Some plan to leave the capital on Friday, others will wander around the city looking for last-minute gifts. Traffic jams are inevitable and, it is said, expected throughout the day, so for the readers of LRT.lt police and specialists provide advice on how to welcome the upcoming holidays without tension in traffic.
In the week before the holiday, there are traffic jams on the streets of big cities. Specialists point out that most of them are in Vilnius, especially in the center and around large shopping centers.
Vidmantas Pumputis, head of the Traffic Safety Department of the Ministry of Transport, tells LRT RADIO that it will not be possible to avoid traffic jams during this period, but if people drive more civilly, they would be less.
"First of all, when driving before Christmas, during Christmas it would be worthwhile to observe the traffic environment more - to see how other drivers behave, to observe the traffic lights, and not to use the phone in any way. Of course, drivers should better predict [traffic jams], if possible, leave a little earlier. One of the main rules is to observe the elementary principles of civilized driving, ie to pass [other cars], not to create an emergency situation for another [driver]," advised V. Pumputis, head of the Traffic Safety Department.
Traffic at shopping centers increases by up to 15 percent.
JSC "Communication services"informs that the experience of the last year shows that it is not uncommon to look for gifts and other important pre-holiday matters in the last days before the holidays. On Friday, traffic jams may form on individual streets throughout the day, especially in the central part of Vilnius and at the entrances to large shopping centers.
As Vaidotas Meškauskas, Head of the General Affairs Department of "Transportation Services" who performs the functions of the director, stated on LRT.lt, this year the intensity of traffic in the pre-holiday period is no different from previous years - traffic flows on the streets increase by about 5-7 percent in December, traffic flows increase at shopping centers up to 15 percent
The locations of the main pre-holiday traffic jams do not change - Ozo str., Kalvariju st., Konstitucijos per., Ukmergė st., Gelezinio Vilko St., Pilaitė Ave. and other city arteries. Also the streets near shopping and service centers and Christmas town access.
As stated by V. Meškauskas, one of the main causes of traffic jams is the increasing number of vehicles and the choice to travel by private cars.
"According to our available data, traffic flows in Vilnius are only increasing every year - on average, only 4 people travel in 5 cars, that is, each family member travels in his own car. If the average filling of each car reached at least 2,5-3 people, the traffic on the streets would be reduced by almost half. During the festive period, it is recommended not to travel by car alone, but to plan joint trips with family members", advised V. Meškauskas.
The interviewer also urged drivers to constantly monitor the traffic situation and react to traffic signals in time, to concentrate and not be distracted: "In traffic jams, it is recommended to choose the right lane in advance and not line up every time cars start moving in the other lane. Additional maneuvering between traffic lanes causes additional downtime, the probability of a traffic accident increases, and the bandwidth of traffic lanes decreases. It is also necessary to maintain a safe distance between vehicles, especially when the road surface is wet or slippery."
Maybe you can travel on Saturday morning?
Specialists advise planning trips in advance, and in order to leave the city faster, you should choose an unpopular time, for example, early in the morning on the weekend.
Police department representative Ramūnas Matonis told LRT.lt that a little more police forces should work on Friday, their main focus will be on traffic incidents that disrupt traffic.
"Efforts will be made to get the cars off the road as soon as possible so as not to disrupt traffic. If necessary, officers will try to regulate traffic in some areas. It is clear that traffic jams cannot be avoided, so the police advise drivers to plan their weekend trips in advance if possible. If possible, leave on Saturday morning rather than Friday evening.
In the event of a minor technical incident, when officers are not called, we advise drivers to clear the roadway as soon as possible so as not to disturb others," R. Matonis commented on LRT.lt.
In the event of a minor technical traffic incident where no one was injured, drivers are suggested to take pictures of the vehicles and fill out the declaration not on the road, but after pulling the cars to a more secluded place so that they do not obstruct the traffic.
