Vilnius businessmen make no secret of their anger: the old town is doomed to collapse

“On the first day of September we had earned 828 thousand euros less, which means that there will be one million less a year. That’s a lot. There are many such companies, Lithuania will lose a lot of money “, – says the businesswoman in the program” Delfi diena “.

“On March 15, before the quarantine, we had 51 employees, today we only have 37. Look at how many people were unemployed. Because they are no longer necessary ”, adds I. Marozienė.

According to her, every day in August, the restaurant earned about 3,400 euros less, it does not sell many products. However, staff salaries remained the same as last year.

“Salaries in July were exactly the same as a year ago. If it had been a normal year, they would have gone up, but keeping it the same was a challenge,” explains the restaurant owner.

According to her, a large part of the customers were lost not only because of the virus, but also because of the inconvenience of communication and the lack of parking spaces in the old town of Vilnius.

“We are told that the circular traffic was made to destroy cars in the old town. Okay, we will eradicate them, but people are not walking due to cold weather at the moment. The old town is completely doomed to collapse. No one will go to the old town, they will die until spring, ”says I. Marozienė.

According to her, winter is increasingly difficult and for many companies it can become a decisive challenge: “Winter will be very difficult and the old town will change completely. You will find many closed spaces. “

Vytautas Kratulis, director of the Huracan Caffee coffee network, agrees that communication in the city is not good and that entrepreneurs suffer as a result.

“Castle Street is completely empty. If there are decisions of this type that make the old town uncomfortable, what to go to? If we talk about public transport, communication in the city, then it is not good,” says V. Kratulis.

“In terms of infrastructure, I don’t see anything to improve in Vilnius. As a Vilnius resident, I would like Vilnius to be more comfortable,” he adds.

However, V. Kratulis says that he does not realize that people have less money. According to him, the adaptation to the conditions of the pandemic was quite successful, he said.

“The task of our businesses is to adapt, we adapt. And then there is some looping traffic, and it doesn’t help at all, “says the director of the coffee network.

„[Artėjant žiemai] There are plans, God forbid, so that there are no more restrictions ”, says V. Kratulis in the program“ Delfi diena ”.

Municipality: most companies admit traffic through lagoons

After the article was published, the Vilnius City Municipality also presented its opinion in a press release.

According to the report, the idea of ​​circular traffic introduced in Vilnius Old Town is supported by the majority of Vilnius residents and catering companies. This is believed to have been revealed by two surveys commissioned by the Vilnius City Municipality.

“The circular traffic solution changes the habits of many residents visiting Vilnius Old Town, so we understand that this project will receive various evaluations. However, the first evaluations show that we are on the right track: research has shown that car traffic has decreased in the Old Town and these changes are supported by the majority of residents and businesses, ”said Vilnius Deputy Mayor, Vytautas Mitalas.

A representative survey of Vilnius residents, during which 1,003 Vilnius residents were interviewed, revealed that 45 percent. A quarter of the respondents (25%) and 30% do not support the introduction of circular traffic in the old town. Vilnius residents have no opinion on this issue.

The catering business sector was also surveyed: restaurants, cafes, bars.

The municipality surveyed 101 cafes. 54.4 percent. companies surveyed say they support loophole traffic. Of these, 6 percent. The companies claim to have experienced an increased flow of pedestrians and customers in the old town.

Only 8 out of 100 restaurants surveyed do not support loop traffic (8%). 14 percent of those surveyed have no opinion and for the rest of the companies this issue is not relevant, since they operate outside the Old Town.

“We listen to and appreciate the suggestions made by residents and companies on how to improve the traffic regime introduced. When necessary, we change the traffic signals, plan more convenient places for taxis and transporters, the access of tourist buses to the hotels of the Old town, I think the number of supporters of this idea will grow even more, ”said V. Mitalas.

The Vilnius City Municipality ensures that the introduction of circular traffic has already had a positive effect on reducing car traffic in the Old Town during the first month.

Comparing 2020 in the last week of June and in 2020. In July, the average decrease in daily traffic flows in the old town is 6 percent. Meanwhile, on weekdays, the morning peak decreased by nearly 10 percent, and during the afternoon peak, traffic was down 2.1 percent. In some streets, due to less traffic, the traffic flow has already changed significantly; for example, on Klaipėdos street, the number of cars after the introduction of circular traffic is about 40 percent. less, Pamėnkalnis – about 27 percent. Less.

Comparing the last week of June and July, the average increase in weekend traffic in the old town is 16 percent. This shows that on weekends the Old Town attracts more and more visitors with events, public spaces, outdoor cafes, etc., its streets are not used for transit, but for a visit specifically in this part of the city.

Circular motion was introduced in Vilnius Old Town in early July this year in order to eliminate transit traffic, which in the Old Town accounted for up to 40 percent. of total car traffic, and in the morning, up to 70 percent. The Vilnius City Municipality is convinced that the introduction of circular traffic will reduce pollution and noise in the Old Town and allow more space for pedestrians and cyclists. According to them, for several years many European countries have carried out similar traffic changes in the city center.

UAB Jarinta conducted a representative survey of the opinion of Vilnius residents on behalf of the municipality. The study has been carried out since 2020. August 17. By September 3, it surveyed 1,003 respondents across the city.