The comfort and safety of Chisinau dwellers are greatly affected by the chaos caused by the lack of parking lots. Chisinau has many cars and very few parking spaces. During a press conference at IPN, Victor Chironda, the candidate of "New Force" Social-Political Movement to the position of general mayor of Chisinau municipality, has specified that the chaotic parking in the capital generates accidents, blocks public transport and impedes pedestrians from walking freely on sidewalks.
According to Victor Chironda, in Chisinau municipality drivers have no place to park while pedestrians have nowhere to walk because the sidewalks are occupied by irregularly parked cars. In his opinion, public parking should be a priority for Chisinau. At the same time, "parking lots should not be arranged in such a manner that they become a gigantic parking space, as the tendency is."
The candidate argues that parking on the central streets of the city must be arranged, clearly marked and for a short period. At the entrances to the city, where several public transport routes intersect, multi-storey car parks must be built, where drivers will be able to leave their cars for the whole day and take public transport, using the parking ticket. At the same time, each apartment block yard must provide sufficient parking spaces for the tenants.
Victor Chironda acknowledges that paid parking is a sensitive issue for Moldovans. However, it is needed for balanced transport. The candidate argues that such an increase in the number of cars while people have no place to walk in the city is not normal. Victor Chironda states that the money collected from the parking lots must be directed to a municipal fund, meant for reinvesting in public transport, pedestrian infrastructure, cyclists.
Mihai Avram, a member of the candidate's team, has said that the parking situation in Chisinau is the result of local public administration’s poor management. He has specified that currently the City Hall has no efficient tools to manage the parking issue.
Olga Rujanschi, who is also a member of the candidate's team, has said that an audit of irregularly parked cars is needed in order to estimate the number of paid parking lots to be arranged. Olga Rujanschi has also mentioned that in Chisinau traffic jams occur especially in the morning, when parents take their children to school by car. School buses would be a solution in this regard.
Victor Chironda is number six on the ballot. "New Force" Social-Political Movement, on the platform of which he is running, is led by former defence minister Valeriu Pleşca.