Mežaparks residents in Riga challenge felling of 87 trees for cycle route — LSM English
Residents of the Mežaparks district in Riga, Latvia, have filed a lawsuit against the Riga City Council’s City Development Department, demanding that the decision to cut down 87 trees be revoked. The trees are planned to be removed to build cycling infrastructure on the Brasa—Sarkandaugava—Mīlgrāvis route, LSM English reports.
Residents’ arguments
Last year, the authorities held a public consultation on the felling of trees in connection with the construction of the cycle path. According to the voting results, most residents supported preserving the trees.
The plaintiff, Ilona Barkovska, stated that the city authorities may not have properly considered the arguments expressed during the consultation. According to her, the Nature Conservation Agency also noted that a solution should be found that would make it possible to preserve the trees, since they can be incorporated into the cycle route infrastructure.
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City council’s position
Initially, the project envisaged cutting down 96 trees, but after the plan was revised, the number was reduced to 87. Riga City Council described the reduction of nine trees as a positive result.
Oto Ozols, deputy head of Riga City Council’s cycling infrastructure department, said that the route will run along the railway line and will have almost no intersections with car traffic. According to him, following consultations with a local public organization and the designer, changes were made to the plan: the carriageway was narrowed on one of the streets, protection for tree roots was provided, and the cycle path was routed around the trees.
The five-kilometre Brasa—Sarkandaugava—Mīlgrāvis route is intended to connect several railway stations, near which mobility hubs have already been established. The remaining infrastructure is still at the design stage.
