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“It just came to our attention then. Either driving or walking. These are big enough changes, enough changes, but we are making them only because, as someone criticizes, the rules would not be changed several times a year,” said the minister of Transport, Marius Skuodis, at the Government meeting.
He pointed out that the changes were discussed with the municipalities, the traffic police, various associations and experts.
“Today’s drivers are faced with a number of ambiguous situations. We are also seeing changes in the transportation sector as a whole.
Surely each of us travel to different countries and see a myriad of different foreign examples of how traffic could be organized. With all this in mind, we are initiating important changes in the Rules of the Road, ”said M. Skuodis at a press conference held on Tuesday.
“I really hope that when we have those changes, the traffic will be safer and clearer, and we will all have much more freedom and comfort to move,” he added.
With the approval by the government of the new amendments to the KET, most of the changes will take effect on January 1 of next year, while others that require more preparation, the installation of new traffic lights and road signs, will go into effect. effective June 1 of next year. The news portal tv3.lt presents the fundamental changes in KET that await all drivers in the country.
A bicycle street will appear
In the new TFE a new term appears: street for bicycles. Such a street will be installed on a quiet and slow-moving street (for example, narrow streets in old cities, resorts), will have a mix of motorized and non-motorized vehicle traffic, and special requirements will apply for KET. New road signs “Dviračių gatvė” and “Dviračių gatvė end” would also appear.
On Bicycle Street, it will be possible to drive at a maximum speed of 30 km / h and make a turn.
This method of organizing bicycle traffic on the streets is used by the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Latvia and other countries.
Prohibit the use of electric scooters.
Electric scooter users will also innovate. A new road marking “No motorcycle traffic” will be introduced, which could restrict motorcycle traffic (electric scooters) in urban areas where there is a lot of pedestrian traffic or where traffic conditions require it.
Some of the road signs will disappear
The rows of the new road signs will be supplemented by the sign “No motor vehicle traffic” and a new additional table “Motor vehicles”.
These traffic management measures are aimed at solving residential vehicle parking and traffic problems at Curonian Spit.
Not only will new road signs appear, but morally outdated ones will disappear. The “Radio Station” and “Internet” traffic signs will disappear. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the information transmitted by these road signs is not relevant or necessary for road users, and the information is easily accessible in other ways.
For public transport: separate traffic lights
The KET will also regulate individual traffic lights for scheduled transportation only, which can be used to prioritize and more flexibility to regulate scheduled traffic.
White traffic light signals for en-route traffic on a black background will have the following meanings:
- The S-shaped sign prohibits scheduled traffic;
- the horizontal bar sign prohibits scheduled traffic (except in the cases specified in Paragraphs 29 and 166 of the Rules) and informs that the signals of the traffic lights will change;
- simultaneous activation of S-shaped signs and horizontal bars prohibits scheduled traffic and informs that arrow-shaped signs will be activated soon;
- the arrow-shaped sign (s) allows traffic en route in the specified directions.
One lane will also be able to drive motorcycles.
The organization of traffic in lanes A is also being modified. Under the new rules, cars marked with the sign “Disabled” will be allowed to circulate in the lanes for scheduled transportation, which will transport the disabled to the disabled day care center.
Additionally, at the initiative of the motorcycle community, motorcycles will be allowed to ride in lanes for scheduled transportation if the lane is marked with a motorcycle symbol.
The changes will also lead to new A-band brands:
- the letter A, which can only be used for regular transport (with the possibility of using separate traffic lights only for regular transport);
- the symbol A +, which, in addition to regular transport, may be driven by all other vehicles to which such right has been granted.
A special broker is legalized
There will also be a change in the regulation of what to do when drivers are required to jump special vehicles with lights on, such as an ambulance, police or fire engine.
The current procedure, in which drivers have to skip special transport when queuing on the right, is abandoned. The so-called emergency corridor is now legalized, with vehicles pulling both right and left, depending on the lane.
“Perhaps from practice I feel that sometimes drivers automatically create a so-called corridor for special transport and withdraw to the countries. <....> A study carried out in Austria shows that in this way, special transport can reach its destination up to 4 minutes faster and, in the event of an accident, 40%. the probability of rescuing the injured person is increasing ”, commented on Tuesday M. Skuodis on this change.
The bending rules are changing
The bending rules are also changed. From now on, the KET will make it clear that the driver, when turning left (turning) at an intersection, must yield the right-of-way not only to oncoming vehicles or to the right, but also to vehicles that do so. overtake (when the driver is already lined up in the opposite lane). and perform a bending maneuver) where such bending is permitted.
Another amendment seeks to resolve the highly contentious and contentious road traffic situation that arises when vehicles line up on the road with a common lane to decelerate and accelerate.
In such a situation, the driver who intends to enter (rearrange) the acceleration lane in the flow of traffic must either yield to passing vehicles or change lanes in the deceleration lane.
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The aim is also to draw the attention of drivers to the need to take extra precautions during the bending maneuver and to avoid unnecessary bending maneuvers. The Accident Review prepared by the Road Police Service indicates that in 2020 infringement rule violations killed 12 percent. all deaths in traffic accidents.
Changes in intersections
It will also clarify the situation at an intersection where traffic is regulated by a traffic light, where the paths of vehicles moving in the intersection according to the allowed traffic light intersect, one of which turns and the other turns right.
In this case, it has been established that a driver turning at an intersection where traffic is regulated by a traffic light would yield to road users traveling from other directions in accordance with the allowed traffic light signal.
In order to increase safety at level crossings, road users will henceforth be prohibited from delaying or stopping at a level crossing, as well as taking longer than necessary to cross or cross it.
It was also established that some of the prohibited road signs would be valid not only up to the nearest intersection, but also in the area of the intersection.
Will change the parking order
The new rules will also affect residents who like to park their cars in driveways to apartment yards. The Vilnius City Municipality proposed to ban the parking of vehicles at road intersections. Vehicles parked at the intersection of the road and the entrance to the roadside area limit the visibility of the road, obstruct the drivers of special vehicles serving the vehicles and other road users.
Addressing the issue of occupancy of EV charging stations when EVs are left unattended or not retrieved in time after charging, a new point is added to the KETs that forces the driver to remove the vehicle from the electric vehicle charging station immediately after charging.
Additional tables “Electric cars” and explanations of horizontal markings are also clarified: from time to time they will indicate that the places marked in this way are intended for parking electric cars only during their charging.
It will unify the procedure for taxis and carriers
The new TFE propose changing the definition of “service transport” to include passenger cars for the transport of rental or reward passengers by charter, arriving or arriving at the marked area.
The amendment seeks to harmonize the conditions for the operation and participation of taxis and carriers in public traffic.
Most of the changes will take effect from January 1 of next year, the other part, which requires more preparation (installation of new traffic lights, road signs) will take effect from June 1 of next year. All KET changes can be found here.
What changes are expected in the Traffic Rules starting next year?
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