A large number of drivers unknowingly violate traffic rules on public transport lanes

Although the statistics of the Riga Municipality Police show that driving in the public transport lane has been the most frequent traffic violation in Riga for several years and it has a tendency to increase, more than half or 58% of drivers claim that they do not intentionally violate the traffic rules and do not drive in the public transport lane . At the same time, every third driver (34%) does not hide the fact that they may have unknowingly violated the traffic rules and driven on the public transport lane, and only 2% of drivers admit that they regularly violate the mentioned traffic rules on purpose.

During the survey, it was found that a significant number of drivers who move through the streets of the capital on a daily basis are not sure of their knowledge of road traffic rules regarding public transport lanes. Namely – every fifth driver (21%) admits that he is not safe or knows which road users are allowed to drive on the public transport lane and almost every third driver (29%) admits that he is not safe or knows when and how to properly change to public transport lane to make a right turn.

Driving in the public transport lane has been the most frequent traffic violation in Riga for several years and it has a tendency to increase, moreover, this behavior is often qualified as aggressive driving. In 2023, 6,025 such violations were detected, but this year already more than 10,000 drivers were fined for driving on public transport lanes without permission. The increase in statistics has been facilitated by the mobile video surveillance cameras of the Riga Municipality Police, which have been increasingly used since the fall of 2023. The fine for driving on a public transport lane is 40 euros.

Violation of traffic rules while driving on a public transport lane seriously affects the traffic flow in Riga, not only creating traffic jams and hindering the movement of public transport, but also posing a safety threat to the driver who violates the rules and other road users.

In order to promote drivers’ understanding of the importance of public transport lanes in the traffic of the capital and to promote mutual respect between drivers and public transport managers, the informative campaign “Respect the public!” will take place in May. Its purpose is to explain and remind drivers why there are separate lanes for public transport traffic in Riga, and what is the purpose of these lanes, as well as to educate drivers by reminding them of road traffic rules.

Traffic jam on Brīvības street Photo: LETA