The persons who sell flowers at kiosks located on Bănulescu-Bodoni St in Chisinau, after the COVID-19 pandemic seriously affected their activity, say their sales were further impacted by the restriction on stopping on the left lane imposed on motor vehicles. They noted the authorities’ initiative to restrict parking in front of the flower kiosks is good, but the buyers should not be banned from staying there for a short period of time. Others suspect someone aims to obtain the place where flowers are sold and by such actions intend to force the sellers to leave themselves, IPN reports.
A seller said that last spring, when trade was first restricted, they suffered heavy losses. A large part of their clients started to buy flowers online. Later, parking on Bănulescu-Bodoni St was restricted and sales declined again. The buyers who try to park there for several minutes are fined or, more seldom, are warned to leave. The municipal authorities recommended that the buyers should park on adjoining streets, but those streets are not freer by far. In such conditions, the persons, instead of walking 1 km, order flowers online or go to another flower shop.
Another seller said the restriction on parking affected not only the flower kiosks, but also other business entities based nearby. They cannot understand the purpose of such a decision as traffic jams anyway form there. It wouldn’t be so problematic if the buyers are allowed to park there for several minutes, as at other flower shops. It seems to them that the authorities simply do not care about the people who earn their living by selling flowers or particular goals are pursued and they want the sellers to leave themselves. They work at a loss. Only last December, they ultimately managed to settle the debts that appeared after they threw away all the flowers in March 2020.
Another woman selling flowers there said the decision to ban parking in front of the flower kiosks is right as the buyers earlier could not easier find a place to park nearby. But it is not right to fine the buyers who park for several minutes to buy a bouquet of flowers. The problem can be solved by replacing the traffic sign so as to allow parking for a short period of time. On February 14, the police fined all the buyers who stopped there and, in such a situation, the customers will surely not come to their kiosks. The municipality’s decision could be political in character as they promised to replace the paving on Bodoni St, but this wasn’t done.
Contacted by IPN for a comment, the mayor of Chisinau Ion Ceban said there is no place for parking in that area and the decision to ban parking was aimed at fluidizing traffic there.. “Traffic jams disappeared after the decision to ban parking was taken. The municipality pursues no other goal than to safeguard the interests of the residents of Chisinau and to ensure their comfort,” stated the mayor.
