A woman is fatally hit by a tram in a dangerous place in Imanta, but other pedestrians continue to take risks

Most tram stops in Riga are located in the middle of the street, where residents have to cross roadways to get to them. Kurzemes prospectus in Imanta is no exception, although there is a specially designed pedestrian crossing here.

Within half an hour, at least 10 people crossed the road in an unauthorized place, most of them only 15 meters from the crossing. Several residents have also taken a walk over and along the tram tracks, aware that it is not safe to do so.

A woman, possibly going to the same public transport stop, lost her life on Monday. At the turn from Kurzeme prospect to Bebru street, tram 1, on the way to Imanta, ran over a pedestrian who was on the tracks.

“In Riga, on Kurzemes Prospekt, near the tram stop “Bebru iela”, the tram driver ran over a pedestrian – a woman born in 1943, who died at the scene. The State Police has initiated criminal proceedings for the incident and is investigating the circumstances of the accident,” explains the representative of the State Police, Līna Bagdone.

“There was neither a pedestrian crossing here, nor any other possibility for pedestrians to cross the tracks. Because the opportunities for the tram to maneuver and brake are much longer than for any other transport, and there are also situations when the driver suddenly comes out onto the tracks, and the driver may not see it immediately. And we have to admit that after the accident, our driver was also in a rather big state of shock,” explains Baiba Bartasheviča-Feldmane, head of the Public Relations Department of “Rīgas Satiksmes”.

“Rīgas Satiksme” asks pedestrians to assess the situation and cross the roadways only in designated areas. If anyone witnessed the accident, please report what they saw to the State Police.

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