair. She is also concerned about using the route in rain or snow.

The municipality said the arrangement was included in the project and that infrastructure does not always allow accessible parking spaces to be placed closer to pedestrian areas. A nearby shopping centre has accessible parking, but the city’s Outdoor Mobility Department also considers it necessary to provide such spaces on streets, said Ieva Grīsle, a project coordinator in the municipality’s communications department.

The municipality said the parking space will be moved several metres further along the street.