The municipality and the Chisinau traffic police haven't reached a consensus as to which should be the standard width of road lanes, the reason why road marking work in downtown Chisinau has been postponed until an indefinite future date, Info-Prim Neo reports. Lane widths in Brussels, for example, range from 2.5 to 3 meters, whereas in Chisinau they measure 3.75 meters. That is why the thoroughfares in Chisinau cannot be divided into three lanes so that one of them could accommodate the public transport. “It's absurd, because everyone today drives along three lanes despite the marking”, said Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca at the latest meeting of the City Hall, adding that the municipality shouldn't remain stuck in Soviet-era standards. Chisinau's chief architect Vlad Modarca has replied that there are a multitude of aspects that should be taken into account when fixing the width of lanes in Chisinau, especially in the historical central part of it. The new general urban plan cuts broadened roads through old buildings located in the historical center, which contravenes the law on the protection of historical monuments. The best solution for this part of Chisinau, according to the chief architect, would be to broaden the streets at the expense of narrower sidewalks, so as to keep the old buildings intact. Dorin Chirtoaca pointed out that broader streets in downtown Chisinau is a priority for the municipality, and road works will start there as soon as the picture of the budget for the next year becomes clear. Above all, the mayor says it is necessary to preserve the valuable architectural patrimony as well as the beautiful parks of the city. Chirtoaca also instructed relevant officials to standardize the distances between the street trees in order to enable the setting up of parking lots in between and not in the place of trees. “It would be great for Chisinau to become the only city in Europe to have trees on the right and on the left side of the streets, regardless of a host of challenges like rooting, narrow sidewalks and other things”, the mayor said. In retort, Vlad Modirca remarked that not all the streets could be enlarged without cutting down trees. “Nolens volens we will have to resort to this measure some time soon”, the chief architect said. Last time the standard for the width of lanes in Chisinau was fixed in 1991.