Over the course of the next 5-10 years, the Chișinău Mayor’s Office intends to reduce the number of car trips so that 60% of commuting within Chișinău is by public transport. All future urban mobility projects developed by the City Hall will be in line with this objective, said Deputy Mayor Victor Chironda, during the "Urban mobility: priority interventions in transport policies in Chișinău" debates, organized by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms.
According to Victor Chironda, Chișinău's budget does not allow to cover all infrastructure and mobility development needs. The municipality aims to create an account where paid parking fees, fines for illegal parking and car towing fees will be directed, which will represent a potential source of income. However, the development of this income source will take time. Additional amendments are required, as to allow the municipality to collect parking fees and apply fines for violating the parking regime. Currently, parking fines are directed to the national budget, leaving the municipality without a source of income, said the deputy mayor.
Another source of income, according to Victor Chironda, would be the public transport system, which is currently subsidized. The deputy mayor talked about the electronic ticket system for public transport, which is currently at the feasibility study stage. The feasibility study will allow "to substantiate the public-private partnership format". Subsequently, the municipality will identify the operator that will implement the system.
Cristina Voroneanu, responsible for project coordination and research at the NGO "My City Hall", considers that public consultations are an opportunity for authorities to ensure that the projects they have planned are compliant and useful for citizens. In her opinion, public consultations should be held in regard to all projects, from the moment of conception. She added that public debates should be organized in a new format. The debates should be moderated, held at an accessible time and place, with the option to join online, while the framing and explanation of issues should be as accessible as possible.
