Chișinău is facing three major problems related to mobility, said Deputy Mayor Victor Chironda. The first one is that Chișinău is built to accommodate private cars, which is why traffic jams occur, why there are less than necessary parking spaces, why there's too much pressure on the road infrastructure system and environmental pollution. The second problem is the underdeveloped public transport system, which is not attractive for people. The third is related to pedestrian infrastructure and the lack of alternative transport. The deputy mayor spoke on the topic at the "Urban mobility: priority interventions in transport policies in Chișinău" online public debates, organized by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms.
According to the deputy mayor, the short and medium-term objectives of Chișinău City Hall are to focus efforts, including financial, on improving public transport, supplementing it with new units, improving sidewalk infrastructure and developing infrastructure for alternative transport. These solutions are now being tested.
Civic activist Andrei Tudos, who participated in the debate, said that a different mobility policy should be put in effect, other than the one applied so far, which left citizens to solve the issue of urban mobility on their own. City residents chose the simplest solution, namely to buy a car. In his opinion, Chișinău has a good public transport network, which should be expanded and improved. New transport units and dedicated lanes are needed.
Victoria Boțan, a public relations specialist at the “Motivation” Association, which promotes the rights of people with disabilities, said that public transport is a challenge for groups with reduced mobility. There are people with disabilities who have benefited from the legal provision that allows them to purchase a car in advantageous conditions. However, this facility does not make sense as long as people in rural areas can not learn to drive. They have to travel to Chișinău, where the only driving schools with adapted cars are situated. As far as public transport is concerned, minibuses are not adapted to the needs of people with reduced mobility. New trolleybuses are, yet they do not cover the entire area of Chișinău. Likewise, only a few taxi services offer services for people with reduced mobility. Victoria Boțan recommended to solve the transport problem when public transport units are purchased, which implies determining a standardized model, accessible for people with reduced mobility.
Cristina Voroneanu, responsible for project coordination and research at the NGO "My City Hall", said that survey results show that people want a larger number of transportation units and coverage, which would allow to fulfil transportation needs. The transportation coverage is especially needed in the suburbs. Likewise, people want to know exactly how long they need to wait in stations for transport. A sufficient number of transport units and compliance with the timetable are ranked very important by respondents. Residents also want comfortable transport units, adapted to the needs of people with reduced mobility.
